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The Stand on Tour - Coming Soon
It was a moving moment as I watched Belfast band Bluetree open The Stand with their song 'God Of This City.' Thousand of voices joined together singing 'greater things are yet to come.' It reflected my heart for the event, that it would be the start of greater things, that people would be inspired and challenged to take action against human trafficking and slavery.
The Stand wasn't an easy event to be at, it took people on a journey into the world of human trafficking with hard hitting video footage showing the impact it has on innocent lives. Many watched with tears in their eyes as they heard about the story of Geeta, a young woman who was trafficked from Kathmandu to Mumbai in India where she was forced into prostitution. When she was rescued two years later she had been so badly abused she couldn't walk properly.
We were told about the 250 million Dalit people of India who are outside the cast system and considered to be less than human. Joseph D'Souza, head of the Dalit Freedom Network explained how Dalits are an exploited and abused people and how sponsoring a child's education can help lift them from poverty and bring hope for the future. Trafficking is a global issue and this was brought home by the heartbreaking story of one British mother who told the story of how her teenage daughter had been trafficked.
It was incredible to see so many top Christian artists and speakers there to support the cause, with Delirious, Jon Foreman from Switchfoot, Tim Hughes, bandwithnoname, YFriday and many others. For me it was an awesome sight to see the crowd with their arms raised in worship, praying to God for change and being inspired to make a difference.
The Stand was the result of months of preparation, prayer and hard work, it was incredible to see it come together, but for us at Hope For justice this was just the start. We are committed to continue raising awareness of human trafficking and slavery issues and to connect people with one of the reasons they are on the planet. To shine God's light into the darkest places, to express his love to a lost and hurting world and to bring freedom and hope to the captives. My prayer is that the church would continue to unite, and stand for freedom and justice on the earth. That a generation would rise up and take up the cause of the oppressed and abused in every community, city and country across the world.
The Stand was more than just event, I hope it was the start of a movement that will see many people across the UK taking up the cause of those whose lives are being destroyed by human trafficking and slavery. We have already had hundreds of emails from people describing how they have been challenged and moved by what they heard at the Stand. I am so encouraged by the response but this must be translated into action.
I want to encourage you to get involved with the cause, to pray, to take action and consider being part of a Hope For Justice ACT group. I believe that when we stand together we can become a powerful force for change on the earth. Greater things are yet to come!
Ben Cooley
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 If you couldn’t be at The Stand you can get a copy of the ‘Freedom Resource Pack'. This informative guide to human trafficking comes with a dvd and contains small groups sessions to help people take a closer look at some of the issues. This is a great way of enthusing your church or youth group to get involved.
Contact Hope for Justice for more information. |
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