Adventist Church in Australia Holds Summit About Porn and Domestic Violence

The Women’s Ministries team around Australia held its first online summit on August 27 to further explore themes of pornography and youth violence as part of this year’s global EndItNow campaign, run by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

Viewers logged in from all around Australia to listen to guest speaker, author, and coach Sarah McDugal talk about sobering statistics and figures on domestic violence and how the church can help support those in need. More than 400 comments were written during the program, with viewers asking a panel of Christian experts for advice, sharing their own stories, and requesting prayer.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2020, property crime decreased while there was a rise in domestic violence, with a 13 percent increase in police-recorded domestic violence and related sexual assaults.

One woman is murdered each week by a current or former partner; one in three females over the age of 15 has experienced physical violence; and one in five females over the age of 15 has experienced sexual violence.

Sadly, studies have shown that these figures are the same in the Seventh-day Adventist Church as they are outside of church.

“The summit was awesome and provided the opportunity to start having a conversation that the church needs to focus more on,” stated Pastor Sylvia Mendez, Women and Family Ministries director at the Australian Union Conference.

The Record team held a special interview with keynote presenter Sarah McDugal in the week before EndItNow Sabbath. “There was genuine engagement, and people were grateful for the opportunity to be able to talk about their real stories, real questions, and real challenges,” she said.

The program also touched on how violence is connected with pornography and what churches, schools, and parents could be doing to have honest conversations with young people about what real relationships should look like. It provided viewers with great information on where to find help and steps they could take to approach the issues with young people. However, it was acknowledged that the Seventh-day Adventist Church needs to do more in this sphere to protect our children and the vulnerable in our community.

“We need to create a platform where people can ask hard questions,” Pastor Mendez explained. “We may not have all the answers, but by creating a safe space, it means a discussion can be had.{…?} After the summit, we have realized that there is a void in this area, and we are dedicated to working with other departments to develop resources and provide training to give churches the tools to help those in need.”

The EndItNow summit is available to view on the Adventist Women’s Australia Facebook page, and they have also provided a list of resources for those who need support.

*If you or anyone you know needs help, please call the National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service at 1800RESPECT, LIFELINE at 131 114, or Kids Helpline at 1800 551 800

This article was originally published on the website of Adventist Record