Watson Grove Missionary Baptist Church (“The Grove”) recently hosted “Chips N’ Chatter,” an intimate conversation about domestic violence awareness in a comfortable environment. The event was led by author Kimberly “Brownie” Vaughn on Friday, November 22nd at The Grove, located at 1415 Horton Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212. This event for women placed an emphasis on defining healthy relationships, evaluating self-esteem and self-worth, and how these respectively impact relationships.
Conversations like “Chips N’ Chatter” embrace The Grove’s Core Value of “Relationship.” While the subject is widely avoided in the faith-based community, The Grove’s Congregational Care ministry makes an intentional effort to provide a safe platform for Christians to discuss topics like Domestic Violence Awareness and offer peace of mind to those who attend. Grove Ministry leaders responsible for this insighful and informative program included – Rev. Della Bacote — Congregational Care and Rev. Alfreda Morris-Jernighan — Women’s Ministry.
“Chips N’ Chatter” was an opportunity for women to become more self-aware and vigilant of the “red flags” or signs of a possibly abusive relationship that could escalate to a domestic violence situation. Although October is generally touted as Domestic Violence Awareness month, organizers stated that heading into the holiday season the number of cases typically do not increase, but reported cases become more violent, based on several studies.
“We have a unique outreach opportunity to open up the floor for women of the church and nurture the concept of a healthy relationship,” said Congregational Care ministry leader Rev. Della Bacote. “Domestic violence is a very touchy subject even outside of the church walls, so we hope that this intimate setting will offer clarity through Christ in dealing with domestic violence.”
Kimberly “Brownie” Vaughn has a unique process to cultivate spaces where women enjoy a program filled with conversation, music and healing. Vaughn made two very important points quite clear. She said it’s important for a woman to “have Stand-Ability – the ability to stand on your standards before standing by a man.” She also emphatically noted that women should “have questions readily available that will test the character of a man you are interested in getting to know!”
Among the other various topics Brownie discussed were standards in dating and how to “invest in the me before the we.” Brownie also talked at length about “the red flags we must not overlook in relationships that could lead to a toxic or abusive or domestic violence situation.”
The women in attendance were inspired and challenged to commit to looking at the woman in the mirror be confident in who they are before committing to a relationship. The evening ended with prayer, anointing and a declaration of confidence.
Watson Grove Missionary Baptist Church (“The Grove”) is a Christ-centered, Bible-based, Spirit-led body of believers that serves as fertile ground for the growth of God’s people in south Nashville and beyond. They facilitate this process by engaging in the Biblical functions of the Lord’s Church: pure fellowship, purposeful ministry, powerful evangelism and missions, passionate worship and persistent discipleship. In this environment, God develops Kingdom Citizens who impact the community, the culture, and the world for His glory. Celebrating serving for over 130 years, you can learn more about The Grove on their website www.thegrovenash.org.
