What is Restore?
Far too many women are caught in the web of violence. We want to end the reality of women being abused by their partners, and we want women and children to live without the fear of being sexually assaulted or abused. This resource is designed to provide helpful information about abuse and how to respond to it in our lives, communities and churches.
How Should I Use It?
The sections are grouped into Taking Action, Resources and Understanding Violence. See the sidebar for more details. Depending on your context, you can read each category or just click on the ones most relevant to you.
Can I Share This?
Absolutely – you’re welcome to share this link with anyone who would find it helpful. However, if you’re printing or emailing any of the reports or activities, we ask you to remember to credit us (Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada). This respects our copyright and Carol Penner’s hard work on this initiative. Thank you!
What is the History Behind Restore?
WICC has continually supported grassroots organizations fighting violence against women. In addition, we offer a free series of worship resources on this topic.
This resource has a rich history, starting from an inter-denominational survey in 1984. In 1988 “Hands to End Violence Against Women” was born: a tool to promote theological education about violence in churches and church schools. This was revised into a binder called “Healing Waters” in 1994. Over two decades passed, but unfortunately this remains a very relevant issue today.
In 2018, “Healing Waters” was updated and converted into this digital resource. Now called “Restore”, it is directly aligned with WICC’s mission to “bring hope to women touched by injustice”. We hope you find the information and resources to be helpful. For any other questions, feel free to contact us.