Set Free Rochester Team
January 4, 2024
Happy New Year Edgewood Family! I hope the Advent Season provided you encouragement and vision for the new year ahead and the Lord’s work in your heart and mind. I want to take this opportunity on behalf of the Set Free Roc team to share with you who we are and what is happening this month.
January is identified as Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month. First If you are not familiar with Set Free Roc, we are group of individuals at Edgewood that is committed to the cause of freedom for those who are vulnerable to, enslaved in, or recovering from exploitation due to trafficking.
As Proverbs 31 8-9 reminds us, we can speak up and defend those who may not be able to speak for themselves. Isaiah 58:6-8, shares how simple acts help break the chains of the oppressed.
The Set Free Roc group is a local branch of the Set Free Movement, the Free Methodist denominational ministry that is fighting human trafficking. Edgewood has supported the mission of the Set Free Movement for many years and, through this connection, members of our local team have grown in understanding the complexities of addressing issues of human trafficking on the local, national, and global level.
Set Free Roc especially works to connect and serve with local ministries and programs that address vulnerabilities of and/or healing and adapting after coming out of trafficking here in Rochester, NY. Vulnerabilities include foster care, mental health issues, poverty and related concerns, navigating systems, and employment/education challenges to name a few.
In previous years we have shared at Edgewood the opportunities we have to partner with homeless shelters, long-term shelter programs like Brightstar Community, food insecurity, (through Set Free Roc’s The Pantry ministry), foster care needs, and more.
This January and February, we will be sharing more with you on the vulnerabilities that face refugees and opportunities to be involved in reducing those vulnerabilities that increase the risk of being trafficked.
In next week’s EdgeNotes, I will relate more about refugees and the risks they face as they seek safety and security for themselves and their children.
On January 28th, Freedom Sunday, will take place at Edgewood and more about the need to engage in the fight against human trafficking will be shared. We hope you will attend to hear more in person about Set Free, how you can become involved in simple ways, or in ongoing ways throughout the year. Our desire as a team is for all of Edgewood to have opportunity to participate.
If you would like to join the Set Free Roc team, please reach out to me or any of our members. We would love to have you with us on this journey.
Serving the World Together with You,
- Michelle Lentine (Set Free Roc Team Leader)
Click the links below for more information.
Follow Set Free Roc on Facebook!