Meet Our Founder
MARY BROWN
Bachelor of Science, University of Pennsylvania, 1973
Master of Divinity, Eastern Baptist Seminary, 1976
Doctor of Ministry, Boston University, 2024
Trigger warning: Brief mentions of personal child sexual abuse in the first paragraph.
Mary Brown never forgot being sexually abused by a high school student when she was six years old, but she repressed memories of repeated early sexual abuse by her father and did not start remembering that until she was in her 50s, after his death in 2005.
As she slowly processed the complicated emotions and distress, she wondered why there was no overt help in the church for survivors of sexual abuse. Why was there no mention in sermons about the sin of child abuse? It was clear that the Scriptures promise restoration and deliverance from all sorts of evil, and tell us that God’s power to save is not limited in any way. But the widespread silence in churches—and in society as a whole—serves to shield abusers and cripple survivors. Dr. Brown has started this ministry to help break the silence.
She has a uniquely ecumenical background: She was raised in the Church of God in Christ, attended a Baptist seminary (and is an ordained Baptist minister), has worked in Episcopal schools for the past 28 years, and is a glad member of Rayne United Methodist Church in New Orleans. You can read her unusual curriculum vitae here. Sign up for her short weekly inspirational blog postings here, and for her blog for survivors here. You can find her prize-wining trauma-centered short story here.
