I am, unfortunately, one of the many survivors of childhood sexual abuse covered up by the church. I grew up attending a fundamentalist Baptist church in the 80s and 90s. I later attended a Reformed church, and then I attended Pentecostal church. The Evangelical movement had overtaken the churches I was a part of. 

When I was in college, I came forward about what had happened to me as a child. I had observed an interaction between my abuser and some young kids from our community, and I knew I had to break my silence. What I wasn’t prepared for was my pastor taking my abuser’s side. The people I trusted the most covered up the whole matter.

In time, I was branded as the unforgiving “sinner” who wouldn’t let the matter go. I was told that my problem was depression. I was told that if I had faith in God, I wouldn’t be suffering from trauma. 

Worse yet, my abuser and their significant other spent years harassing, stalking, and silencing me while I found myself alone in the world after a sheltered, religious upbringing. They even started a church together. But my reputation was tarnished, and I received no justice.

This happened to me in a diverse, mainline American church, in a blue state, in one of the most liberal city areas in the world. So church abuse isn’t just happening in some forest commune somewhere. It is happening everywhere.

Nonetheless, in my forties, I find myself healing and experiencing joy. That which should have ended my life made me strong. 

I have been compiling on this site what took me four decades to learn about surviving and healing from church abuse. The purpose isn’t to tell people what they should do or what they should believe. Some survivors choose to leave their faith, some choose to remain in it, and some find ways to re-frame it. The purpose of this site is to support you as you heal on your terms and carve out the path that is uniquely right for you. The Overcoming Church Abuse healing course will always remain free. If you would like to support my work, please consider shopping for my eBooks, shopping for my handmade gifts, subscribing to my blog, and following me on TikTok. 

Thank you for visiting my site and meeting me here on our healing journeys. I hope that the resources on this site help bring you hope, peace, freedom, and healing. We are not alone.