17.07.2023
Changing The Story – Equipping The Church To Take Action and End Domestic Abuse
Mothers’ Union is hosting two conferences in September 2023 aimed at equipping the Church to take action to end domestic abuse.
The one day conferences mark the launch of the Gender Justice programme, Equipping the Church To Take Action and End Domestic Abuse, and the formation of survivors’ Changing The Story Groups.
The conferences take place on:
Friday September 15 in Seagoe Parish Centre, Portadown, BT63 5HS
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/changing-the-story-conference-tickets-632693281637
Saturday September 16 in Kilternan Parish Centre, Dublin, D18 ET99
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/changing-the-story-conference-dublin-tickets-637371995797
All are warmly invited to attend one of these conferences.
Changing the Story is being facilitated by Mothers’ Union and hosted in collaboration with Restored, Tearfund Ireland, Bishops’ Appeal, MindMatters, Kintsugi Hope, Priorities Fund, Safeguarding Church of Ireland and the Church’s Ministry for Healing.
The conferences are dedicated to equipping the church and communities through encouraging awareness, developing confidence, nurturing the healing and wellbeing of survivors and much more besides.
The Changing the Story conferences bring together agencies working positively in Ireland to tackle domestic abuse and the guest keynote speakers both have great expertise in this area – Bekah Legg, CEO, Restored and the Revd Dr Helen Paynter, theologian and author.
You can register for a Changing The Story event at the links above and be a part of the empowering conversations that will be taking place.
Tickets available on Eventbrite at a cost of £15/€18 each.
About the speakers:
Bekah Legg is the CEO of Restored, a Christian charity with a mission to speak up about violence against women and girls, equip the Church to stand against domestic abuse and support survivors. It hosts an online community for Christian women who have been subjected to domestic abuse.
A survivor herself, Bekah is committed to helping other men and women find freedom and live life to the full.
Bekah lectures on a biblical understanding of domestic abuse and gender–based violence and has spoken at the UN on the important role the Church can and does play in ending VAWG.
The Revd Dr Helen Paynter is a Baptist minister and Old Testament specialist. She works as Tutor in Biblical Studies at the Bristol Baptist College and is the founding director of the Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence (csbvbristol.org.uk). The CSBV produces resources in the areas of the interpretation of biblical violence and where the Bible is used to cause harm.
Helen is the author of a number of books, including The Bible Doesn’t Tell Me So: Why you don’t have to submit to domestic abuse and coercive control.