Men’s (UMM) President Larry Dozier will team up with Seraphim Manor founder and Executive Director Sandra Schooley to encourage parishioners and others to “End the Silence” of domestic violence Sunday at both the 8 a.m. and the 10:45 a.m. services at Hollypark United Methodist Church, 13000 S. Van Ness Ave. in Gardena.
Schooley runs Seraphim Manor, a transitional housing facility for battered and abused women in southern California. She has authored a book on the subject of domestic violence, “Call Me Survivor.”
Men’s (UMM) President Larry Dozier will team up with Seraphim Manor founder and Executive Director Sandra Schooley to encourage parishioners and others to “End the Silence” of domestic violence Sunday at both the 8 a.m. and the 10:45 a.m. services at Hollypark United Methodist Church, 13000 S. Van Ness Ave. in Gardena.
Schooley runs Seraphim Manor, a transitional housing facility for battered and abused women in southern California. She has authored a book on the subject of domestic violence, “Call Me Survivor.”
She says the book deals with domestic violence and abuse from a Christian perspective. The book will be available on site for purchase and Schooley will autograph each copy.
“I do not like the word victim, as in ‘victim of domestic violence,” Schooley writes in the book. “This is a common terminology for women that have suffered the effects of violence and abuse on their bodies, minds and souls. The word victim insinuates defeat. It offers no empowerment. There is no movement. A victim is stuck in their situation. There is no sense of hope to a victim.
“I therefore, use the term survivor,” Schooley writes. “A survivor has hope. A survivor is not defeated, but is able to move forward. A survivor can heal and grow. A survivor has hope for recovery and a future.”
She shares her personal story in the publication.
Dozier, who serves as the Lay Leader at Hollypark UMC is heading up the program for the day and decided to invite Schooley to address the subject. While United Methodist Men have been supportive of bringing awareness to the issue the organization decided at a September meeting in Nashville to bring more focus to the issue from a national, integrated perspective. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Dozier, a national officer with UMMen (Western Jurisdiction President) said that he was in full support of the effort and wanted to move ahead in the Western Jurisdiction as soon as possible.
It’s an ideal issue on which United Methodist Men and United Methodist Women (UMW) can work together. UMW have been in the forefront of this issue a long time. “It’s about time men stepped to the plate to help rid the world of this scourge, especially since we tend to be the biggest perpetrators,” Dozier said.
