Thehopeofsurvivors.com:  "As people who have been where you are and understand your confusion, feelings and pain, we desire to help victims of clergy sexual abuse and misconduct and their families by making information readily available to them. We are available to provide encouragement, support via email, written correspondence, phone and conferences. What qualifies us to help you and guide you? It is our own personal experience with the horrible trauma of pastoral sexual abuse."

Women & Men Against Sexual Harassment & Other Abuses

W.A.S.H. is a dedicated ministry within the Seventh Day Adventist Church that focuses on the issues of abuse and spiritual healing.  W.A.S.H. was created with a three-pronged mission:

• Cultivate healing environments in the family, church and church-related workplaces of both victims and perpetrators of sexual, physical, spiritual and emotional abuse.
  
• Safeguard young people from being subjected to abuse in school, church or youth activities.
  
• Help church members and leaders stop harassment and abuse within the denomination.  This involves training and utilizing the resources of experts in the field.
  

W.A.S.H. materials and seminars are designed to help church members and leaders better understand and deal with abuse issues; interrupt the cycle of denial and facilitate healing within the denomination; provide a forum to train pastors, teachers, church leaders, and women's ministry coordinators to recognize symptoms of abuse, and take appropriate action; and to assist the North American Division Commission on Sexual Ethics (and other divisions) on these serious issues.

AToday.com:  Selected issues in the archives of this progressive SDA publication:

• September/October 1993 "Congregation Dares to Love Radically" by Scott Stevens.
• November/December 1993 "The Church Faces Up to Sexual Child Abuse" by Raymond Cottrell.
  
• January/February 1994 "Incest and Conservative Family Values" by Ruth Williams-Morris.
  
• March/April 1996 "Through the Lense of Abuse" by Mitchell Henson.
  
• March 15, 1997 "Female Pastor Retires, Passes Mantle to Successor"  by Christina Hogan
• January 2003 "Pastor, Professor, Predator" by Cheryl Cooney.
  
• January 2003 "Is It Possible? Eliminating Clergy Sexual Misconduct in the Adventist Church and Schools" by Rene Drumm
  
• January 2003 "Sexual Abuse and False Accusations" by Evaline West
  
• March 1, 2004 "Ruling Against Church in Sexual Misconduct Case" by Gregory Matthews
• May 1, 2005 "Why "Pastoral Affair" Is An Oxymoron: Thoughts On Clergy Sexual Misconduct" by Rene Drumm

The Annual Council voted on September 26, 2001, to add an Abuse Prevention Emphasis Day to the church calendar of special Sabbaths. This will be on the church calendar around the world. The fourth Sabbath in August has been designated as the Abuse Prevention Emphasis Day.   Read more about this day in a PlusLine.org article written in 2005.

This statement was approved and voted by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists Administrative Committee (ADCOM) and was released by the Office of the President, Robert S. Folkenberg, at the General Conference session in Utrecht, the Netherlands, June 29-July 8, 1995.

Convicted Offender Tracking System: "When an employee is terminated for conviction of sexual criminal acts, or a judgment or finding of guilt has been entered by a court, a statement of such termination and the basis of the conviction as entered upon the court record shall be placed in the offender's service record. Additionally, a statement of the termination and the basis for the termination shall be filed immediately with the North American Division Data Management Services, to be placed on its computerized tracking system. This system shall serve as a clearinghouse for identifying convicted sexual offenders." ...read more

Dr. Rosa Taylor Banks has served the Seventh-day Adventist Church since 1967, spending 22 years at Oakwood College, 16 years at the North American Division, and she currently serves the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists as one of its five Associate Secretaries.  Dr Banks established the Sexual Ethics Commission of the Division, designed to address sexual abuse in the Church.

This N.A. Division Women's Ministry's site has web site links to sites that reflect Christian principals and spiritual resources. The North American Division of Women's Ministries isn't responsible for the contents that are provided on these web sites.

CIRCLE, a site linking Adventist educators with tools to help them continue their teaching ministry includes resources like sample policies and guidelines for protecting against and dealing with abuse in the schools, child abuse regulations by state, information about the grades 1-4 curriculum "Gently Leading: Sexual Abuse Prevention", and more.

Oregon Conference of SDA - Family Life Department
AdventistReview - August 18, 1994

The mission of the international Association of Adventist Women is to foster the participation of women in varied leadership roles in Seventh-day Adventist organizations, congregations, and communities.  A group begun via AAW is a committee on abuse, chaired by Peggy Harris. This committee has as its goals (1) to cultivate a healing environment in the family, church, and church-related workplaces to restore both the victims and perpetrators of sexual, spiritual, physical and emotional abuse; (2) to safeguard our children from being subjected to abuse in home, school, church, and youth activities; and (3) to educate church members and leaders to help stop harassment and abuse. (Further information at www.tagnet.org/wash) Peggy helped organize the sexual ethics committee of the NAD, which produced the NAD abuse policy, Sexual Misconduct in Church Relationships.

Understanding Sexual Abuse.  (48 Page Paperback)  Price: US $1.49   
Review & Herald Publishing    ISBN: 0828009163   Editor: Kit Watts
A team of professionals address the issue of sexual abuse, providing insight.