Holding Out Hope for Hidden Sufferers

We realised our need for domestic abuse safeguarding posters at Charlotte Chapel just over four years ago. The idea came from the excellent book Walking with Domestic Abuse Sufferers by Helen Thorne, who also took a seminar on the issue at the Biblical Counselling UK conference in February 2018 which I attended.

These resources highlighted that in a congregation of our size, there were likely to be many who were, or had been, either sufferers or perpetrators of abuse within the home.

As we continued to mature and grow as a church committed to ‘one anothering’, we accepted that these experiences, often hidden and associated with shame, could not be denied. Our desire was to grow in honest awareness of both our sin and shortcomings alongside the redemption and healing only the gospel brings.

Reaching hidden sufferers

The aim of these posters was to make known to all in our church building - whether members, regular attenders, or occasional visitors - that we believe the gospel applies to all areas of life, however difficult or challenging, and offers hope.

The posters were placed in the church toilet facilities: a public yet safe space where an individual could access the information privately and learn how to get help.

It was important that, first and foremost, we made it clear that domestic abuse is a transgression against God’s law and not just the law of the land. Domestic abuse exists in all walks of life, including in the church. We wanted it to be clear that the church, and God, has something to say in these situations: that he can bring hope, healing, and redemption.

We also wanted to demonstrate humility in recognising that we do not have all the answers in these often difficult situations and that we would work with local and national secular agencies who have experience in helping those involved in domestic abuse.

We included named individuals in the church who could be contacted, to remove any concerns relating to generic email contacts. We also felt that including the details of external organisations who could be contacted was important to assist with overcoming an individual’s sense of shame or embarrassment.

These types of posters and notices are common in public buildings that many of us will regularly use, in our libraries, or in GP surgeries. By placing them in our churches we can be part of the process of connecting real-life experiences with the real and life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.