Overview

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.

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9781734195200

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Reviews

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 long struggle to heal from clergy abuse. --DAN FRONDORF, CO-FOUNDER OF CINCINNATI SNAP CHAPTER 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 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 In her book, Let Me Prey Upon You, Sandy Kirkham shares from her heart and own life, her tragic experience as a victim of pastoral abuse. She takes the reader along her entire journey of abuse, which began in her teen years, and reveals details of her suffering, her bondage, and eventually her path to freedom and recovery. This true story is told from an extremely personal perspective in a moving and powerful way and is well worth a read. --ELLEN SMITH Sandy speaks truth in her story of clergy abuse and is an inspiration to all of us who have been abused by a church leader. While describing the extreme pain she experienced by her youth pastor and the church's rejection, she also offers hope. Let Me Prey Upon You is instrumental in understanding the dynamics when a spiritual leader crosses the boundaries of his profession with a member of his congregation. --MARY JO NOWORYTA, CLERGY ABUSE SURVIVOR AND ADVOCATE A well-written book that provides first person narrative of a young, faith driven, over-achieving girl who is manipulated and then trapped in an abusive relationship by someone of power in the church. The book provides a window into the author's world and we can see how this occurs as well as the self-doubt fostered by the offender. It also shares the trauma that is caused when the offender is not only not held accountable, but moved into a new position that allows his abusive behavior to continue. Finally, it is a book of courage and survival and one that provides hope for victims. --SHELLEY MARSHALL A courageous portrayal of the complex levels of suffering from clergy abuse. --STEPHANIE WYLER, RETIRED JUVENILE COURT

Author Information

Sandy Kirkham and her husband Bill enjoy life with their two grown children, two beautiful granddaughters, and two fairly well-behaved dogs. Sandy continues to use her voice to help victims of clergy abuse. She currently serves on the board of Council Against Child Abuse. Sandy has spoken before the Ohio Senate, a Maryland court, and appeared on a local television show in Boston. Her story, ""Stolen Innocence,"" was told in a documentary produced by The Hope of Survivors. Sandy works with survivors conducting victim support conferences. She has participated on panels moderated by SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests), sharing her perspective from the non-Catholic point of view. Peter is Vice-President of Operations at Your Literary Prose where he started working in 2015, after graduating from Morehead State University, December 2014. Initially working with the day-to-day operations, he has transitioned to a strategic planning role for both Your Literary Prose and our clients. He has found a passion in strategizing new service offerings and improving current services. Peter takes a lead in working with coaches, speakers, and entrepreneurs plan their own writing projects so they can be successful, whatever that means for them. As an editor, Peter works with writers/authors by providing professional editorial critiques of their manuscripts as it transitions to their professionally published book. When not in the office, Peter is an avid soccer fan, supporting the local FC Cincinnati and US National teams and watching the English Premier League on the weekends. He also enjoys reading, both for pleasure and to learn more about business.

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