Several years ago, in 2005 to be precise, the Faith Based Subcommittee of the San Diego Domestic Violence Council, of which I was a member, developed Safe Faith Place Communities, a nondenominational domestic violence information, education, referral and awareness program.
We developed a comprehensive handbook, a glossy multi-page brochure to include a full page about abused men, business card size information cards, and trained volunteers in several congregations to operate the program. We adopted “relationship violence” as an inclusive core tenant. We included child abuse, intimate partner violence, elder abuse, and other forms of relationship violence, including recognizing abused men. In fact, as far as I can determine, other than flyers and brochures developed by NCFM and Stop Abuse For Everyone (SAFE) this is one of the earliest brochures outside of the Men’s rights movement to embrace and recognize abused men, at least in southern California.
The program was exported from California as far away as Oklahoma and is functioning in several congregations in California. We retrained a group of roughly 15 volunteers a few months ago.
Kent Peters, Director, Office of Social Ministries, Diocese of San Diego, was Chairman of our subcommittee. He’s a busy guy. Among many other involvements he was recently involved in creating Immaculate Heart Radio, a church owned AM radio station based in San Diego. Kent is also co-host of Setting Things Right.
Setting Things Right airs Wednesdays at 11:00 a.m. to 11:55 a.m. on KCEO AM 1000. The listener call-in line 858-490-8393
You can listen live to the program three ways:
1) on KCEO AM 1000,
2) online at www.ihradio.com (Use the San Diego feed), or
3) on smart phones from anywhere in the world (visit www.ihradio.com for the new apps – Don’t forget to choose the San Diego stream).
I will be joining the members of our Safe Faith Place Communities team on tomorrow’s show. Please join us, especially if you are interested in organizing a Safe Faith Place Communities program.
To be clear, this is a nondenominational program. With modification it may be suitable outside faith communities as well. It is one of many programs in which I and NCFM have been involved over the decades. With your continued support we anticipate doing even more to make the world a better place for all of us.
Harry Crouch
President
 
Domestic violence is not gender specific.
Domestic violence is relationship violence and can be of any age.
It’s heartbreaking that most of our federal legislators don’t know that or have the courage to support such facts.
Bob, thanks for your comments. I agree that its good to hear from members of the faith based community re DV.
Good job, as always, by Harry Crouch. It’s great that they were honest and open about the needs and issues in religious communities.