By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
The holy hush that's plaguing churches right now
7ab66691aa0f3490252d05db9e778b78b11de65c0a0e4128647ca1b40ffae48d
Nancy Nason-Clark, a professor in Canada, believes churches don't do enough to help with domestic violence concerns. Here's what's being done. - photo by Herb Scribner
Nancy Nason-Clark, a professor at the University of New Brunswick, has some choice words for churches when it comes to domestic violence.

"There's a holy hush and that holy hush permeates small churches, large cathedrals, synagogues, other houses of worship," she said, according to CBC.

Nason-Clark, who has long studied domestic violence, said churches dont do enough to help members of their congregations with domestic violence concerns, CBC reported. Though members feel comfortable about going to church and praying about their issues, Nason-Clark said church leaders dont listen to their members enough and seldom help them.

And, she said, the advice some pastors give out isnt good enough, CBC reported.

"Sometimes it's not safe to say that you've been violated because the religious leader doesn't know what to suggest," Nason-Clark said. "Or worse, suggests something that would put your own physical or emotional health at risk."

Church leaders are aware of this. In fact, Christianity Today reported that 65 percent of pastors admitted that they only spoke once or never about domestic and sexual violence.

Thats because, as our own Kelsey Dallas reported last year, some church leaders, like the Rev. Kristen Leslie, dont receive proper training to comfort those who have suffered from domestic violence.

"The first time a rape victim came to me, I had no idea what to do and I knew that I could do harm," Rev. Leslie told the National. "I scrambled and found any kind of training I could get."

Pastors sometimes dont get training because theyre unaware of how many people in their church suffer from domestic and sexual violence, according to a LifeWay Research survey, which found that 74 percent of pastors underestimated the amount of domestic and sexual violence within their congregations. And the research found that 42 percent of pastors spoke rarely or never about domestic violence.

The Rev. Amy Gopp, who is also the director of member relations and pastoral care at Church World Service, said to Christianity Today that these kind of reports will hopefully help church pastors work with the community to talk about domestic violence.

In recent years, congregations and pastors across the United States have worked to make churches a place where members feel able to approach leaders about domestic violence situations.

For example, the Rev. Charles Dahm told NPR in 2011 that he hired a pastoral counselor to help with talking to victims. And it worked. Several women in the church spoke with the counselor for help, even when they didnt previously discuss the matter with church pastors, Dahm told NPR.

Meanwhile, other churches have reached out to the community to help victims. Mt. Pisgah AME Church, for example, teamed up with the local police department to create the N.O.W. Project, which offers abuse victims a chance to speak to people about their needs, WLTX-19 reported.

In fact, the program will help victims with character development, basic skills training, financial literacy, job searches and housing assistance, WLTX-19 reported.

For more on the Mt. Pisgah project, watch this video.
Sign up for our e-newsletters
New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
15a28f62e4e53fcceb32746533cbdfdf48abb7c7d42a28dbb1aeb1083721f23b
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
Latest Obituaries