Let Me Prey Upon You – Hardcover

Description

A church is where an insecure sixteen-year-old girl should feel welcome, happy, and most importantly, safe. Tragically for some, the church can become a place of great harm.

Sandy Phillips Kirkham details her account of how a charismatic youth minister preyed upon her, a betrayal which left her broken, with a shattered faith, and the ultimate shame of being blamed and forced from the church she loved. From their very first meeting, the new youth minister slowly and methodically turned the sacred relationship of a trusted spiritual leader to one of abuse: sexual, emotional, and physical. When his actions were discovered, he was simply moved to another church, leaving Sandy to pay for his deeds. She was not his first victim, nor would she be his last.

Despite a successful and happy life as a wife, mother, and friend, Sandy successfully concealed her abuse for twenty-seven years until a trigger forced her to face the truth. Sandy’s story will take you on her journey of healing which began in 2004, first by seeking justice and closure from both the pastor and the church. Her strength and courage will inspire you. Let Me Prey Upon You details Sandy’s journey from innocent sixteen-year-old victim to survivor and advocate.

Praise for Let Me Prey Upon You

“Kirkham lost her youth, innocence, and her faith in the very place that she should have been safest—her beloved church, by a minister that she trusted. In Let Me Prey Upon You, however, she has found her voice!!”

—SUE TRAKAS, PROFESSOR EMERITA

“Sandy’s book is a go-to resource for anyone wanting to understand the concepts of grooming and abuse of religious authority. Her story captures the pain, the shame, and the long struggle to heal from clergy abuse.”

—DAN FRONDORF, CO-FOUNDER OF CINCINNATI SNAP CHAPTER

“Let Me Prey Upon You is an important story of a minister who preyed upon and sexually abused several young women, while moving from church to church to church. But it is more than that, it is also the story of one courageous woman who, years later, finally dealt with and confronted her past to begin her journey of healing. Sandy Kirkham’s story is one of lies, manipulation, coercion, and abuse, but it is also a story of courage, resilience, and bravery.”

—SUSAN RANDALL, COUNSELOR