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Given_Another_Chance

Your thoughts or opinions

Friendly Face Posts: 131 **10/7/18 6:49 am**

I know the subject line leaves this post open to a lot but I honestly appreciate your thoughts and opinions.

I am a board member of a small independent pentecostal church. Late last night I received a call from another board member, wanting to let me know since I was a parent of a 12 year old and asking if know of other parents that may be at the morning service, that there was going to be an insert in the bulletin concerning praying for sexual assault victim. I was partially asleep and was a little surprise by the nature of the call. I said I was aware of no other parents and the call ended. After I hung up I got to thinking that this was really not the right time for this to happen considering what has been going on for the last few weeks. I also felt that it was showing the church weighing in on a political issue and considering that our church has never made recognition of the month of April as Sexual Assault Awareness month no was not the time for this.

I sent an email to the pastor and the reply was, "When you were called did you express your opinion to this board member?" I was then asked if my email could be forwarded to this board member.

After I had thought about the call it was of my option that this had to have been approved by the pastor and that is who I should approach not the board member.

What do you think?

Dave Dorsey

[Insert Acts Pun Here] Posts: 13654 **10/7/18 7:38 am**

Prayer for sexual assault victims is never wrong, of course. That said -- given what has been going on -- it does seem like an insert at this particular time runs the risk of creating division and discord concerning an issue (prayer for sexual assault victims) on which we should all be unified.

If a group within the church is "waking up" to the fact that there are sexual assault victims all over the body of Christ, that's great. But it seems like putting an insert in today works against the goal of inspiring others to be aware of and prayerful toward that need.

I'm trying to get better at acting in good faith, and giving people the benefit of the doubt. It's a fact that victims of sexual assault -- including those who are supportive of the Kavanaugh nomination -- have had a really hard couple of weeks with this topic being front and center in the national consciousness. Maybe the board member is thinking about people whose scars have surfaced as a result of this whole debate, and maybe that's what motivated the desire for corporate prayer.

Resident Skeptic

Acts-dicted Posts: 8065 **10/7/18 8:10 am**

I am concerned of the appearance of you being pitted against others. The pastor forwarding the email could make it seem you were going behind the deacon's back. Is your pastor authoritarian? Is he trying to expose possible dissenters to his wishes on this and other issues?
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"It is doubtful if any Trinitarian Pentecostals have ever professed to believe in three gods, and Oneness Pentecostals should not claim that they do." - Daniel Segraves UPCI

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Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **10/7/18 9:14 am**

I don't think there is any reason to oppose praying for that. The topic just needs to be introduced in a wise way if it is mentioned in church. For example, someone could say that the recent news in the headlines may stir up some difficult feelings for those throughout the country who have gone through sexual assault, along the lines of what Dave wrote, and we should pray for them, pray for justice to be done, etc.

One doesn't have to comment on Kavenaugh's confirmation to do that.

It may be too late, now, but you could have just suggested it be handled with tact is all.
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Cojak

Re: Your thoughts or opinions

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24277 **10/7/18 4:25 pm**

Cojak

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24277 **10/7/18 4:26 pm**

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Acts-perienced Poster Posts: 11849 **10/7/18 7:46 pm**

I just saw a youtube video about one of the Atlanta Falcons who was a football 'star' in high school at age 16. According to the video, he had been verbally offered a scholarship to USC. A girl accused him of rape, and a prosecutor offered him a deal to plead no contest to get probation, but he ended serving 5 years and two months and getting probation after that. He took the deal after being threatened with a 41 year sentence.

After he got out of prison, the girl Facebooked him, wanted to rekindle a relationship that never really was. He was at risk of going back to jail if he met her, so he met her in a PI's office and recorded it. She confessed she'd lied to him. She was going to testify on his behalf, but backed out when she realized she'd have to repay money to the city, they said. The prosecutors office investigated and took his side in clearing his name. Amazingly, enough, he was able to get back into football.

Prayer for victims of sexual assault along with the falsely accused may be a good balance, IMO.
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Cojak

01000001 01100011 01110100 01110011 Posts: 24277 **10/7/18 10:13 pm**