{"id":912,"date":"2009-08-20T19:34:03","date_gmt":"2009-08-20T19:34:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=912"},"modified":"2010-12-22T12:50:27","modified_gmt":"2010-12-22T17:50:27","slug":"7251","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2009\/08\/20\/7251\/","title":{"rendered":"Physical Abuse Happens in Christian Homes, Too"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO, IL (August 20, 2009) \u2013 Yvonne DeVaughn sat in churches wishing she could tell another person that someone had sexually assaulted her from the time she was six years old until she turned 17, when he impregnated her.
\n
\nIt would be years later before she told anyone. \u201cI wonder if my life would have been different if I had known that it was okay to talk about it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s a real misperception out there that this doesn\u2019t happen in Christian homes, or at least not as much as in non-Christian homes,\u201d says DeVaughn, the director of Advocacy for Victims of Abuse (AVA)<\/a>, an initiative of the Department of Women ministries. \u201cIt happens in Christian homes as much as in non-Christian homes.\u201d<\/p>\n

DeVaughn hopes churches will participate in the Covenant\u2019s Domestic Violence Awareness Sunday on October 4.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is such a need for awareness and sensitivity in our churches so victims feel it is a safe place and not just a healing place,\u201d DeVaughn says. \u201cThere is so much shame around battery and sexual assault that people are terrified of coming forward. It\u2019s almost like having a scarlet letter put upon you, and you\u2019re afraid that people will look down on you.\u201d<\/p>\n

People often stay in abusive situations because they don\u2019t know where to turn for help or how they will survive, she says. That is especially true if the victims don\u2019t have financial resources to live independently.<\/p>\n

Even if they are able to escape the violence, victims frequently wind up in other abusive situations, she finds. DeVaughn, 60, has been married 41 years to a husband she says has been wonderful. \u201cI\u2019ve been one of the fortunate ones.\u201d<\/p>\n

People also suffer spiritually when they are physically abused. It is common for victims to turn from their faith in God as a result.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a part of your soul that gets torn up and conflicted,\u201d DeVaughn says.<\/p>\n

Churches increasingly are addressing the issue of domestic violence. In February, the men\u2019s group at Congregational Covenant Church<\/a> in North Easton, Massachusetts, raised $36,000 for two local agencies helping battered women. To read a previous Covenant News Service story, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Still, DeVaughn says, much work remains. Congregation members and pastors may find it hard to accept that someone who is a friend also is abusing their spouse or children. Additionally, churches may not know where to turn for resources.<\/p>\n

DeVaugn notes that the denomination offers numerous resources or links to information<\/a>. The AVA network also includes trained regional coordinators. The coordinators equip local churches to minister to victims of domestic violence and childhood sexual abuse.<\/p>\n

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CHICAGO, IL (August 20, 2009) \u2013 Yvonne DeVaughn sat in churches wishing she could tell another person that someone had sexually assaulted her from the time she was six years old until she turned 17, when he impregnated her.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nPhysical Abuse Happens in Christian Homes, Too - Covenant Newswire Archives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2009\/08\/20\/7251\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Physical Abuse Happens in Christian Homes, Too - 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