United Methodists Learn About Domestic Violence

In a preview of an upcoming the United Methodist cabinet members of the Holston Conference learned about domestic violence. Presenting on the topic was Gayle Crabtree of Hope for Healing.org and Deborah Yeomans of Legal Aid of East Tennessee.

A conference wide training event is scheduled as part of the Clergy Gathering to be held on October 13, 2009. This all day event will give pastors a working understanding of the dynamics of domestic violence, a broader understanding of the legal system and help resources. At the same time the pastors will learn about how to make a referral and how to support local victims within their congregations.

The training event will have presenters from the Tennessee Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence, the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church, Hope for Healing.org and Legal Aid of East Tennessee.

To schedule Gayle Crabtree of Hope for Healing.Org to speak to your group please email admin@hopeforhealing.org.

More information can be found online:

Clergy Gathering
Hope for Healing.Org

Gayle Crabtree Speaks to Oak Ridge District on Domestic Violence

Today, I was afforded the rare opportunity to address the Oak Ridge District Ministers meeting of the United Methodist Church. The topic was domestic violence.

I only noticed two pastors leave before my talk. Considering the tight schedules that some pastors keep I think that' s an accomplishment.

Several pastors told me that they looked forward to hearing my talk about domestic violence. This was before the meeting.

Once upon a time, pastors and domestic violence did not go together. Thankfully, times are changing. This wonderful group of ministers is proof of that.

May God grant them open ears, open hearts and open minds as they minister to victims within their congregations. May He also bring healing and health to the families that are locked in the viciousness of domestic violence.

Thanks Churches!

Many thanks to the following churches for your support. Without you, we couldn't do what we do!

Baileyton United Methodist Church - truckloads of thrift items
McCampbell United Methodist Church - 5 Star Giving
Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church - truckloads of thrift items
Marbledale Baptist Church - truckloads of thrift items
First Baptist of Strawberry Plains - space for upcoming Holiday Craft Show.
Wears Valley United Methodist Church - truckloads of thrift items

Holston Conference United Methodist Men - an amazing Aussie Travel Grill by Meco. Even though it was easy to put together our kids had a great time doing so! (They're having an even better time with lunch!)

Mission Madness Month

April is Mission Madness Month
in the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church

Rev. Dan Gray, Coordinator of Youth Ministries writes:

The CCYM is encouraging all youth groups in the Holston Conference to perform a service project at some point in the month of April. Of course you can always do more than one in April and any other month as well. We just thought it would be awesome if every Youth group in Holston did at least one service project the same month. Your youth group gets to decide what, when, and where you do it. Write to us at umyouth@holston.org to let us know what, when and where you did your service. Send us a digital picture, too, and we'll put your Mission Madness experience on our web site.

Hope for Healing.Org is a wonderful place for your youth group to serve!
We offer the following opportunities:

Thrift Shop - Learn about retail experience from the inside out. Kids can sort, fold, hang and tag clothing. This is a project with a worldwide outreach. Overflow clothing or clothes we can't use are sold for bulk. This provides 3rd world countries with affordable clothing and helps us meet expenses.

Angel Food Saturdays - a great outreach! Kids are needed to unload the truck, set up tables and distribute food boxes.

Restorative Justice - takes place on Angel Food Saturdays. Work side by side with a first time juvenile offender. Show Christ's love by example.

Outreach events - One day, action oriented events.

Fundraising help - Dates vary. Serve food, run games, distribute awareness cards or more! Our next fundraising service date is Saturday, May 10 at our new location.

Hope Products - create sellable products from cast-off items. Turn candle scraps into candles, old blue jeans into trendy handbags, refinish furniture, give new life to dingy tees by tie-dying them. Lots of fun! Proceeds from items sold help us meet expenses.

Need a project to go? We've got those too!

Host a used cell phone or ink jet drive.
Pin ribbon awareness cards for domestic violence or sexual assault awareness month.
Fold brochures.
Staple info packets.
Host a used clothing drive.
Collect aluminum cans.
Stuff envelopes.
Hold a postage stamp drive.

Just pick these items up, get them to your youth group and bring them back. What could be simpler?

Does something sound like a good fit for your group? Contact us today! We'd love to talk with you about making hope happen in Strawberry Plains! Email gayle@hopeforhealing.org.

Take our Workshop at the Impacting Ministry Knoxville District Event

Brochure information is here:
http://www.holston.org/media/event/event/impactingministry.pdf

Take our workshop today at the Impacting Ministry event held at Fountain City United Methodist Church. Domestic Violence; The Silent Epidemic presented by Gayle Crabtree (Founder & Executive Director of Hope for Healing.Org) with her husband, Rev. John Crabtree who will be covering the example of an Old Testament family caught in the bondage of domestic violence. Registration begins at 1:30. Workshops begin at 2:45.

Heartbreakingly, one in three women worldwide will be abused in her lifetime. Wrapped in a shroud of evil silence many victims will fail to come forward to find the healing they deserve and need. What does Domestic Violence within the church look like? As a Christian what do you do if someone confides in you that they are being abused? Were women abused in the Bible? Is leaving Biblical? Come to our workshop to find some answers and learn how to help. See the Hope Quilt - a testimony by survivors.

Must we help the whole world? YES!

Many of you know that the clothes we collect that we cannot use are now sold at poundage and sent to third world countries around the globe. This includes clothing that is out of season, stained or overstock. I was telling a friend about this new part of our program, excited at the chance to generate some funding for us while helping others. She looked at me, tilted her head and asked me the following:

"Gayle, do you have to help the whole world?"

Without hesitating I answered "Yes." To which she replied "Good!", gave me a bear hug and then went home to clean out her closets.

I laughed but it got me to thinking... When I started to realize all the ways we help I was very humbled.

We have the online support groups for survivors, family and partners and spouses of survivors. Via the internet we reach globally. Survivors often turn to us because of a lack of local services. This seems to be just as true for the person in their living room in Australia or South Africa as it is for the person down the street from the office. As of this writing, there are over 3000 members in just one of our Yahoo Groups.

But we've also been written about in international publications. The latest has been The Flyer which is distributed globally by the United Methodist Church via the Commission on the Status and Role of Women (COSROW for short.) This offers hope to victims everywhere that it is possible to heal and to overcome. Mostly, if offers the reinforcement that no matter what is done to you God will not abandon you.

One of my books, Does God Still Love Me? is also available globally via Amazon.Com, Lulu.Com and other bookstores. It offers many of the most frequently asked questions by survivors.

And now, Hope for Healing.Org has the opportunity to reach worldwide through clothing efforts. We take the clothing that is donated to us and sort it. We keep all we can use. What we can't is sold for distribution as outlined above. Some of it goes to missions and some is eventually resold at a profit for the reseller. It all helps.

Thinking of this makes me wonder...

Years ago, before I even knew who he was I adopted a motto from John Wesley to "do all the good I can for all I can as I can".

It makes me wonder what we could all accomplish if we tried to live by that. I'd love to see us try!

As featured in the United Methodist Church Publication "The Flyer"

From the General Commission on the Status and Role of Women in the United Methodist Church, Gayle Crabtree, was featured in the current issue of The Flyer.

From victim to Survivor then Advocate for others, look for Gayle under the section "Women Worth Watching"!

Domestic Violence Task Force, Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church

http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.2730397/apps/nl/content3.asp?content_id={420CE66A-0BD1-4E93-A177-EDAB0FBBEA55}¬oc=1

The Call is the newspaper of the Holston Conference of the United Methodist Church. The resolution put forward by the Holston Conference Domestic Violence Task Force is quoted prominently in the article about the conference. As a member of the Task Force I am thrilled that the conference not only chose to support victims but that The Call chose to give such prominent support in the article.

The time is come that victims are finding voices. We are banding together, speaking out and changing the world. This comes one person and one victim at a time. It has not come without hardship or pain but with the steady persistence that we all can make a difference and together we are making that difference.

My hat is off to each and every survivor of sexual or domestic violence; to our friends, families and loved ones I welcome you to the beginning of a new era. This is one where the church doors will swing wide to acknowledge our pain and welcome our brokenness.

Until healing is complete for us all,

Gayle Crabtree