The #ForSuchaTimeasThisRally was a great success! A good crowd gathered outside of the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas Texas asking the faith community to honor and value women, especially in relation to domestic violence and sexual assault.

 

The speakers included myself and: (Click on each name to access their website)

Ashley Easter

Mary DeMuth

Wade Burleson

Gricel Medina

Carolyn Deevers

Kyle Howard

 

(Organizer Cheryl Summers talks with a reporter)

 

Ashley brought a sermon on Esther, that had there been a ceiling, it would have come down.

 

Carolyn told her own story and asked the SBC leaders to make changes.

 

Mary DeMuth read a passionate and heartfelt message asking the church to care about the domestic violence victims leaving the church.

 

There were a lot of reporters present and many of them produced great articles and videos. Ashley’s keeping a running list of all of them, you can see those here.

These are the three I recommend the most:

1. Dallas Morning News interviews Ashley and includes a clip of my presentation in this YouTube Video
2. Black Christian News describes what the intent of the rally was in this article
3. The New York Times tells the back story to the rally in an article written prior to the event

 

My whole presentation is available to view here:

 

The transcript to this presentation is available in a PDF: For Such a Time Rally, Transcript of Presentation.

We also provided a handout, designed by those of us in the field of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, to help pastors and ministry leaders. It is available in a PDF: SBC 2018 Resource page.

 

Other important pieces of the rally include:

1. Learn more about the Courage Conference, organized by Ashley Easter, here. On the website it says:

   “The Courage Conference exists to be a refuge for survivors, to educate and empower advocates, and create the conditions where this movement for change can become a Justice Generation that recognizes and resists abuse everywhere.

   Now in its third year, this annual gathering of abuse survivors, advocates, and those who love them is an event uniquely poised for this moment in history.”

2. Mary DeMuth’s interview on CNN here.
3. Advertisement for my upcoming book in a PDF Dr Sim Brochure, Upcoming Book. The book will be released by GBHEM, Wesley Foundry Books Spring 2019. The title is “Survivor Care: What Religious Professionals Need to Know about Healing Trauma.”

 

And finally, some fun photos from the event (before we were all sun burnt in the hot Texas sun)!