Human trafficking is a crime that strikes at the very heart of the American promise: freedom. Modern day slavery & forced labor is a challenge to the Church and anyone who would claim to follow Jesus, the One who proclaimed, “God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to set the captive free!” (Luke 4:16-21). 

On February 1, 1865, President Lincoln outlawed slavery in the United States by signing the resolution that would later become the 13^th amendment.
 
Slavery is far from being history in America, as over 5,000 cases of human trafficking have occurred every year for the last 3 years (according to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center). And, those are just cases of slavery within our borders… what of the countries that America trades and does business with?
 
Estimates of the number of slaves today range from 20-45 million. Modern slavery is a multi-billion dollar industry with estimates of up to $35 billion generated annually. The United Nations estimates that roughly 27 to 30 million individuals are currently caught in the slave trade industry, with approximately 14 million slaves in India alone. These slaves pick our coffee, sew our clothing, manufacture our electronics, and feed the underbelly of society—the sex-slave trade and multi-billion dollar pornography industry.
 
January is Human Trafficking awareness month. Headwaters Covenant Church is committed to making a difference in our community, our state, and our world. To that end, we will be shining a spotlight on what Jesus’ followers can and should be doing in response to modern day slavery. We will host a series of discussions on Sundays in January, starting on the 8^th, focused on the biblical response to slavery, human relationships, training and tools for identify and helping victims of trafficking, case studies, and culminating in a special evening engagement with our Attorney General, Tim Fox, who will explain his efforts to fight human trafficking in Montana and what the church can do to help.
 

January 26^th, from 6:30-8:00 pm at Headwaters Covenant Church (1030 Choteau, Helena) we’d invite any and all concerned community members to come and learn about how the church can help combat the evil of human trafficking. There will be light refreshments, a presentation by Attorney General Tim Fox, and a chance for meaningful dialogue with a question and answer session. Limited child care will be available (space is limited), so please RSVP to Charity Ware (razzw23@gmail.com).