“God’s call is holistic,” he says. “Not only are we called to believe, we are also invited to follow – words and actions working together.
“The Evangelical Covenant Church has exhibited this holistic faith in the area of opposing modern slavery,” he notes. “Not content to ignore the plight of the slave, you have become a leader in the Christian church, partnering together with others in a wider Abolitionist Faith Community declaring in words and actions that no one should be for sale.
“The Covenant was very helpful in promoting Freedom Sunday this past February,” says Austin. The denomination’s website highlighting anti-trafficking resources was noted on the NFS website.
Austin is encouraging Covenant congregations to be among the 100,000 churches globally that NFS hopes will participate in Freedom Sunday 2011, which will be March 13. For more information on Freedom Sunday, click here.
Austin also leads Abolition Faith Conferences, which can vary in length. Open dates currently are August 16-27, October 4-8, October 25-29, November1-5, November 8-10. He says the conferences, which include times of worship and prayer, are designed to inspire community involvement. For more information, email Austin.
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