Local Church Hosts Conference on Trafficking

by Loey Powell

On April 24, Country Club Congregational UCC (CCCUCC) in Kansas City, MO, hosted a Human Trafficking Workshop. Paul Osgood, former JWM Board member, has spearheaded this effort to engage his congregation in response to the General Synod
26 resolution on human trafficking. Loey Powell offered an overview of the issue stressing why it is important for the religious community to become incrisisvolved. Award‐winning Kansas City Star investigative journalist Mike McGraw gave in‐depth stories from the work he did in several countries preparing the articles in his series for the newspaper.
Cynthia Cordes, Assistant US Attorney for the W. Missouri Region, who heads up a Human Trafficking Task Force, spoke about the coordination of efforts to prosecute traffickers and protect those who have been trafficked,and Kristy Childs spoke
about her own experiences as someone who had been trafficked. Childs is now the Director of Veronica’s Voice, an organization that helps people get out of being trafficked. Students from a nearby seminary, staff from women’s shelters and a rape crisis shelter, and members of churches in the area attended the event. Plans are underway to continue this awareness and call to action effort.

http://www.ucc.org/synod/resolutions/
gs27/human‐trafficking.pdf
http://www.kansascity.com/trafficking/
http://www.veronicasvoice.org/

Amelia Shivers, one of our pastors in Penn Central, put me on to an important article that came out in Sojourner Magazine's Faith and Justice Connection online newsletter. The article is Slavery is Alive and Well...for Now. It shouldn't be hard to find in a search engine.

Have you been to the website www.notforsalecampaign.org. There's a bunch of really important stuff on thee, including when the next conference is coming up. But i want to "re-post" their statement about people of faith getting involved. Here it is:
"
Think of what would happen if churches, synagogues, and mosques in every community prayed and preached against slavery.

Imagine what would happen if missionaries and religious workers sent from every faith community networked within their countries to be a force against trafficking.

Think of what would happen if leaders from Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu communities of faith dialogued about the evils of slavery and strategized about how to work together despite the differences to end slavery.

Those “what/ifs” reveal the potential of our collective engaged faith communities. The resources are unlimited. The energy is palpable. The results would be amazing.

People of faith have a special role to play when it comes to the work of abolition: freeing slaves and creating a world where survivors can thrive. We will assist you to grow a thriving abolitionist program in your backyard by providing platforms for active engagement."

So...what are you going to do? Send me a comment and let me know.