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You are here: Home >> Blog >> GUEST BLOG: Inspiration for Prevention {16 Days of Activism: Stories That Inspire Our Work} by Rev. Pat Simpson

GUEST BLOG: Inspiration for Prevention {16 Days of Activism: Stories That Inspire Our Work} by Rev. Pat Simpson

Dec 07, 2015

I saw the film "Spotlight" last week. It celebrates the intrepid Boston Globe journalists who exposed sexual abuse of children in parishes and schools of the Boston Archdiocese, and the cover-up by church authorities that made it possible. The story ran early in 2002, and won a Pulitzer the next year. The movie is winning awards, too, leading to some good visibility. The next day I went to work at my church. I punched in the four digit code for the security door into the daycare space. I opened the door to the pastor's office, with its clear window for safety's sake. Most days I don't notice these precautions we take to keep kids and vulnerable adults safe from abuse. They are facts of life now. But that morning I sat down at my desk full of gratitude.

I saw the film "Spotlight" last week. It celebrates the intrepid Boston Globe journalists who exposed sexual abuse of children in parishes and schools of the Boston Archdiocese, and the cover-up by church authorities that made it possible. The story ran early in 2002, and won a Pulitzer the next year. The movie is winning awards, too, leading to some good visibility.

The next day I went to work at my church. I punched in the four digit code for the security door into the daycare space. I opened the door to the pastor's office, with its clear window for safety's sake. Most days I don't notice these precautions we take to keep kids and vulnerable adults safe from abuse. They are facts of life now. But that morning I sat down at my desk full of gratitude.

You see, we were already attending to these safety issues before the Globe story brought national and global attention to abuse by clergy. Not because my denomination was smarter than anyone else, but because Faith Trust Institute (then the Center for Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence) raised an urgent voice and wouldn't be silenced. Clergy squirmed as they were forced to learn new boundaries, and saw their peers held accountable. Volunteers griped about background checks and policies. But we changed our habits. We remain vigilant, and a new generation is taking up the work.

Prevention is hard to assess. There's no way to know how much suffering has been averted. Not all of it, of course, but that early work did make a difference. To all who have traveled this long road with us -- thank you.

Swirl

Rev. Pat Simpson is Senior Pastor at University Temple United Methodist Church in Seattle, as well as a member of FaithTrust Institute's Board of Directors. She also works with faith communities as a Healthy Boundaries trainer. For several years, she served as Seattle District Superintendent for the United Methodist Church. You can view a recording of Pat's recent webinar (with Rev. Mark Galang) here.

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