A hate crime is reported to police every 55 minutes.
Someone is murdered every 31 minutes.
Someone is killed in an alcohol-related crash every 31 minutes.
Someone is raped every 2.7 minutes.
A woman is victimized by an intimate partner every 1.4 minutes. A man is victimized every 6.7 minutes.
An elderly person is victimized every 2.7 minutes.
A child is reported abused or neglected every 36 seconds.
A home is burglarized every 9.2 seconds.
A person is assaulted every 7.2 seconds.
A home is victimized by theft every 2.3 seconds.
A person becomes a victim of identity theft every 9 seconds.

Contact Person:

Sandra Lydick

Crime Victims Chaplain

817-675-6367

Sunday, April 13

3:00 pm

Garden Community Center

Goodwill Industries

4005 Campus Drive

Fort Worth, Texas 76119

For Victims of Crime

Even if you rarely thought about spirituality or your own faith before becoming a crime victim, you probably thought about it afterward. In trying to understand human acts beyond comprehension, you may have stretched yourself into realms previously unexplored. Where was God? How can a loving God allow such hurt?

Many survivors are confused and frustrated by God's apparent lack of intervention and protection. Friends, family, and even clergy sometimes say "religious" things that hurt more than help. In nearly every case, they mean well but may not understand that feeling better is simply not possible at first. All you really want is for them to join you in your suffering.

Here are a few suggestions.

Look for a person of faith who has had a similar experience to yours and ask how or if their faith has helped them during that situation.
Avoid people who give simple answers to complex questions. Their faith journey may be different from yours.
Find someone who can be comfortable with your lack of comfort, whether that be deep sadness, anger or rage, or other feelings.
Read the Psalms or Lamentations and write in a journal what they mean to you.

For Faith Leaders & Helpers

Don't try to explain. The question "Why?" is more a longing for understanding than a request for answers.

Don't try to take away my reality.This pain is a sign of how much I have lost. I may not always be like this, but please respect me as I am now.

Help me deal with forgiveness with integrity. I will remember all the times I've been told to forgive, yet something within me resists forgiving someone who isn't sorry. Give me time to work this through and don't try to make me say things I don't mean.

Stay close. Understand that I may need to withdraw from time to time, but stay close enough that I'll know I can lean on you when I need to,

Don't be frightened by my anger. I won't hurt myself or someone else, but I do need to be allowed to be angry about what happened.

Be patient. Healing may not come as fast as you would like and I may regress from time to time. Try to understand.

Remind me that this isn't all there is to life. Speak of God, not to dull my pain but to affirm my life. Help me remember who I was before this happened. Remind me that God is a willing companion on my journey. Help me welcome the Potter who will help me become a new self.

A Time of Help, Hope, and Healing

	This Services is sponsored by Crime Victims Council Annual Funding Central Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church First United Methodist Church, Fort Worth Metropolitan Board of Missions