Mercy Church presents Bridge 68
For Justice. With Mercy. In Faithfulness.
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” Isaiah 1:17 (NIV)
Mission:
Bridge 68 is a ministry of Mercy Church KC. We are a gathering of Christians whose love for God and His people call us to stand in the gap for those who are the victims of oppression and injustice, to act justly on behalf of those wounded, to show mercy for those in need, to walk humbly and in submission before God, and to provide this outreach under the direction and teaching of God.
Our map:
The focus of this ministry will be to take a Biblical approach to injustice and oppression. What exactly is injustice? You can imagine that there are many definitions for injustice. “Injustice occurs when power is misused to take from others what God has given them, namely, their life, dignity, liberty or the fruits of their love and labor.” Good News about Injustice, Gary Haugen. Through this ministry we will grow our faith and understanding of God’s word regarding justice and mercy, and as we grow we will engage in outreach works focused on justice. Injustice in our world takes the form of abusive child labor, abusive police or military, child pornography, child prostitution, corrupt seizure or extortion of land, forced migration, genocide, organized political intimidation, organized racial violence, state sponsored torture, state sponsored religious persecution, and so much more. In the United States, we face injustice issues of domestic violence and sexual assault, the effects of poverty and discrimination in the school systems, refugees in our community who have escaped terror or genocide, discrimination against various groups in the workplace and in the community, etc.
Below are some statistics on a few categories of injustice to get you thinking:
Human trafficking is a growing problem in the United States and in Kansas City. Kansas City is a growing hub for human trafficking. Targeted groups are those who are most vulnerable - immigrants, runaway teens and young women are forced into slave-labor conditions or the sex trade. The United States is a source and destination for thousands of human trafficking victims who are sexually exploited, and to a lesser extent, exploited for labor. The average age of entry in the U.S. into sex exploitation industry is 13.
One in four women in this country (25%) has experienced domestic violence in her lifetime. Nearly three out of four (74%) of Americans personally know someone who is or has been a victim of domestic violence. On average, more than three women and one man are murdered by their intimate partners in this country every day.
Approximately one in five female high school students reports being physically and/or sexually abused by a dating partner.
In 6 seconds a child will die from starvation. In 1 minute, ten children will die. 600 children will die in an hour and 14,200 will die in a day. 5, 256,000 will die in a year.
There are over 27 million people living in modern day slavery today. That is more than the slaves tortured and dehumanized during the transatlantic slave trade. This would be equivalent to the population of the State of Texas. 161 countries out of 192 (according to the United Nations) are involved with human trafficking. Children comprise half or fifty percent (50%) of human trafficking target. Human trafficking, as an organized crime, is approximated to generate 32 billion revenue each year. The industrialized countries are the main source of slaves or labor servants approximated at 15.5 million victims. Traffickers sell women and children online everyday.
2 million babies are killed before birth or at birth simply because they are girls.
The genocide in Darfur has claimed 400,000 lives and displaced over 2,500,000 people. More than one hundred people continue to die each day; five thousand die every month. Since February 2003, the Sudanese government in Khartoum and the government-sponsored Janjaweed militia have used rape, displacement, organized starvation, threats against aid workers and mass murder.
Nearly 15 million children in the United States – 21% of all children – live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level – $22,050 a year for a family of four. Research shows that, on average, families need an income of about twice that level to cover basic expenses. Using this standard, 42% of children in the United States live in low-income families. Poverty can impede children’s ability to learn and contribute to social, emotional, and behavioral problems. Poverty also can contribute to poor health and mental health.
Posted by: Kori Carew
