![]() | What Faith Communities Can DoParents and children can benefit from the fellowship, support and stability offered by faith communities.Fellowship is an integral component of faith communities—and for individuals experiencing domestic violence and neglect, fellowship is one of the things they need most. By design and tradition, faith communities encourage connection and regular interaction while offering emotional and spiritual guidance and support for members. |
Look for ways that you can help others in your faith community. Reach out to and engage newly joined families and be sure to welcome and talk to children in your place of worship. Making new friends and connections can be hard for adults, so try to find ways to include and support new families and connect them with resources and information about your faith group.
There are many things you can do to help families and children in need of support within your faith community:
Getting involved in your community is an excellent way to give back while joining forces with other faith communities and businesses for a good cause. Here are a few ideas:
Recommend and share information and training about sexual abuse and domestic violence with leaders and other individuals at your place of worship. There are many resources available—here are some examples:
Join an organization that advocates for the well-being of children and families. There are many to choose from, but one local example is Our kids: Our business (OKOB). Faith communities are a valuable part of OKOB’s work because they are a natural place of support for families.
Sometimes we’re faced with situations that we don’t know how to address, and it can be hard to know how to support an individual experiencing abuse, neglect or domestic violence.
1“Our Whole Lives,” United Church of Christ, last accessed September 10, 2019, https://www.ucc.org/justice_se....