About enditnow: An initiative to stop violence
enditnow is a global initiative to raise awareness and advocate for the end of violence around the world.It aims to mobilize Seventh-day Adventists around the world and invites other community groups to join in to resolve this worldwide issue.
This initiative, which extends to more than 200 countries and territories, was launched in October 2009 in partnership between the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA)-a prominent humanitarian organization-and the Department of Women’s Ministries of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, two entities that are representative of the Adventist Church.
enditnow is the most important stand the Seventh-day Adventist Church has ever taken regarding violence against men, women and children. Through this campaign, more than 15 million Adventist church members-men, women, and children-are expected to create a global movement that will be mobilized within their own communities, where each person will actively work to create awareness and share solutions on ways to end this global problem.
What is enditnow® Emphasis Day?
enditnow® Emphasis Day, the fourth Sabbath of August, provides an annual opportunity for local churches to address this issue, to educate church members and leadership, to facilitate awareness in their communities, and to let victims know that their church cares about them.
Go to enditnow Emphasis Day
Abuse Prevention Emphasis Day began in 2001
The Annual Council voted on September 16, 2001, to add an Abuse Prevention Emphasis Day to the annual worldwide church calendar of special days as the fourth Sabbath in August. Women’s Ministries will coordinate resource packet material to be used for the special day in local church congregations.
Comments at the launch of the Church initiative in 2001 and recorded in the news brief are listed here.
- Abuse Prevention Emphasis Day represents a “step in the right direction,” said Karen Flowers, associate director of Family Ministries at the General Conference when the special day became established. Family Ministries has already developed a range of resources on this subject that will be of great value as they become more well used at the local level.
- In her remarks to the delegates at the Annual Council about this day, Stenbakken said that “We want this to be done in an educating, healthy way, not condemning anyone because both men and women abuse; and men, women, children, and the elderly are victims.
- “We must face this evil and name this challenge for what it is—sin. Something that comes from the devil himself. We need to meet this evil with spiritual weapons as well as with support, anger management, shelters, counseling, and the other usual tools,” she concluded.
- In August 2001 Women’s Ministries helped to sponsor Helen Pearson of Great Britain, TED, to attend an inter-faith meeting on domestic violence in Dundee, Scotland. The leadership was so impressed when they saw what resources Pearson had from the Adventist church that they invited Karen Flowers to attend, also.
Delegates at the Annual Council 2001 meeting came from all parts of the world to share resources; they developed nine principles of action intended to raise awareness of the abuse issue and to encourage churches to develop effective programs.
Renamed enditnow® Emphasis Day in 2014; Revised logo byline
Renamed in 2014, it is now known as enditnow® Emphasis Day. The original logo byline read “Adventists Say No to Violence Against Women,” however, the representatives of the seven sponsoring departments voted in 2016 to revise the logo. By dropping the final phrase, the new logo reads simply, “Adventists Say No to Violence.”
Seventh-day adventist affirm the dignity and worth of each human being and decry all forms of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.
enditnow builds on the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s long tradition of responding to the needs of all human beings, namely to stand up in favor of human rights, tolerance, the well-being of children, freedom of expression and conscience, and the protection and integrity of families. It is a call to action for all Adventists and supporters to stand up and put into practice those principles we hold true.
enditnow seeks to extend God’s vision of love and compassion for all His children.
Domestic violence has been documented as a major issue within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Incidences of abuse follow trends documented in non-Adventist populations. This is why enditnow seeks to increase personal awareness, responsibility, and involvement to effectively help end violence in every family and community.
All Communities are Invited to Participate
Although enditnow seeks to primarily mobilize Adventist church members, all individuals, church congregations of every faith, social groups, schools, and businesses are invited to join.
Donations to this campaign will be used by this campaign to directly enhance the goal that lies at the center of this effort-to end violence.
EndItNow Organizers
General Conference Women’s Ministries (GCWM) coordinates the production and distribution of the enditnow® Emphasis Day resource packets with contributions from six additional co-sponsoring departments of the General Conference: Children’s Ministries, Education, Family Ministries, Health Ministries, Ministerial Association, and Youth Ministries.
