name. Years ago, she was in the social services field as
a program director at an agency on the south side of
Chicago. What I didn’t know when I came to work for
the agency was that she was also the pastor of Prayer,
Praise & Faith Ministries (which later became The
Universal Temple of Healing & Truth). Her ministerial
role and her educational training melded together to
shape her into a sexual abuse counselor and family
therapist who could offer survivors a myriad of tools as
they began the work of healing from tragic experiences.
At times I question how this woman can subject herself
to the pain and experiences of so many people day in
and day out. How does she keep from falling into the
despair that entombs the abuse, incest, molestation,
rape and trauma victims she counsels?
Her response? “This is my life’s work. This is what I was
born to do. Healing is what people need so much right
now. I’ve been trained for it on a professional level, but
God has prepared me on a spiritual level. That’s the
only way that I could do this work. Every person who
goes on to heal, to constantly overcome what they’ve
been through is a ministry. It’s God’s work in action.”
Her book, Speak it into Existence illustrates the concept
that “if you change the way you think, you’ll change
the way you live.”
Reach out to Rev. Renee Sesvalah Cobb-Dishman
[email protected]