About Valued Voices
Valued Voices exists to share the love of Jesus with victims of church abuse — sexual, physical, and spiritual — by giving them a voice, providing resources, and fostering a safe community.
If you have been hurt within a place that was supposed to be a sanctuary, you are not alone. Your story matters. And you are deeply valued.
My Mission is to Empower Your Life
Our Story
Valued Voices was born out of real pain and real love. Fred and Alaine Hofland spent decades in pastoral ministry, raising their daughters in the church, believing it to be a place of refuge. It was not until much later that they learned the devastating truth: two of their daughters had suffered sexual abuse at the hands of men within the church community they trusted.
Like so many survivors, their daughters carried the weight of that secret for more than twenty years. When one of them finally began to speak, the family discovered how deeply the church can wound those who are already wounded. Rather than being met with compassion, she was met with blame, silence, and dismissal. The very institutions designed to protect her became instruments of further harm.
Out of that grief, and out of an unwavering belief that Jesus offers healing to the brokenhearted, Valued Voices was born. This ministry exists because real women, in real churches, are being silenced every day. We believe that silence is not safety. We believe that healing begins when someone is finally, truly heard.
“When we remain silent about our stories of sexual abuse, we become imprisoned by the secrets we keep. Healing happens when we break the silence and share our story with trauma-informed people we can trust.”
— Crystal Sutherland, Journey to Heal Ministries
What We Believe
We believe every person made in the image of God has inherent dignity and worth. We believe that abuse is never the victim’s fault. We believe the church, at its best, is a place of refuge and restoration. And we believe that when the church fails, it must be willing to be held accountable.
We believe in Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, who sees the one who has been lost, overlooked, and silenced. He is not distant from your pain. He is present in it. And He is able to bring beauty out of the deepest ashes.
“When the work of shepherding leads us to pride, judgment, superiority, or deception, we have forgotten that we are a lamb. A shepherd who is not first a lamb is a dangerous shepherd and has ceased to follow the Good Shepherd.”
— Diane Langberg, Redeeming Power
What We Do
Valued Voices provides a space where survivors of church abuse can be seen, heard, and supported. We offer:
We are not a crisis hotline or a legal organization. We are a ministry of presence, pointing survivors toward healing, community, and the love of a God who has never stopped pursuing them.
Our Team:
Valued Voices is led by a board of pastors, survivors, counselors, and advocates who are united by a common conviction: that the church must do better, and that survivors deserve far more than silence.
Fred & Alaine Hofland — Co-Founders
Fred and Alaine met at Calvin University and spent nearly three decades in pastoral ministry. Fred earned his M.Div. from Westminster Seminary and served churches for 27 years. Alaine homeschooled their three daughters and served for 11 years as headmistress of Trillium Cottage Academy. Valued Voices grew out of their own family’s experience with sexual and spiritual abuse within the church. They desire this ministry to point wounded women to Jesus, the Great Physician, who can bring beauty out of the ashes.
Matt Owen — Board Member
Matt serves as Lead Teaching Pastor at Community Bible Church in Orange Park, FL. He earned his M.Div. from Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary and has spent nearly 15 years in pastoral ministry, meeting survivors of abuse along the way. That experience has shaped in him a deep heart for those who have been hurt by the very communities meant to protect them. He joined the Valued Voices board out of a conviction that the church must become a safer, more accountable place.
Kristin Bibo — Board Member
Kristin grew up in Oregon, earned a Masters in Public Policy, and has worked in nonprofits, community development, and philanthropy. She homeschools her four daughters and became deeply invested in survivor support and church accountability following an abuse crisis at her own church in 2020. She brings both personal conviction and professional experience to the work of Valued Voices.
Our Advisory Board:
Crystal Sutherland — Journey to Heal Ministries
Crystal is the founder and president of Journey to Heal Ministries and author of Journey to Heal: Seven Essential Steps of Recovery for Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse. A survivor herself, Crystal built a ministry to create exactly the kind of community she once desperately needed: women who share their stories, support one another, and are led to the One true Healer. She is married to Wes, is a mother of three and grandmother of two.
Dr. Kelly H. Dehnert, D.Min.
Dr. Dehnert holds degrees from the University of Arizona, Yale University School of Music, and Covenant Theological Seminary, where his doctoral dissertation focused on the abuse of leadership in Christian organizations. He served as a missionary and Bible college professor in Malawi, Africa, and currently serves on the national board of Refuge Ministries. He was a member of the PCA Study Committee on Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault, which produced a 240-page resource for churches.
Eileen Scipione
Eileen earned her B.S. in Special Education and her MTS from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She has served as a special education teacher, homeschool network supervisor, director of a pregnancy center, biblical counselor, and is currently the owner and manager of Hotel Hope, a women’s shelter. She is the author of From Duty to Delight: Sexual Intimacy for the Whole Woman and carries a deep concern for survivors of abuse both inside and outside the church.