ACT

Warning: This article may be triggering to anyone who has experienced sexual violence.

This month, Lamb of God’s Faith in Action ministry partner is ACT (Abuse, Counseling, & Treatment). This Sunday we will work with the Thrift Shop, who’s proceeds fund their services. Throughout this month, we will focus on supporting their ministry and how best to serve them. Community Partnerships are the key to our outreach efforts as a congregation. ACT offers a 24-hour helpline, several safe shelters, children's programs, and economic assistance. All the services provided to the victims of violence and their children are available free of charge.

When Lamb of God visited the facilities last year, the rape crisis center left a heart wrenching impression. Although many women turn to the center for help each year, each person feels the same aloneness. Did you know that one in five women in the United States experience rape in their lifetime. Nationwide, 81% of women and 43% of men reported experiencing some form of sexual harassment and/or assault in their lifetime (www.nsvrc.org). Although sexual violence is so common, the stigma that comes with it, keeps it in the shadows. By naming our societal demons, we can overcome them.

Though I’ve been privileged enough to not have direct personal experience with abuse, combating sexual violence has been a passion of mine since college. When I served as a Resident Advisor for my dormitory, a rape occurred on my floor. Though I was not on duty that night, I still felt responsible. My reaction to this incident was to lead a campus-wide educational event about the severity of sexual violence. It was well attended and the room was packed. However, the response I heard from the students still has my blood boiling to this day! I heard things like, “she shouldn’t have been out that late,” “she shouldn’t have had so much to drink,” and “she shouldn’t have worn that.” I heard every excuse under the sun that tired to justify what she went through. The obfuscation was maddening!

Friends, I am so tired of the excuses. In my case, these excuses didn’t even come from the predator, they came from strangers. This is a sign of a cultural problem. We can no longer afford a lack of accountability. If there’s one thing that’s true about sexual abuse… is that it’s everywhere.  It is in every profession, every political party, every denomination, and within sector of society that involves power. We can overcome this, but only if we stop tolerating it.

Where is Jesus in the midst of sexual violence? Jesus is beside the abused. Jesus is at ACT… wiping the tears beside the woman who mustered the courage to seek help. Because Jesus is at ACT, that is why we support them and the important work they do. Jesus advocated for the widows in his time because they, too, were women overlooked and neglected by society. Jesus is calling us into a better world. This is a world without violence. God delights when we fight for freedom, true freedom, for all people.

My door’s open if you need to talk,

Pastor Lucas

Photo by Jen Theodore