I wanted to share a little something with the internet about a huge cause that Jesus has laid on my heart through the ministry of Passion 2012 and Do Something Now. For those of you who don't know, Do Something Now is a giving-based branch of Passion City Church in Atlanta, Georgia. For the past 15 years, the Passion movement has been gaining momentum in the lives of college students--well, mostly Christian college students, but we pray that that will change drastically--and Do Something Now researches causes and presents them at the event for students to give money to. I have been to Passion for three years in a row, and each time the students have given more freely. At Passion 2010, the goal was around $500,000. We gave around $650,000. And a donation from a loaded couple who was in attendance matched us dollar for dollar, bringing us to $1.3 million. At Passion 2011, I don't remember the goal honestly, but we raised again nearly $1.3 million. Without a dollar for dollar donator. So, enter Passion 2012, where the number of students in attendance has gone from 25,000 to 44,000. Over $2,600,000 was raised (plus another $500,000 from an adult donator putting the grand total at over $3 million).
So...ALL those numbers because I'm always excited about Do Something Now. College students are known notoriously for not being passionate. Not only do I know this to be false, but I have seen it from around the country, where they are made aware of a cause and rise up to at least do SOMETHING. No, Do Something Now doesn't solve problems. But it rescues PEOPLE from them. Even if it just rescued ONE person, it would be worth it.
What was the cause this year? Slavery.
It's ok to be confused.
Until this week (I failed in the department of researching the cause before I came), I thought like so many in the world do that slavery was on the decline, that it was a problem that had been dealt with and was dying out. It isn't.
Today there are 27 million people enslaved around the world, even in our own United States. When they told us that at Passion 2012, I felt like I had been slapped in the face. Who forgot to mention this? How did this get swept under the rug? How do we stand unaware that the modern day slavery enslaves more people than EVER before, more people than the ENTIRE African slave trade? There is something wrong with that! Right now, more people are suffering in forced labor, sex slavery, and other kinds of enslavement around the world!
God doesn't want that, but what He DOES want is His people to stand up and do something about it. I don't know what you think about slavery, or even what you think about God. But please, stand up and do something. Even if it's just raising awareness on your campus. In your office (can you do that?). In your city. Whatever. Give money to an organization like A21 or IJM. Go serve with an organization that works in slavery prevention, or rescues or restores slaves. Fight for freedom, because it is not as widespread as we think it is.
