Sketches

"Thinking back, it was all about them and not Christ; their plight, their persecution, their suffering, their tears, their Malaria, their near-death experience, their cause, their charity, their songs, their published books. Rarely did they mention about God's kindness or forgiveness, but rather they judged and shunned those who did not agree with them. It was as if those childhood wounds and lack were screaming behind their faces, whining and begging the admiration, pity and submission from others. It was awful."

Spiritual Abuse

I am officially coming out as a survivor of spiritual abuse. For many years, I was in a spiritual abusive Church. It was a toxic environment -always expecting, demanding and demeaning others.

Spiritual abuse is quite common nowadays and it's unfortunate that many leaders choose to abuse other members using God as their justification. They think that they will never face the consequences but God is a God of justice. I am sure they will pay back for their actions one day.

Anyways, I am glad that I am out of that environment and will never EVER go back.

This is a letter I recently wrote to the elders denouncing this leader's actions:

Dear elders in Hong Kong,

I am writing to express my deep disappointment towards VC. For many years, I dedicated a lot of time and effort towards building the Church by going to missionary trips (Fiji, South Africa, Madagascar), supporting the work in different University campuses in Vancouver and helping out in the music ministry. However, as time went on I found that VC abused her power as a leader and has built an environment of fear and intimidation in the Vancouver Church. 

· I personally shared about experiences to her. But then, she publically shamed me in front of brothers and sisters during meeting time by forcing me to share about my experiences. It was very humiliating.

· After my trip to Madagascar, I got sick from a stomach bacteria. I had to go back home to Central America. During that time, VC emailed me asking me if she could rent out my apartment and use that money. I told my parents and they were disgusted by her level of abuse. Why would the Church encourage this kind of behavior of taking advantage of the sick? She then asked me to delete that email and to never mention it again. 

·I took the decision to leave and cut all contact with the Church in Vancouver, but she continued emailing me. It’s called harassment. 

I would like to denounce her actions as detrimental and hurtful to others. I left Church because of the unhealthy environment and abusive leadership. I hope this will bring some corrective measures and a formal apology.

Sincerely,

Karen