Ministers preach against sexual violence

Yancey Bady (front), associate minister at Greater St. John Bible Church in the Austin neighborhood, preaches today about the sins of sexual violence. (Tribune / Kuni Takahashi) In a move unprecented in the Chicago area, more than a dozen churches on the West Side delivered coordinated sermons on sexual violence today, saying it was time for a widespread but often hidden problem to be addressed from the pulpit. At the Greater St. John Bible Church in the Austin neighborhood, Yancey Bady, an associate minister, went one step further, divulging during his sermon that he himself had been a victim of sexual abuse -- a revelation that brought members of the congregation to their feet with shouts of support. "Brother preacher knows what you're going through," Bady said, as he called on all the victims of sexual violence to turn to God and counselors for healing. "Brother preacher been molested, too." The churches that participated in the Sunday of Sermons are part of a broader coalition called the Leaders Network. The group has coordinated sermons before to bring attention to community issues, such as the need for school funding, but never before have the sermons addressed on the often taboo subject of sexual violence. Sharmili Majmudar, executive director of Rape Victims Advocates, a Chicago organization that helped organize them, said no event of this kind had never taken place anywhere in the city. What helped prompt the sermons was lingering outrage over the brutal rape of a teenage girl in Austin last fall. After the assault, members of the Leaders Network, Rape Victims Advocates and other community organizations rallied together to find the attacker, canvassing the neighborhood with sketches of his face, only to see the attacker remain at large, said Rev. Ira Acree, senior pastor at Greater St. John. Shortly after, he said, the daughter of a minister in the Leaders Network narrowly escaped a sexual assault while waiting for the school bus. "This is a problem citywide and nationally. But it really grabs your attention when it hits home," Acree said. Sunday's sermons, timed to take place during Sexual Assault Awareness Month, were designed to shed light on the prevalence of sexual violence and to shatter the silence surrounding it, he said, adding that the move was especially important in the predominantly African-American West Side of the city. "You really don't see many black men stepping up and saying 'We're not going to have this,' " Acree said. "It's a pretty big deal." Workers from Rape Victims Advocate were on hand at participating churches Sunday to hand out information, counsel victims and sign up volunteers. Ministers crafted their sermons around a biblical passage in which the son of David rapes his half-sister, drawing on encouragement from his cousin. The story shows the evil of rape and the dangerous influence of bad and indifferent people, the ministers said. Bady, citing statistics showing that one in three girls and one in six boys are sexually assaulted by age 18, said sexual violence can be encouraged by friends, indirectly taught by parents and supported by the silence of the broader community. He drew on his own experience to inspire victims to seek help. "You can't tell me that you can't make it, because I'm standing here today." Bonnie Simpson, a member of the congregation, said the sermon was inspiring. "It's good to have the issue of sexual violence out there," she said. "The seeds of change have been planted."   -- Megan Twohey Read More...

Monday, April 20, 2009