Conference on Domestic and Teen Dating Violence Scheduled for Oct. 20-21

October 10, 2006


WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – “Creating Peaceful Families,” a two-day workshop for clergy, lay and youth leaders, advocates, and other human service providers, will be held Oct. 20-21 at Green Street United Methodist Church. The Rev. Al Miles, a nationally recognized author and expert on effective clergy response to family and teen dating violence, will be the guest speaker.

A youth rally, Youth W.A.V.E. (Worth and Value Explored), that features drama, music and Miles, will be held Saturday Oct. 21 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the church.

Miles is coordinator of the Hospital Ministry Department for Pacific Health Ministry at the Queen's Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he chairs the hospital's ethics committee. In 2002, he was appointed by Attorney General John Ashcroft to the National Advisory Committee on Violence Against Women.

Miles was ordained in the Church of God (Anderson, Ind.) in 1983 and is the author of several books: “Violence In Families: What Every Christian Needs To Know,” “Domestic Violence: What Every Pastor Needs To Know,” and “Ending Violence In Teen Dating Relationships: A Resource Guide For Parents And Pastors.”

Workshop sponsors are Family Services Inc., the Domestic Violence Community Council Faith Leader Training Program, Wake Forest University Women's Health Center of Excellence, Wake Forest University Pro Humanitate Center, Salem Presbytery, the Pilot Mountain Baptist Association and the Baptist Ministers Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity.

Registration fees are $30 for the entire conference or $10 for individual sessions. Students can attend the workshop for free. Registration forms are available at http://www.dvcc.ws/links.html.To register by phone, or for more information, contact Sharee Fowler at (336) 722-8173 or sfowler@familyserv.org.

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Media Contacts: Karen Richardson, krchrdsn@wfubmc.edu, or Shannon Koontz, shkoontz@wfubmc.edu, 336-716-4587.

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital and Wake Forest University Health Sciences, which operates the university’s School of Medicine. The system comprises 1,187 acute care, psychiatric, rehabilitation and long-term care beds and is consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report.

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