October is domestic violence awareness month. Which means we want to come together as a church community behind an issue that affects 1 in 3 women in the United States. Yes, you read that correctly. 1 IN 3! These numbers are staggering. These numbers cross every age, gender, race, and religion line imaginable. But still, so many survivors are suffering in silence because of the culture of shame that our country has created, and these numbers stop us in our tracks.

Unfortunately with these grave statistics comes with the almost absolute realization that we all know someone(s) who have been affected by domestic violence in their lifetime. As a church, we are working to stop just acknowledging the statistics, and start to acknowledge the survivor. With our partner, Safe Horizons, we are doing our part to help keep survivors of domestic violence safe. Church, we encourage and challenge you all to take this month as a reason to become educated and to become an advocate for change. Together we can end domestic violence once and for all.