Story by Ricardo Bacchus
Lately, Victor, the Visitor mouse, has been searching for you. He needs 15 kids to find him so that he’s not alone. Then: 1) Have someone take your picture with him. 2) Tag us on Facebook. 3) Wait for a Bible memory game from LivingWell in Silver Spring, Md.
Click here to read in Spanish. Click here to read in French.
Story by V. Michelle Bernard
Pastors of Pennsylvania Conference’s 26 Hispanic churches had an evangelism series planned for spring. But with coronavirus pandemic social distancing in place, they were forced to move the event to social media where they took turns preaching on the theme, “Love Written With Blood.”
The weeklong series received more than 19,000 views and was shared 678 times. Organizers believe that more people were impacted by the series than if it would’ve taken place “in person.”
Story by Elizabeth Anderson
Most child predators don’t lurk in alleys looking for their victims. A predator is more likely to be a known and trusted figure in the victim’s community.
Some things to look out for in a predator:
1. Grooming may be prolonged, but not in all cases. According to the authors of “Safe Churches: Responding to Abuse in the Faith Community,” grooming could be preceded by a series of small tests that inform the abuser how to proceed.
2. An abuser’s intentions usually seem harmless.
3. Look out for flattering words and making potential victims feel appreciated.
4. Seemingly innocuous violations are usually followed by larger ones.
5. Seeking alone time to isolate potential victims “from those who can intervene.”
Story by Elizabeth Anderson
Liliana* is a Generation X Seventh-day Adventist who attends church with her three daughters. The way she worships today has been shaped by a series of violations during her tween years.
"I was molested by an elder at the church," she told the Visitor staff. "My mother trusted [that] when I was in church, I was fine, andI was safe. And that absolutely was not the case."
Praying and Preying
That sense of trust church members tend to place in others can be attractive for good reasons and nefarious ones.
“Predators love church because there’s an auto- matic feeling of trust,” says Erica Jones, Women’s Ministries assistant director for the North American Division (NAD).
Story by Visitor Staff / Cover Image by Stuart Ricardson
As the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Mid-Atlantic United States, Adventist Community Services and Disaster Response (ACS) leaders from across the Columbia Union Conference stepped in to meet increased need.