Online Archives

Angela Titus, an evangelist in a non denominational church, called herself a survivor when she spoke about being physically abused at a recent domestic abuse forum at Queens Chapel UMC in Beltsville.
Titus spoke out, she said, because hers is a common story that is being 'hushed' in churches because women are afraid to come forward and seek help.

Too many women sit in church pews and suffer silently, Titus said. 'My ex-husband was an evangelist. No one would ever believe that he would beat me because he was very godly, charming, and handsome.'

The frequency which domestic violence occurs in the United States is alarming, Titus said. According to the Feminist Women's Health Center, in the United States, a woman is beaten every 18 minutes and raped every six minutes. More women are injured in domestic violence incidents than in car accidents, rapes, and muggings put together.

Women fear that the church will frown upon leaving the holy bond of marriage. But 'God is not in the business of destroying families,' said the director of domestic violence ministry at Queen's Chapel, Rosa L. Bush. 'However, separation may be needed to give God room to work.'

The Sept. 14 forum was designed to address difficult issues such as these and to promote the church's new ministry in this arena.

The keynote speaker at the forum was Congressman Albert R. Wynn, of Maryland's 4th District, who spoke of legislative actions that he sponsored and signed. The measures include co-sponsoring the Violence Against Women Act of 2000 and the re-authorization of the same Act in 2005.

Because of Wynn's advocacy, the federal Office of Violence Against Women is expected to receive $459 million in 2008.

'Domestic violence is very common, but rarely acknowledged,' Wynn said. 'There have been 23,000 reported cases of domestic abuse in Maryland and 10 million children have witnessed it. 'It's going on in our churches, but we don't want to talk about it.'

The magnitude of these statistics has led Bush and the congregation  to create a ministry that will make the church a safe haven for domestic violence victims.

Bush and seven other church members recently went through months of intensive training from the State of Maryland to become certified in domestic violence issues.

Free services at Queen's Chapel are available to church members and the community.
 
Phones lines are open from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., when abuse is most likely to occur. 'We will still assist victims after hours,' Bush said.

Bush and others assist the victims by providing resources. They refer callers to counseling agencies and crisis centers, and give information about petitioning and filing paperwork. 'We want to be the live voice for them when they ask for it.'

Information on how to apply for the Address Confidentiality Program is also networked through Queen's Chapel where victims can have their personal information protected from the abuser.

'Love does not mean that anyone is allowed to abuse you. No one should hit you in the name of love,' said Wynn.