North Pacific Conference Women Ministries
2008-2010 Ministry Project: Mongolia Ministry with the Sedores
We are honored to support Jim and Liz Sedore's ministry
to Mongolia as the NPC WM 2008-2010 Ministry Project. You may have
heard speak at Triennial XII in Chicago and at the 2007 NPC WM Retreat at
Cascades Camp. We admire and support her commitment to work with women
in Mongolia in the areas of discipleship and recovery.
 As you will read in the updates, Liz and Jim are very
busy speaking to Covenant Churches, offering the opportunity to help them
reach their required support goal. May we encourage each WM group to
adopt the NPC WM 2008 Annual Ministry Project: Mongolia Ministry with the
Sedores with your prayer and financial support.
Please click on the update that you would like to read:
Project 2008-2010 "Break the Chains" A
partnership addressing human trafficking
"This is the kind of fast day I'm after: to break the chains of
injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed,
cancel debts."
(Isaiah 8:6 The Msg.)
Abolitionist
by Rebecca Worl, Cedarcreek Covenant
Church, Maple Valley, WA
Harriet Tubman and ... me?
Fredrick Douglas and ....me?
Abraham Lincoln and ...me?
William Wilberforce and ...
An Abolitionist. I've heard the term. I've marveled at their
bravery, their minority stand against a majority that embraces evil.
Bravery and courage are the marks of an abolitionist. Bravo! I nod
my head in recognition and slide lazily back into my lazy world of ignorance...
Until now.
A whispering plea for help has erupted into a volcanic roar. No
earplugs can dim the volume. "Awake, Oh Sleeper, rise from the dead"
(Ephesians 5:14). It's time to wake. Everyday,
hundreds of people - children, women, men - are abducted. Oppressed.
Shackled. Beat. Sold. Owned. Like cattle. Worked
to death.
An abolitionist is anyone who works on behalf of slaves, who does something
to set the captives free. We can and should come alongside them because
their battle is not over.
The greatest abolitionist is Jesus Himself. His heart's cry is to set
people free. Not just from oppression of sin, but also in this physical
life.
Isaiah 61, a prophecy that Jesus fulfills, reads
"The Spirit of the
Sovereign LORD is on me...
He has sent me to bind up the
brokenhearted ,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from
darkness for the prisoners."
In Isaiah 51:6, God proclaims:
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have
chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke
to set the oppressed free..."
Will you join God in His work? Will your heart break for what
breaks His?
My feet hit the pavement each day on my runs, in rhythmic motion with my
breathing. Every step I run is a step toward the end of slavery. I
am running as an athlete for Break the Chains. I picked a race, I signed
up. It was something I could do. There is always something
we can do. Don't think you are helpless. New abolitionists are being
made every day. As people give to Break the Chains and to the
International Justice Mission, as people run, as hands are folded and knees are
bent, new Abolitionists are rising up and slaves are set free.
As I raised awareness for Break the Chains, I realized my part in this.
I have suddenly, humbly realized, that I am an Abolitionist. Are you ready
to be an Abolitionist too?
Athlete Sponsorships to Benefit "Break the Chains"
Chicago, Il. (June 24, 2008) Athletes can now raise funds to battle human
trafficking by registering on the
Break the Chains website to receive sponsorships.
[Click here to read
more]
Two suggested resources available by going to this
link:
- The Women Ministries Human Trafficking Calendar provides month by month
suggestions for becoming more informed and involved in the fight against
human trafficking. Consider committing yourself or small group to
following the calendar for one year.
- "Love's not for sale" Bookmark.
 SLAVERY did not end in the 19th
Century - it still thrives in the 21st century. The most heinous form
of modern day slavery is commercial sex exploitation. Young women -
even very young girls - are imprisoned every year. Forced, coerced and
deceived into sex slavery, these women experience the ultimate form of abuse
every day. To view the "Break the Chains" video developed by
Women's Ministries, click
here.
Human trafficking is growing every year. Of the 600,00 - 800,000
people who are trafficked across international borders each year, 80% are
women and girls, 60% are minors. The majority are enslaved in the sex
trade.
How can we engage human trafficking? There are two ways people
can respond.
The first is through studying the Covenant's web site on
human trafficking
and becoming aware of the issue. Then read the page entitled "How Can
We Be Engaged?" and learn ways to become involved.
The second way to respond is through partnership with two
anti-trafficking ministries in India, a notorious center for sex slavery.
- Hindustani Covenant Church is directly ministering to prostitutes in
Pune, India through sharing the love of Christ to those shunned by all.
- International Justice Mission (IJM) is actively rescuing and
restoring trafficked people, through the judicial system, 100% of our
donations to IJM will go to the 5 IJM bureaus freeing slaves in India.
Currently it takes $1000 to free a slave.
Together we can make a difference in the lives of young women in India.
Donations may be made payable and sent to: Women Ministries, 5101 N.
Francisco Ave, Chicago, IL 60625. Donation brochures may be obtained
through Covenant Bookstore.
|
