Children are precious, and deserve to be loved and protected.
Unfortunately, that’s not always how children are treated. It has been huge news in the last several years about abuse of children and young people. And some of the horrific stories have come from the church. In this message we talk about that. We raise the level of conversation about child abuse, and about the safety and protection of children in our church and in our homes.
This message is part of a series called UNCENSORED: Conversations the church needs to have.These are conversations the global church, the Australian church and our church need to have.
The content of this message is rated PG, and some of the things we talk about could be distressing for you. This message could trigger some memories or emotions for you. We have made available a sheet of support options for the whole series, which you can download here. The relevant support options for this week’s message are below.
The DVD that we showed segments of is Towards Belief by Olive Tree media.
IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED CHILD ABUSE
Tell someone you trust. Keep telling people you trust until someone believes you and supports you.
You can tell one of our pastors or anyone on our team. We’ll believe you and support you to get help. Contact us to make an appointment.
If you are under 18 you can call Kids Help Line on 1800 55 1800 or chat online at www.kidshelpline.com.au
If you are over 18 you can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat online at www.lifeline.org.au
You can call the police if you are in immediate danger (000), or anytime (131 444).
You can report the abuse to Child Protection authorities by calling 1300 684 062.
ONGOING SUPPORT
The suggestions above are very important, especially in the early stages. As you do those things, you may need additional prayer support or professional counselling support. We can help you with that too.
PRAYER SUPPORT
Sometimes it helps to have someone pray specifically with you about what’s happened.
The Lakes Church team
Members of our staff team at The Lakes Church are experienced in prayer, dealing with difficult things that might be going on. There is no cost for this. Contact us to make an appointment.
Pastoral Leaders
The Pastoral Leaders are our elders and are available to pray for anyone in the church. There is no cost for this. Contact us to make an appointment.
Cairns Healing Rooms
The Healing Rooms are a great, neutral place to go when you are seeking healing or a spiritual breakthrough in your life. You will be prayed for in a non-denominational setting by Christians with healing, prophetic or discernment gifts, who have been trained in safe and responsible prayer and healing. Hours & Cairns location at healingrooms.com. No cost, but donations are accepted.
COUNSELLING SUPPORT
If you are a survivor, a counsellor will be a huge help. What’s happened to you is big, and it’s too much for you to face alone. With their professional training a counsellor can help you process what’s happened and move towards healing. We can recommend a few different counsellors.
Liz Jenkins – Life Speak Counselling
Liz counsels from our rooms at the church. Liz uses the Living Wisdom counselling model as well as other models where appropriate. Contact us and we’ll put you in touch with Liz.
Jo Koskela – Living Wisdom
Jo is a highly experienced counsellor based in Brisbane who has worked with our church many times. Jo is available for counselling by phone or Skype. www.livingwisdom.com.au
Peter Funke – Living Wisdom
Peter is based in South East QLD, and is available for counselling by phone or Skype. libertycounsellingandtraining.com
0 Comments