As leaders in the community, ministers act as friends, teachers and mentors, but sometimes they also fill the shoes of a counselor. However, a lot of pastors are unsure how to handle situations involving domestic violence.
That is why SafePlace created a program called Shoals Area Faith Effort (SAFE). SAFE’s goal is to build a network of ministers from all denominations and faiths who are willing to be trained on how to recognize, prevent and handle domestic violence situations in their congregations.
“This is the first endeavor to bring more of the faith community together in this county to fight against domestic violence,” said Suzanne Hester, the SafePlace volunteer program manager and transitional housing manager. “It was born out of how a lot of victims say they turned to their church or minister for help.”
SafePlace held a luncheon at Russellville First United Methodist Church last Tuesday to challenge the local faith community to be informed about domestic violence.
“We want to provide a circle around the victims in this community,” said Hester. “Will you help us get the word out and help the victims?”
During the luncheon, the local ministers listened to the domestic violence experience of the Franklin County district attorney, the Franklin County sheriff and a fellow local minister.
“Domestic violence is a life-or-death situation,” said district attorney Joey Rushing. “But there are ways to train and teach people how not to hurt people any more.”
While handling cases of domestic violence, Rushing has seen some victims wanting to drop the charges against the offender.
“It is a common thing when you are helping someone that they want to get back together with the offender,” Rushing said. “The first time, we usually do not ask questions and let them drop the charges, but the second time we do ask questions.”
Rushing explained that he learned to take more precautions after finding out that a woman was murdered after the second time of dropping the charges against her husband.
While Rushing will handle the situation after charges have been made, sheriff Shannon Oliver responds to the domestic violence calls.
“When we go into the houses, almost all abusers are the same person,” said Oliver. “It is the same situation of trying to gain control over someone.”
Oliver shared a story with the ministers about a woman who lived outside of Franklin County and had contacted him about a domestic violence situation. She was the daughter of a minister, part of a well-known family in her community, and recently married to her high school sweetheart.
“Her father told her that if she left her husband, then he would disown her,” said Oliver.
However, Oliver explained that the daughter followed through with divorce and has moved on with her life.
“Over the years, we have put abusers in jail for everything from verbal harassment to physical abuse to murder,” Oliver said. “We see abusers throughout all denominations.”
Frank Hoehn, a local jailhouse minister who works in the Franklin County Courthouse Information Technology Department, shared his own story of domestic violence.
“If anyone should have been an abuser, it should have been me,” Hoehn said. “I lived under the roof of an abuser [his stepfather]. The only thing that took care of that was God.”
Hoehn went on to say that a difference can still be made in the lives abusers and victims.
“If you can change the thought, you can change the result,” said Hoehn. “We need to break the cycle of power.”
