Justice Ministry Opportunities Abound at Vineyard Columbus!
Our good friend and fellow abolitionist – Connie Anderson, who is also the Great Lakes Region Director for Justice ministries with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship USA – has sent us an updated list of how people at Vineyard Columbus and in the Columbus, Ohio-area can get involved in Justice ministry at Vineyard Columbus. Here is a list of some of the ongoing volunteer opportunities. In most cases training is required, and in some cases background checks are necessary as well.
When it comes to direct work with survivors, in general, Gracehaven works with minors, and the Salvation Army and doma (the non-profit that works alongside CATCH Court) lead the work with adults. CORRC (the Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition) is where everyone comes together.
- Central Ohio Rescue and Restore Coalition – meets the first Wednesday of each month at 1 PM at the Salvation Army, 966 E Main Street. This is the nerve center for all anti-trafficking activities in central Ohio, and representatives of a wide variety of agencies, faith groups, and individuals are active participants. Visitors are welcome to attend. Contact Trisha Smouse trisha.smouse@use.
salvationarmy.org - Street outreach – this is late at night on Wednesdays. Men are needed to drive, women are needed to do the outreach – contact Christina Conrad of the Salvation Army – christina.conrad@use.
salvationarmy.org - Volunteer to do cleaning, organizing, and other volunteering at The Well, a drop-in center near campus (named for the biblical woman at the well) – contact Trisha Smouse trisha.smouse@use.
salvationarmy.org - Speaker’s bureau – if your company or organization would like a speaker or if you would be willing to be trained as a speaker, contact Rachel Adkins – Rachel.Adkins@USE.
SalvationArmy.Org Men are needed, too!!! - Hotline volunteers – if you are a woman and have an interruptible schedule (a homeschooling mom, for example) and would be willing to have hotline calls routed to your cell phone for several days or weeks at a time, contact Christina Conrad christina.conrad@use.
salvationarmy.org - Men – if you would like to help with efforts to reduce demand for sex trafficking, contact Derek Nicol – derek.t.nicol@gmail.com
- Female volunteers to help women who are in CATCH Court (tutors, drivers, etc.) – see below for more info on CATCH Court – contact Kae Denino at kae@domaconnection.org
- Gracehaven – working with victims who are minors — the direct work must be done by professionals, but volunteers are needed for fund raising and other projects – contact Kendra Petrill at kpetrill@gracehavenhouse.org
- Freedom a la Cart (social enterprise food cart and catering business run by trafficking survivors) cater an event, contact kae@domaconnection.org
- Use your purchasing power to make a difference – contact Kris Batchek at Four Winds kris@fourwindsintl.com and/or Tara Harte at Trade Justice Mission tharte@tradejusticemission
- SOAP outreaches (hotels) – I’ll send out an email the next time there is an outreach in central Ohio. (The Arnold Classic is a big one.It’s usually in early March.)
- The Price of Life (InterVarsity Christian Fellowship) – I work with IVCF in the Great Lakes East Region, raising up the next generation of anti-trafficking leaders, and occasionally need volunteers to house students, provide meals, etc. I also am looking for opportunities to present this ministry to groups or individuals in order to raise financial support. If you’d like to get on my personal ministry email list, respond to this email and let me know!