A new partnership is exploring how the faith community can help victims of domestic violence, and it begins with an event this month to present the issue.

The United Methodist Women and United Methodist Men at Main Street United Methodist Church have teamed up to present the event.

“This is the first time the two organizations have come together to work on a project,” said Sharon Slate of the United Methodist Women. “We both have very similar goals, but we often work on different projects.”

Barbara McPhail of the United Methodist Women said the Nov. 14 event will “help educate people in the community about domestic violence and what churches can do.”

Speakers at the event will include a prosecutor, victim/witness assistant director and community outreach coordinator from the office of Suffolk Commonwealth’s Attorney C. Phillips Ferguson.

It is an exciting partnership for the prosecutor’s office, Ferguson said.

“We want to work with the community in any way we can,” he said. “This is the kind of thing I believe we can grow and make a difference in a positive way.”

Domestic violence cases in Suffolk have been on the rise, and the prosecutor’s office has taken steps to combat it, Ferguson said.

The office recently acquired Brittany Landon, the newest victim/witness assistant director. She has previously worked with domestic violence victims in the shelter setting, and domestic violence cases will be her almost exclusive focus.

“I’m excited about this,” she said. Many domestic violence victims say they are not only isolated but also embarrassed, she said. Knowing the local church is supportive can be a good first step toward a welcoming environment for victims.

Meredith Travers is a prosecutor in Ferguson’s office who focuses on domestic violence. In the past year, she has worked more than 600 cases, she said. Some of those cases involved the same defendant but separate incidents.

She said community education is important.

“Curbing domestic violence begins on the community level, long before a potential prosecution,” she said. “If we can prevent domestic violence from occurring, we don’t have a defendant, and we don’t have a victim.”

Travers also noted that not all spousal abuse is legally “actionable” for prosecution. For example, abuse can involve emotional harm or control of the victim’s social life without rising to physical violence.

Partnering with the community can help victims of any kind of domestic abuse to become aware that there are resources, Travers said.

Slate said she and her counterpart, Greg Brown of the United Methodist Men, are looking forward to the relationship.

“We are called to love our neighbor,” she said. “We need to understand how God is calling us to deal with this issue.”

“We’re not lawyers or psychiatrists, but we have a safe place here,” McPhail said. “WE have to find out what it is we can do.”

The event will take place at 7 p.m. Nov. 14 at Main Street United Methodist Church, 202 N. Main St. RSVPs are requested at 539-8751 or mainstreet@mainstumc.org.