For Those Who Cannot Speak For Themselves

Like Thursday’s note, today’s note is a bit different than the norm. This note is actually a newsletter article that I was asked to write for my church. It is a reflection on both the church and an event that I am planning for work. It was actually pretty difficult to write.

I’m not sure why it felt any different than writing a note, but it did. I guess because I know it’s going into print and will be mailed to people who have never heard my name, much less read or cared about my thoughts?

If you were asked to write a newsletter article for your church, then what would you write? What message would you want people to hear about themselves, God, and your community of believers?

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As soon as I saw it, I knew that Eau Claire Baptist Church was the church I had been looking for. From its age to its size to its architectural design to its location in Columbia, ECBC called out to me before I ever entered her doors. And when I did go inside, I found a diverse people with a heart for all of God’s people and I was overcome by the feeling of home.

It just so happens that, at that time, I was not only searching for a church home but also a place to host an event that I am coordinating for my work with South Carolina Woman’s Missionary Union (SC WMU). As part of a national project called Project Help, SC WMU has been educating about human exploitation for over a year. We have defined human exploitation as, “the unethical, selfish use of human beings for satisfaction of personal desires and/or profitable advantage,” and we have identified six focus areas: human trafficking (sex and labor), bullying, pornography, media exploitation of children and families, and natural resource exploitation for personal gain.

On Thursday, October 27, 2011, SC WMU plans to host an event called the Human Exploitation Symposium. This event will provide a practical education to any adult or college student who wants to learn more about human exploitation and what he/she can do to fight it. We are bringing in experts to discuss each focus area, and we are planning times of worship, prayer, and reflection as we seek to center on the reality that God has called us to “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” (Psalm 82:3-4)

This is where Eau Claire comes in. Eau Claire Baptist Church: in the middle of a struggling part of town. Eau Claire Baptist Church: who has been affected by land and population redistribution over past decades. Eau Claire Baptist Church: who has ample space. Eau Claire Baptist Church: a quiet, steady community presence. Eau Claire Baptist Church: the perfect location for the Human Exploitation Symposium.

Day in and day out, the people and ministries of Eau Claire Baptist Church, ourselves exploited in many ways, seek to live out the commands of Psalm 82:3-4. Against the odds, we seek to be a light in darkness, a place of safety in danger, a home for the wandering, and a voice for “those who cannot speak for themselves” (Proverbs 31:8-9). And now, on October 27th, ECBC will host visitors from across South Carolina who, themselves, desire to join in the work of restoring dignity to human life. We, in our willingness and humility, will open our doors to guests who, like us, believe that, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on [us], because the Lord has anointed [us] to preach freedom for the captives and release from darkness or the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.” (Isaiah 61:1-2)

Thank you, Eau Claire Baptist Church, for being the church of which I am proud to be a part.

May we join together to be hospitable hosts as we offer up the holy and sacred space that God has entrusted to us. Amen.

(For information on how you can help with the symposium, contact Kelly or Jimmy. For information about the symposium—including how to register—visit www.scwmu.org)