Dee Vickery: OTBPM Info

*Emotional abuse through mind games, name-calling, and/or put downs.

*Isolation from family or friends.

*Economic abuse by withholding money or being prevented from getting or holding a job.

*Acual or threatened physical harm to you or your children. Sexual assault, stalking or intimidation.

Domestic Violence: Is It A Woman Thing Or A Man Thing…?

After reading mounds and piles of statistics on domestic violence I am completely overwhelmed by the various reports, surveys and opinions on this subject.

All you have to do is go to the internet and type in Violence against Women, Family Violence, Violence against Men, or Violence against Children, etc. and you’ll be directed to hundred’s of sites offering you their findings and opinions that support their particular area of concern or interest.

For a long time my personal research was directed mostly in the area of Violence against Women considering I personally lived in a violent relationship for 16 years. So it would stand to reason that I would search for all the ammunition I could gather to support my experience and belief that men abuse women. And my research confirmed that fact in overwhelming numbers.

But! Just in the past couple of years my tunnel vision, so to speak has enlarged. A statement was made by a man (whose name will remain anonymous) that “…. women aren’t the only ones that are victims of domestic violence….” Then he began sharing his personal experience of living with a wife that randomly would attack him physically. Because of my own experience of abuse I could hardly imagine a woman abusing a man let alone him taking the abuse. So, I began to research information concerning violence against men. I must say the information I found tweaked my own attitude in believing women cornered the market on being abused. Thus my entire program had to be changed. Ten years ago this ministry started out gender specific. Now Off the Beaten Path Ministries, Inc. is gender neutral!

Our focus is Family Violence! Whether man against woman, woman against man, adults against children, man against man, or woman against woman, violence is wrong! I agree with what Glenn Sacks, whose columns appear regularly in the Los Angeles Daily Journal & the San Francisco Daily Journal, said. He wrote: “Family violence by and against both men and women is a serious problem in a violence-wracked America, but it is a problem for which both men and women share responsibility. Over the past 30 years, feminist activists have justly called abusive men to account for their despicable actions. It’s now time to do the same for abusive women.”

Our desire and goal at Off the Beaten Path Ministries is to assist the already established organizations that provide services for victims of family violence. We plan on doing this by offering a Christ-centered program of healing to hurting families thus diminishing the cycle of violence.

If you or anyone you know needs help or if you would like to become a sponsor, please contact Dee Vickery @ deevickery@yahoo.com

Off the Beaten Path Ministries
“ For I know the plans I have for you, “declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope & a future.” Jeremiah 29:11


OFF THE BEATEN PATH MINISTRIES, INC. MENTORING & RESTORATION PROGRAM

Off the Beaten Path Ministries, Inc. is a Christ-centered, 501c3 non-profit organization.

So many people are imprisoned by traumatic events from their past. Out of those traumatic facts come wrong beliefs. Out of those wrong beliefs come wrong behaviors. Whether that be manifested as drug & alcohol abuse, sexual abuse or any other form or destructive behavior. These traumatic facts also set people up to be abused.

This mentoring program is geared first of all toward giving people hope that have lost all hope. There is always hope in Christ! Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire is fulfilled, it is a tree of life.” Then I start them on a program of changing their wrong beliefs, changing their identity (they need to have their identity in Christ not their past), which in turn changes their behaviors.

I moved to my present location the first part of July 2007. By August 2007 I began, here in my home, seeing individuals that are trapped in violent retationships or those who continue to return to a violent relationship. I see, on an average, 4 to 5 clients a month. Some of those are in ongoing mentoring. Others just need encouragement & direction.

We are now in our office which is wonderful!

Most of the individuals (men/women) I see cannot afford to pay for the program; therefore they can enter the program at no cost to them. So we need ministry partners & sponsors who want to be a part of what the Lord is doing to reach the hurting people.

I have an annual ministry budget at this current location of approximately $60,000.00.

This ministry has a two-part goal: Abigail's House which will be the 90 day temporary shelter for victims of family violence. The part two of that goal is The Healing Place which will be a long-term transitional-housing program where victims of family violence would live on site & enter an intensive restoration, healing & educational program.

It’s my desire to partner with Pastors, community leaders, as well as anyone else in the hill country area that share a concern for those in destructive relationships.

If you know anyone that might benefit from a program such as this one please let me know. I want to help.

We are not underwritten by any specific church or organization, therefore we depend on the generous tax deductible donations of individuals or organizations that would like to become partners with us to bring healing to hurting & broken people. You may email me:
deevickery@yahoo.com.

PROJECTED OTBPM BUDGET to purchase house and one year expenses:
SPONSORSHIPS NEEDED

Abigail's House: $150,000.00
The Healing Place: $650,000.00
(to purchase and set up facility plus operaing expenses for one year)