by Mara Enciu Garrett
New Wine New Wineskins believes Jesus’ followers are bridge-builders, known for their healing impact. Mara Enciu Garrett is a New Wine Ministry Council Member with a passion to serve the church and culture at large by supporting survivors of abuse. She seeks to bridge the Christian church and survivors, especially those hurt by Christianity or the people who claim it. She shares her journey to discovering this passion in this blog post.
As Christians, my mother, sister, and I were hurting; we were even hurt by Christians. This inspired my quest to reconcile my faith and the abuse I witnessed and experienced.
Entering adulthood, I came to understand my cultural heritage as a Romanian immigrant in America and my identity as a woman in a patriarchal society, especially a woman in the church. I learned about power and control–the essence of abuse. When abuse came from ‘the world’ that wasn’t a surprise; I was taught that ‘the world’ is sinful, but what about the church? As I studied the Bible, theology, and church history, as well as the psychology of human development and trauma, I realized it was too simplistic to blame ubiquitous problems like abuse and oppression on individual people in the here and now. The problem was systemic and generational, originating with the disconnect from God that began with Adam and Eve (Romans 5:12).
Disconnection from God means disconnection from ourselves and others (Genesis 3:16-24). Accepting Christ and following Him is how we are reconciled back to God (John 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:18-21), but the work doesn’t end there. We work out our faith as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us (Philippians 2:12, James 2:14-26, John 16:13-15, Galatians 5:16-26), and I believe this includes unlearning, relearning, and healing: unlearning that violence is normal or that men are entitled to power (Matthew 5:38-39, 1 Peter 3:9, Ephesians 5:25-33); relearning how to love purely and for love’s sake (1 Corinthians 13:4-7); and healing from our own sins and the sins committed against us (Psalm 103:2-3, Matthew 6:12, Luke 4:18).
We the church must take to heart our Lord Jesus. He taught radically (Matthew 5-7), healed freely (Matthew 8:16-17, Mark 5:25-34, Mark 6:53-56, Luke 14:1-6, John 4:43-51), and loved unconditionally (Romans 8:38-39). If we, the church, are his representatives (1 Corinthians 12:27, 2 Corinthians 5:20), we are also called to be teachers, healers, and lovers. We hold perpetrators accountable to the truth of God’s Word. We offer healing to the hurting. We love openly.
This is why I educate my community of faith and why I serve survivors. This is my calling: to connect survivors and the church. More specifically, my aim is to bridge the gap between amazing services offered in the community and the body of believers in which Christ the Healer is to be represented and accessible to all. However, this begins with the church confronting and healing from the abuse it has perpetuated. This is an important part of the process, and God will redeem his people (Romans 8:28). May the Lord guide us and grant us wisdom, strength, and love to unlearn, relearn, and heal.
You can contact Mara Enciu Garrett at this email address: mara.train.consult@gmail.com .