Grants will provide training for crime victim chaplains
Applications and resumes for
crime victim chaplains can be sent
by Dec. 15 to:
askcvac@aol.com
or
CVAC
3101 Paces Mill Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30339
Callers can reach the Rev. Bruce Cook at (770) 333-9254
|
Nov. 18, 2005
A UMNS Report
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
The Crime Victims Advocacy Council has received a grant of $28,650 from
the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries to recruit, train and
supervise crime victim chaplains.
The Rev. Bruce Cook, director and chaplain of the Atlanta-based council,
wants to use the grant to recruit 64 crime victim chaplains - one for
each of the denomination's annual (regional) conferences in the United
States. Cook is currently the only United Methodist-endorsed chaplain
working with crime victims. Deadline for applying is Dec. 15.
"Crime victims are an underserved population in our churches," he says.
"We are going into prisons and ministering to prisoners, but we don't
think about ministering to the many, many thousands of victims in the
community who are suffering."
Chaplains trained in ministering to victims of violent and serious
crimes are needed when victims ask the "God question," Cooks says.
"After a violent or serious crime, there is a real potential for them to
lose their faith completely."
The 10,000 victim service providers in the United States are helping
restore mind and body but are not doing anything to help restore the
spirit, Cooks says. Crime victims are often sent to their pastors, who
can provide them with initial comfort and prayer but are not trained to
help beyond that point, he says.
A 1982 report by the President's Task Force on Victims of Crime found
that in most cases, 65 to 70 percent, the first person a crime victim
calls is his or her pastor.
"Sometimes they (pastors) even say hurtful things like, 'It is God's
will that your mother was murdered and tortured,'" Cook says. "That
makes them angry with God. It is never God's will for someone to be
murdered and tortured or anything like that."
Crime victim chaplains will be an access point for people who need help healing, he says.
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A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose The
Rev. Bruce Cook, director of the Crime Victims Advocacy Council, is
seeking 64 people to be trained as crime victim chaplains.
|
The
Rev. Bruce Cook, director and chaplain of the Crime Victims Advocacy
Council in Atlanta, is the only United Methodist crime victim chaplain
today. A grant from the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries has
been awarded to the council to recruit, train and supervise 64 crime
victim chaplains. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose. Photo #05-783.
Accompanies UMNS #650. 11/18/05. |
The grant continues the commitment of the Board of Global Ministries to
restorative justice ministries, says Elliott Wright, information officer
for the agency. The board directors approved the one-time grant to the
council in October.
"CVAC has positioned itself well among other crime victim groups and can
play a significant role in both encouraging and providing models of
ministry to crime victims and their families," Wright says. "Our grant
will expand the outreach of CVAC, especially within the United Methodist
Church.
"Funding is also coming from the North Georgia Conference, the Criminal
Justice Coordinating Council, and the U.S. Department of Justice," he
said. "The General Board of Global Ministries is pleased to be among the
coalition of funders for CVAC expansion."
In addition to offering pastoral care, the Crime Victims Advocacy
Council provides a crime prevention program for schools, churches, and
businesses, and advocates for crime victims through the legislative
process.
Ordination in the United Methodist Church and a year's experience in
clinical pastoral education or counseling are required for anyone
interested in becoming a crime victim chaplain.
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A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose Each meeting of the Crime Victims Advocacy Council support group begins and ends with prayer.
|
Each
meeting of the Crime Victims Advocacy Council support group begins and
ends with prayer. Members hold hands and are invited to pray at the end
of the meeting. The Rev. Bruce Cook, director and chaplain of the Crime
Victims Advocacy Council in Atlanta, is the only United Methodist crime
victim chaplain today. A grant from the denomination's Board of Global
Ministries has been awarded to the council to recruit, train and
supervise 64 crime victim chaplains. A UMNS photo by Mike DuBose. Photo
#05-784. Accompanies UMNS #650. 11/18/05.
|
Federal, state and local funds have been identified to assist in
start-up costs, Cook says. "One funding source will require that a grant
of $48,000 be written by Jan. 1, 2006, so time is of the essence."
Applications and resumes should be sent by Dec. 15 to askcvac@aol.com, mailed to CVAC, 3101 Paces Mill Rd., Atlanta, GA 30339, or called in to Cook at (770) 333-9254.
There is often no place for victims of serious and violent crimes to
turn after their first contact with pastors. "Nothing in the church
happens next," Cook says.
"There is no mid- to long-term care - there is not even a real good
crisis care response among the churches other than just immediate
responses. This is an effort to change that and bring about some
spiritual care for folks who are hurting after a serious crime."
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in Nashville, Tenn.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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Resources
Crime Victims Advocacy Council
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National Center for Victims of Crime
Office for Victims of Crime
Restorative Justice Ministries
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