The “unconventional” why of Mission EDIFY
“When the needs of abuse survivors are unperceived, or worse—minimized in faith communities, the Christian mission to pursue the Common Good of society is compromised.”—Wendy Redroad, Creative Member
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We are a match made in Heaven.
In 2007, I attended a class on the topic of forgiveness that was regularly offered through a church program called Freedom Ministries. The class facilitator, one of many pastor’s on staff at this non-denominational church, opened with a question that would seed the formation of Mission EDIFY long before I would recognize it as such and a decade before I converted to Catholicism.
In a room filled with seventy five + folks, the pastor inquired, “Who is here for the first time?”
Multiple hands were raised to gesture, “I am!” This prompted another question.
“Who is here for the second time?” Again, hands were raised in acknowledgement.
Pleased with the number of participants who had raised their hands for the second time and with visible delight, the pastor asked, “Has anyone attended this class more than two times?”
In the end of this verbal survey, the '“winner” was in attendance for the fifth time. Everyone clapped as I wondered, What are these folks listening for that they have yet to hear? (See what I mean . . . “punk rock.”)
On the drive home I engaged in a usual prayerful chat with the Father of all creation:
God, I know that I have forgiven the man who abused me. But the way you readied my heart doesn’t look or sound like the only way it’s taught! Please show me in the Bible what you did for me, and how [it] all came about. If I can’t identify it in your Written Word, I am deceived.
“The way, way back.”
GSCC Podcast: DAYBREAK, Ep 3
The Long Walk to Forgiveness (clip)
Hosts: Fr. Zachary Burns, TOR & Jacob Hubbard
A 2025 work in progress by Wendy Redroad.
One sentence description.
Drawing from the insights of Aquinas on “the passions” and Ignatian Spirituality - “finding God in all things, an abuse survivor and lay ministry leader reframes the choice to forgive through the lens of trauma.
