Covenant News

New Website Focuses on Domestic Violence

ENGLEWOOD, IL (May 6, 2005) - A new website is now available for WellSpring Center for Hope, a ministry addressing issues of domestic violence that operates under the guidance of Covenant Ministries of Benevolence of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

The ministry, started in 1988 by a husband and wife team of pastors on Chicago's southeast side, recognized a critical unmet need for crisis intervention and the need for an emergency safe haven for women victimized by abusive and violent partners, according to the organization's history profile posted on the website.

WellSpring's programs are designed to foster the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellness and wholeness of the women and children served in its area, incorporating community outreach and education programs directed to victims of domestic abuse. It is hoped that these programs eventually can be expanded to reach an even larger geographic area and a wider group of people in need of encouragement and support.

WellSpring's goals and objectives include:

• Promote the individual's right to be physically safe by providing emotional support, necessary advocacy and crisis intervention.
• Empower the individual client to take control of his/her life by making available assistance in building self-esteem, education regarding the dynamics of domestic violence, encouragement and emotional support in exploring his/her abilities and resources.
• Collaborate with community and other service providers in making available holistic services designed to meet the needs of the total person.
• Educate the community regarding the signs and effects of domestic violence on families, and to serve as a resource.

"We have a lot of women who see themselves as victims in the midst of a storm of physical, mental or sexual abuse," notes Elouise Spencer, WellSpring's director. "We try to help them see that they are not helpless victims – that is not their destiny; rather, they are survivors. They need to learn to think differently. They need to feel that they are working and moving towards a goal.

"We want these women to begin to look and think about their situation in a positive way," she continues. "They are not victims for life – they truly are survivors."

The new website contains contact information for a number of referral agencies and various resources, including information on projects H.O.P.E. (Healthy Options Promote Empowerment) and S.A.F.E. (Strengthening At-Risk Families through Education). To learn more about the organization and its services, please visit WellSpring.

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