The December 2012 issue of "Diolog" magazine

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Diolog The Texas Episcopalian

www.epicenter.org

page 35

The Bishop’s column | camp allen | profiles

Dec 2012

volume 2

number 4

human Trafficking:

in plain sighTpage 08

Get ready for takeoff episcopal NiGht with the rockets

The Episcopal Diocese of Texas

Diolog: The Texas episcopalian (since 1874) is an

official publication of the episcopal Diocese of

Texas.

Our mission is to bring you the wealth of stories from the

Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion, to inform

and inspire you and to deepen your spiritual life.

puBlisher: The Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle

ediTor: Carol E. Barnwell, [email protected]

designer: LaShane K. Eaglin, [email protected]

sTaff WriTer: Luke Blount, [email protected]

Diolog: The Texas Episcopalian (PE# USPS 10965, ISSN#

1074-441X) is published quarterly (March, June, September

and December) for $25 a year by the Episcopal Diocese of

Texas, 1225 Texas St., Houston, TX 77002-3504. Periodical

postage paid at Houston, TX. Address changes may be

emailed to: [email protected]

posTmasTer: Address changes: Diolog: The Texas

Episcopalian, 1225 Texas St., Houston, TX 77002-3504

© 2012 The Episcopal Diocese of Texas

Diolog | 3 | decemBer 2012

30

In This Issue:

Contents:

human Trafficking

decemBer 2012

reaching farTher

06human Trafficking

06 Bishop’s Column

08 In Plain Sight

11 NGO Cooperation is Key to Fight

12 Human Trafficking Legislation

13 Government Issues Annual Report

14 Fortified by Faith

16 Labor Trafficking and Our Food Supply

18 Human Trafficking Can Happen Here

19 Egyptian Child Used as Domestic

20 Trafficking Laws Gaining Muscle

22 advenT

The Rev. Canon John Newton, IV

04 ediTor’s leTTer

Carol E. Barnwell

32 camp allen

Family Offerings

34 calendar & people

profiles

Luminary, Bishop Fisher page 24

The Arts, Beverly Hilburn page 26

Advocate, Freedom Place page 28

Congregation, Christ Church, Nacogdoches page 30

Photo: The Rev. Howard Castleberry

Raising awareness is a key to fighting the crime.

Christ Church, Nacogdoches, is determined to reach out—not just across town, but across the world.

Cover and Inside Cover Photo: Creative Commons

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ediTor’s leTTer

When I considered a topic for Advent and Epiphany, I thought of the image of Mary—young, displaced—on a dusty road with nowhere to rest and most assuredly missing the comfort of her family.

I had been speaking with Nikki Richnow at St. John the Divine, Houston, about Freedom Place (see page 28), a ministry they support for victims of sex trafficking, and I got the same sense about these young

girls. That we have this problem—one of human slavery today—is shameful. Our church’s General Convention passed a resolution about it, but no mandate, no direct challenge to take up the cause. See the video at: tinyurl.com/ac4rmmc.

I hope you will read this issue of Diolog and learn about human trafficking, both in labor and the sex trade. Without outrage and pressure on authorities, there will be no solution. The truth is that there would be no human trafficking if there were no demand. It is a global problem but our diocese—our 153 churches—sits at one of the nation’s major hubs for traffickers.

I spoke to several sheriffs in East Texas and they said trafficking wasn’t a problem in their areas. They seemed unaware that there is mandated training for law enforcement in regards to human trafficking. But it is easy to believe that trafficking is an urban problem. St. Dunstan’s, Houston, is confronting the problem at its own front door as massage parlors move from the city to the country. Why does it concern you and me?

“What is at stake in the issue of human trafficking in a very stark way is our core Christian belief that every human person is of infinite worth and dignity, not a commodity to be bought and sold for profit,” said Helene Hayes, a member of the Good Shepherd Sisters in New York. “Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us that ‘our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter,’” she said. Hayes has traveled extensively to give voice to women and girls who have been trafficked, and there are quotes throughout these pages from her interviews.

What can you do? Become aware, invite someone to come and speak to your church as volunteer groups, contact your representatives. Include those people who are trafficked in your prayers. They are the most vulnerable and

voiceless among us. Begin by turning the page and reading.

Advent is a time for contemplation. Don’t miss

the Rev. Canon John Newton’s reflection for the season, page 22. Learn a bit about Christ Church, Nacogdoches, and how they have responded to the needs of people half a world away. Meet our new bishop suffragan. There is an in-depth interview with Bishop Jeff Fisher on page 24 and additional video at epicenter.org/media-video. Meet Beverly Hilburn, who has been making music for more than seven decades and is still showing up!

Blessings,

carol e. Barnwell editor

[email protected]

Dr. Robert Sanborn, president and CEO of Children at Risk, will speak at Grace, Houston,

on Sunday, February 17, 2013, at the 10 a.m. service. The church is located at 4040 W.

Bellfort, Houston, Texas 77025, and any interested person is invited to attend. The church’s

contact information is: 713.666.1408, www.graceinhouston.org.

resources:childrenatrisk.orgsharedhope.orgpolarisproject.orgfreetheslaves.netnotforsalecampaign.orgendslaveryandtrafficking.org

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about

the things that matter.


discover our aWard-Winning neWs coverageThe weekly Diolog E-News is sent to thousands of email inboxes every Wednesday. Are you on the list? Sign up today at tinyurl.com/diologenews.

episcopal church fighTs human TraffickingLauren Russell has worked on legislation to fight human trafficking for many years. She testified at General Convention this summer. Visit tinyurl.com/ac4rmmc to watch a video.

JusTices aTTend annual red massSt. Matthew’s, Henderson, held their annual Red Mass to mark the opening of the Supreme Court session and to gather public servants for a special blessing. Visit vimeo.com/51021846 to watch a video.

EDOT GalleryCall for Art

EDOT Gallery, the art exhibit at the Diocesan Center in Houston, is seeking new Episcopal artists to feature. Please send 10–12 images to Carol E. Barnwell at [email protected]. Include a biography, artist’s statement and brief description of the work to be considered with title, media and dimensions. EDOT Gallery requests 10% of any sales. The next series of shows will be chosen early 2013.

resources:childrenatrisk.orgsharedhope.orgpolarisproject.orgfreetheslaves.netnotforsalecampaign.orgendslaveryandtrafficking.org

eDoT Gallery is a venue designed to showcase episcopal artists, sponsored by the Diocese of Texas. Find out more at epicenter.org/edotgallery.

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Welcominghuman Trafficking

breakinG ouT FinDinG hope

by the Rt. Rev. C. Andrew Doyle


Advent reminds us of our human incapacity to reach heaven. We are “locked” in a prison of our bodies and our society—unable to create the change we so desperately need.

So, as darkness gathers and the nights lengthen, we bring light and fragrant life into our homes with Advent wreaths and candles. We read Scripture about two lonely and fearful people and learn that God gives them the Son in their darkest hour. We read, expecting words of hope will reveal our God opening the door of salvation to us, and in those words of hope, cracks appear in the prison walls and the light begins to filter in.

The birth of Jesus flings wide a door that has been locked to us. When God made man manifest, he gave us an outpouring of grace and mercy. There is no darkness Christ’s light of love cannot illuminate. There is no loneliness in which we are truly alone, for Christ sits with us in the tomb.

In Advent, as the family of God, we meditate upon the lonely, the lost, the orphaned—those who find themselves on the margins. Our Savior comes at the margins of life—in an animal’s stall—to an unwed mother.

It is God in Christ Jesus who will comfort the comfortless—who reaches out his hand to those who are unseen, neglected and abused—those who live on the margin of our lives. God hears the cries of his people.

In this issue of Diolog we offer a narrative about God’s children whose lives are imprisoned and who live with no hope of freedom as victims of human trafficking. Many of these women, girls, men and boys live as though there is no one coming to help them. They are people who, in many cases, have lost all hope because they have hoped too long in vain.

But there is good news where God in Christ Jesus is

flinging open the doors of their captivity. God has a Church in mission, and angels who listen to the voiceless and help illuminate their lives with hope. Freedom Place (page 28) attempts to incarnate Christ’s love through the real presence of a safe and nurturing community and, like Mary the Christ Bearer, there are people willing to do what is required to bring love and light where there has been neither. And there is more to do still. Begin here, begin to recognize those who are alone and live in fear and discern how you can bring the light of Christ into this darkness of human trafficking.

In Advent, the Church is reborn as the incarnation of Christ’s body in the world. In Advent, the Church is invited to open the door, to walk to the margin of our society and to take by the hand the Children of God we find there. And we are invited to embrace them with the love of Christ. Let the world see and know that God is good and his mercy is everlasting.

Bonhoeffer writes:

Amidst the creaking and straining of the very foundations of its structure, amidst the cracks and destruction, we hear everywhere the promise of an everlasting church; a church against which the powers of hell shall not prevail. A church which Christ was built upon a rock, and which he continues to build throughout time.

Where is this church? Where do we find it? Where do we hear its voice? Come! All you who in earnest ask such questions, all you who are abandoned and are left alone, all you who have lost the church.

“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20). The city of God remaineth!2

“And then, Advent comes. So many beautiful memories we share of that season. You were the first to open up for me the world of its music, which we have played together year after year during the Advent weeks. A prison cell is like our situation in Advent: one waits, hopes, does this and that—meaningless acts—but the door is locked and can only be opened from the outside. That is how I feel just now.”1

—Dietrich Bonhoeffer, from prison

1Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Letter from Prison, to Eberhard Bethge, November 21, 1943, Christmas Sermons, trans. Edwin Robertson (Zondervan, 2005).2Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Last Sermon in Berlin, July 23, 1933, Christmas Sermons, trans. Edwin Robertson (Zondervan, 2005)

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In his address to the Clinton Global Initiative in September, President Barack Obama said the trafficking of people contributes to “the debasement of our common humanity, ‘tears at our social fabric, endangers public health and fuels violence and organized crime.”

“You may think you are not directly affected by human trafficking,” said Linda Cohn, president of the board of Houston’s League of Women Voters, “but the fact that human slavery exists … is of urgent concern. It harms individuals and coarsens society.”

According to a State Department report, human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world. The Episcopal Diocese of Texas sits on one of the most active routes for trafficking in the United States, and Houston is one of the country’s largest hubs for trafficking. One-third to one-half of the nearly 17,000 trafficked persons pass through Houston and Harris County annually. More than half of those are under 18 years of age and many trafficking victims end up working in the sex trade.

Human trafficking also includes labor trafficking of men, women and children, domestic servitude and child sexual

trafficking. Trafficking of women into the sex industry remains the most common and lucrative form of human exploitation.

Austin, Houston and Dallas are “destination” cities that attract domestic runaway youth, many of whom come from small, rural towns in Texas. There are more than 6,000 runaways in Harris County alone. “Within 24 hours, one-third of those [children] are in some sort of bondage situation, too often sex,” said Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan, in an interview with the League of Women Voters in early 2012. Domestic victims may also be co-opted into relationships with pimps who first identify their victims in shopping malls.

International victims may be physically coerced into migrating or deceived with the pretense of legitimate jobs—told they will have work as a seamstress or cleaning hotel rooms, Ryan explained. Once in this country, victims are controlled by force and fear, isolation and threats against themselves and their families back home.

Trafficking involves not only physical force but psychological coercion as well.

Maria fell in love with a man who said he loved her and

human Trafficking

by Carol E. Barnwell

According to the Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, human trafficking is: “modern-day slavery, hidden in plain sight.”

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) defines “Severe Forms of Trafficking in Persons” as:

Sex Trafficking: the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act, in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person forced to perform such an act is under the age of 18 years; or

Labor Trafficking: the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.

in plain SiGhT


they had a child. He asked her to come to the U.S. to work in a restaurant to be able to send money home to Mexico. He promised her they would return when they had saved enough money, but once they arrived in the U.S. he beat her and forced her into the sex trade. “Grooming” a victim can go on for a period of years, explained Constance Rossiter of the YMCA International Services. She says that Maria’s story is a common one.

Victims of sex trafficking may be found in massage parlors, “spas,” brothels, strip clubs and escort services. Victims of labor trafficking may be working as nannies or maids, in factories, on construction sites or doing farm work.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,

“Human trafficking inflicts physical and psychological damage, including ‘traumatic bonding,’ which is ‘a form of

coercive control in which the perpetrator instills in the victim fear as well as gratitude for being allowed to live.’”

Domestic victims rarely seek police help because they often do not self-identify as a victim. International victims rarely contact law enforcement because they have been told no one will protect them. They have language barriers, no access to their legal documents, and few if any resources.

“Many [victims] come from cultures where they are subservient to authority in the first place. They often do not confront or reach out for authority figures and the traffickers play on that as well,” Ryan said.

“Even undocumented workers—slaves—have the right, under our constitution, to be protected,” he added.

After being beat up for not meeting her quota, Maria finally sought help

from another woman in the apartment complex where she lived. “It took time for her to realize that no one was going to deport her or throw her in jail. She spoke no English, had no education and was very mistrustful,” Rossiter said. YMCA International Services helped Maria get into an ESL class, arranged housing and helped her get work papers. Even though the road to recovery is long, Maria wept when she received her work documents and thanked her rescuers. “I can now do honorable work,” she said.

According to humantrafficking.org, the U.S. Department of State began to monitor trafficking in 1994, focusing initially on trafficking of women and girls for sexual purposes. Its scope has broadened over the years to include men, women and children for all forms of forced labor, including agriculture, domestic service, construction work, and

Young children are actually sold into sex slavery or forced labor by human traffickers. Photo: Police Times

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sweatshops, as well as trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation.

Antonio was an impoverished boy living on the streets when he was approached by human traffickers in Mexico.1 They promised him lucrative employment at a restaurant in the United States and arranged for his illegal entry into the United States. Upon arrival, Antonio—who speaks only Spanish—is told that he must work 18 hours a day in a taqueria and live in an unfurnished apartment with other boys who work at the restaurant. He is paid far less than minimum wage and his “rent” is deducted from any earnings he does receive. He is not allowed visitors and has no legal papers.

While each story is unique, Alice’s is illustrative2. Alice, a domestic worker from Kenya, came to the United States on a temporary worker visa with her employer in 2002. Once here, her employer took her passport and required her to work 16 hours a day cleaning and cooking and caring for her employer’s child. Alice was paid $50–$120 per month and suffered verbal abuse and threats that she would be

deported if she ventured too far from the household.

For the 800,000 people trafficked globally each year, there are many similar stories. What begins as a dream of work or a loving relationship soon turns into a nightmare. Demand for cheap goods and services or illicit sex propels the lucrative business of human trafficking.

What can you do? Most importantly, be aware; be informed about the existence of modern day slavery. Understand that human trafficking is not the same as human smuggling (when people voluntarily request or hire someone to covertly transport them). Citizen awareness is one of the keys to better enforcement against traffickers and better access to resources for trafficked victims to restore their lives. “The more people know, the more they will feel that things need to change,” Ryan agreed.

“This is a complex problem with complex solutions. It is a very degrading form of human labor and we all can be part of the solution,” said Anne Chandler of the Tahirih Justice Center in Houston.

1Antonio is a fictional name. The story described above is that of the plaintiff in Abrica v. Campestre Corp., No. 04-02723 (N.D. Cal. filed July 7, 2004) and reported in a 2007 study by Jayashri Srikantiah, Associate Professor of Law and Director, Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, Stanford Law School.2See Bernice Yeung, Enslaved in Palo Alto, SF Weekly, Feb. 18, 2004, available at http://www.sfweekly.com/2004-02-18/news/enslaved-in-palo-alto.

Photo: Larisa Lofitskaya


help and resources in Texas Trafficking Information and Referrals (national hotline) 888.373.7888

International victims have the option of calling their embassy and speaking with an attorney in their native tongue.

AuStIN Central Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking, 512.472.9472 (CTCAHT.org)

DAllAS Mosaic Family Services, 214.821.5393 (mosaicservices.org)

El PASO Salvation Army, 915.487.7546

FORt WORth North Texas Anti-Trafficking Task Force, 817.378.1531 (ntcaht.org)

hOuStON YMCA International, Houston Trafficked Persons Assistance Program 713.339.9015 After 5 p.m. 713.339.9783 (cahthouston.org)

hOuStON Rescue and Restore: houstonrr.org for educational and training presentations in your community

SAN ANtONIO South TX Coalition Against Human Trafficking/Slavery, Catholic Charities – 210.242.3134 (ccaosa.org/imm_ref/imm_ref.html)

WACO Heart of Texas – Stop Trafficking of Persons (HOTSTOP) 254.710.4434

WACO Texas Association of Judiciary Interpreters &

Translators 512.789.8260 (tajit.org)

1Antonio is a fictional name. The story described above is that of the plaintiff in Abrica v. Campestre Corp., No. 04-02723 (N.D. Cal. filed July 7, 2004) and reported in a 2007 study by Jayashri Srikantiah, Associate Professor of Law and Director, Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, Stanford Law School.2See Bernice Yeung, Enslaved in Palo Alto, SF Weekly, Feb. 18, 2004, available at http://www.sfweekly.com/2004-02-18/news/enslaved-in-palo-alto.

Speaking at Rice university, luis CdeBaca said, “houston stands out among the cities in the united States as having been on the cutting edge in the fight against human trafficking. And so I’d say less that it’s an issue of responding to the problem here in houston and almost more an issue of taking the houston model and translating it out into other cities.”

CdeBaca, the current administration’s anti-human trafficking

ambassador, lauded Houston’s non-governmental organizations for their cooperation in taking on the traffickers. Noting there are 27 million people currently enslaved, CdeBaca pointed to safe houses like Houston’s Freedom Place and other aftercare organizations that work to counteract the damage done by traffickers.

“Traffickers tend to get their victims by giving them false hope,” CdeBaca said. “We need to be in the

hope business. They need people to walk with them and that’s what we see with the task force model here in Houston, with the safe house with the people who are willing to volunteer their time.”

Ambassador CdeBaca’s office to monitor and combat trafficking in persons was established 12 years ago, instituted by President Bill Clinton, and continued through the current administration.

nGo cooperation is key to Fight with Traffickers

aT a personal level

Talk about these stories Be alert to references to human

trafficking in the news Include human trafficking victims

in your prayers Support Fair Trade Be alert to possible victims in your

community

on a parish level

Invite someone to speak to your interest groups

Raise the matter with local politicians

Support action taken to combat human trafficking

hoW You can Take acTion:

Call 888.3737.888 if you suspect anything

Contact elected officials to let them know this is important to you

Don’t contribute to the demand: don’t buy sex

Be knowledgeable, be aware and educate yourself.

You Can Make a Difference

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human Trafficking

The Episcopal Church recommitted to the fight against human trafficking at its triennial General Convention this past July.

A resolution passed by both the House of Deputies and the House of Bishops encouraged the Church to “recommit to protecting victims of human trafficking, particularly women and children, by continuing to support legislation and action oriented to recovery and reintegration of trafficking victims into society.”

Additionally, the resolution called for the appointment of a point-person for each province to coordinate with the Commission on the Status of Women in order to organize a greater voice on the issue of human trafficking. Previous resolutions to General Convention have called for the condemnation of human trafficking (2003-DO34) and suggested the development of educational material for congregations (2003-D034, 2000-A057).

In 2003, Texas became the first state to criminalize human trafficking, and in 2009, those laws were strengthened. The legislation requires a four-hour training for all new police officers and

gave Harris County the authority to regulate illegitimate massage parlors. In Texas, trafficking of a minor (under 18) is a first-degree felony, and trafficking of an adult is a second-degree felony. There are also provisions in place to protect prostitutes who may be working involuntarily.

On a national level, the first legislation to battle human trafficking passed Congress in 2000. Since that time, the legislation, entitled the “Trafficking and Violence Protection Act” or TPVA, has been reauthorized several times with stronger measures. In September 2012, President Barack Obama issued an executive order aimed at eliminating government contractors that facilitate human trafficking as a form of indentured servitude. The TPVA focuses mainly on international, not domestic, human trafficking.

As of the publication, there are four bills waiting to be passed in Congress that will strengthen the fight against human trafficking. Visit PolarisProject.org to learn more about these bills and how you can help encourage your congressmen to approve them.

Episcopal Church Resolves to Promote Human Trafficking Legislation

©2012 Jon Warren/World Vision Girls rescued from brothels peer through a doorway at a World Vision trauma recovery center in Cambodia.

“one of the girls jumped from a building and died, and i envied her.”


Secretary of State hillary Rodham Clinton made the following remarks at a human trafficking Conference at Yale, April 13, 2012:

“Later this year, we will mark the 150th anniversary of the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, and as we remember the sad history of slavery in the United States and honor those who fought to end it, we must also recommit ourselves to delivering on the promise of freedom. Because around the world today, 27 million people are living in modern slavery, or what we call trafficking in persons.

“That’s why this Administration

has made the effort to combat modern slavery a top priority. Here at home, agencies across government are working together to prosecute traffickers, and to bring needed assistance to survivors. Around the world, we are working with governments to improve their response to this crime, and we are supporting anti-trafficking programs in 37 countries with foreign assistance. Our annual Trafficking in Persons Report is the most comprehensive assessment of what governments are doing to stop this crime.”

The Trafficking in Persons (TIP)

Report is the U.S. Government’s principal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on human trafficking. It is also the world’s most comprehensive resource of governmental anti-human trafficking efforts and reflects the U.S. Government’s commitment to global leadership on this key human rights and law enforcement issue. It represents an updated, global look at the nature and scope of trafficking in persons and the broad range of government actions to confront and eliminate it. It can be found here: state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/

WebSiTeS For more inFormaTion The Polaris Project works on all forms of human trafficking and serves victims of slavery and human trafficking. polarisproject.org

Shared hope is a nonprofit organization that exists to rescue and restore women and children in crisis. They are leaders in a worldwide effort to prevent and eradicate sex trafficking and slavery. sharedhope.org

Department of Justice ojp.usdoj.gov/newsroom/factsheets/ojpfs_humantrafficking.html

houston Rescue and Restore is a nonprofit dedicated to confronting modern-day slavery by educating the public, training professionals and empowering the community. houstonrr.org

Free the Captives is an interdenominational, evangelical anti-human trafficking organization that engages and mobilizes the Christian community. freethecaptiveshouston.com

Exodus Cry is a prayer movement to end slavery and human trafficking. exoduscry.com

Government Issues Annual Trafficking Report

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forTified BY faiTh combaTinG Global TraFFickinG

On September 25, President Obama issued an executive order to strengthen the united States’ zero-tolerance policy against human trafficking, calling it “modern slavery.”

“I do not use that word, ‘slavery,’ lightly,” he said. “It evokes obviously one of the most painful chapters in our nation’s history. But around the world, there’s no denying the awful reality.”

And awful it is.

Human trafficking claims an estimated 27 million victims globally—primarily women and girls, many forced into prostitution. UNICEF reports that each year more than 1.2 million children are entrapped in traffickers’ webs. Staggering figures, but equally so is the roughly $32 billion annually that the trade in human beings generates—making it the fastest-growing criminal enterprise, behind only the sale of drugs and arms.

As a journalist and human rights activist for more than two decades, I’ve reported on abuses from the front lines. Most recently I worked with International Justice Mission (IJM), a faith-based human rights agency combating violent injustice, including sexual exploitation of minors. From India to Italy, Guatemala to Kosovo, Cambodia to the Philippines, I’ve seen that human trafficking is a brutal trade that strips its victims of their freedom, dignity, passports and possessions. But I’ve also seen men and women of goodwill the world over do what they can to stop it, including an international network of Catholic nuns. One of the towering figures is a diminutive nun: Sr. Eugenia Bonetti.

Celebrating 50 years as a Consolata

by Amy Roth Sandrolini

Photo: World Vision Australia

Victims of trafficking are hard to identify.


Missionary sister this year, Sr. Eugenia, 73, embodies the soul of this movement. We met in Rome in 2005, when I was working on the issue with the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See and she was directing the Counter-Trafficking Office of the Italian Union of Major Superiors (USMI).

Sr. Eugenia has devoted her life to supporting other nuns in their oath to stand with those who have been, as she describes, “alienated, and trampled upon.” Since 1995, those have been victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation.

She is admittedly an “accidental” human trafficking veteran, having been rudely awakened to the reality when a victim turned to the crisis center she was staffing in northern Italy one cold, dark night. Over several months, that young woman—and thousands of others like her over the years to come—educated Sr. Eugenia on the brutal reality of pimps and mamasans, clients (aka

“johns”), sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies, forced abortions, violence and even death. She was to learn that they, like so many other young women and girls, were first victims of poverty, illegal

status or some other vulnerability. This made them prey to organized crime or trafficking networks, which then forced them into the underground sex industry.

Given the unique physical, emotional and spiritual toll that human trafficking extracts from its victims, Sr. Eugenia understood a holistic response was needed. She created a network of nuns and their convents, which she transformed into 100-plus safe houses for victims across Italy. The nuns provide safe harbor, clothes and food, as well as pastoral support and vocational training for victims who have left the life. They also face great risk to minister to girls still working the streets, visit those who have been arrested and detained in a temporary detention center, lead public awareness trainings, and enter court rooms with victims testifying against their traffickers. Sr. Eugenia, along with the sisters and lay individuals who collaborate with her, has seen more than 14,000 victims in Italy alone pass through the “holy” doors of this network.

When individuals motivated and fortified by faith take thoughtful action, they can revolutionize the

world. And in addressing the issue of human trafficking, President Obama acknowledged men and women of faith—those like Sr. Eugenia—”who, like the great abolitionists before them, are truly doing the Lord’s work …”

Since the 1960s and 70s, the Episcopal Church has been a leading voice on some of the most pressing issues of our time: opposing the death penalty, supporting the civil rights movement and affirmative action. Yet today, as human trafficking threatens individuals, societies and the moral fabric of humanity the world over, the Episcopal Church has remained relatively silent. Let it not remain so. Let us do more to raise awareness about this great human rights abuse and promote stronger legislation targeting sex traffickers and their networks. And let us do more to support its victims.

Sandrolini is the daughter of an Episcopal priest and served on the Bishop’s Council of Advice with the Convocation of American Churches in Europe. She has reported on modern-day slavery as a journalist and human rights activist. She can be reached at [email protected].

“The effect of trafficking is soul damage. a forced expulsion from your own body.”

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human Trafficking

Photo: World Vision Australia

January 1, 2013 marks the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, the document which students in the u.S. learn “ended” slavery. As Americans celebrate this accomplishment, we also must recognize that it did not, in fact, end slavery. Slavery is alive and well today in our country and around the world. It is in the candy you hand out at halloween, the electronics you buy, the coffee you drink on your way to work, and the tomatoes on your hamburger. It is a sobering reality that we can change, but it requires that we understand what slavery looks like today and our role in causing it.

Modern day slavery is another term for “human trafficking.” This term first appeared around the year 2000, when the federal law, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), was passed. The TVPA states that human trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.” (8 U.S.C. § 1101) This crime is very complex. There is little an untrained civilian can do to intervene directly since rescues must be conducted by law enforcement, and victim services must be provided by trained professionals. This can be frustrating for those of us with a heart for service and passion for justice. We can focus on what we can change—our own choices that fuel this industry.

Labor trafficking accounts for 68 percent of the total victims of modern day slavery. Three out of every 1,000 people in the world today are in forced labor and exploitation.1 These are staggering statistics. It is almost paralyzing to think how large the problem is until you consider the equally staggering statistic that in the U.S., private consumption, or what individuals purchase on a daily basis, accounts for 70 percent of our gross domestic

product.2 If all of that consumption was done thoughtfully and with the freedom of the worker who made, harvested or created the product in mind, the impact on global labor and basic human rights would be enormous. But how do you do that? One of the best strategies is “Fair Trade.”

Fair Trade is a system of exchange that honors producers, communities, consumers and the environment. Fair Trade reduces the risk of trafficking for producers of primary products and assures the consumer that their product was not made with slave labor. Today, Fair Trade works with more than 1.2 million farming families in 70 developing countries. Currently, the Fair Trade network certifies coffee, tea, herbs, cocoa, fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh flowers, sugar, beans and grains, oils and butters, nuts, honey, spices, wine, apparel and handicrafts.

The principles to certify Fair trade include:

• A fair price for products: The guaranteed minimum price attempts to cover the cost of production and a living wage in the local context.

• Investment in people and communities: Fair Trade premiums are invested in development projects that benefit entire communities.

• Environmental sustainability: Harmful chemicals and Genetically Modified Organisms are prohibited.

• Economic empowerment of small-scale producers: Fair Trade encourages a cooperative system where each member owns a portion of the business, has equal say in decisions, and enjoys equal returns from the market.

by Kendra Penry

labor Trafficking and our food supply


• Fair labor conditions including the workers’ right to freedom of association, safe working conditions and the guarantee of no slave or child labor.

So how do you know if the product you are purchasing is “fair?” Fair Trade is recognizable through a system of labels such as:

These symbols are distributed by a neutral third party that verifies all of the qualifications listed above.

Buying locally or any method where you purchase directly from the producer (e.g., at farmers’ markets) is another way to guarantee you are not buying products made by slaves.

But there is more you can do

about trafficking. You can request your faith community, school or work place to switch to Fair Trade coffee. Imagine the impact on the global market if all faith communities in the U.S. used Fair Trade coffee and made a statement not just in words, but in actions to say they will not support the exploitation of human beings. Additionally, you can advocate for change with your legislators. Do you know your legislators’ stance on this issue? You can ask them to stand against slavery and pass the Trafficking Victims’ Protection Reauthorization Act3 or other necessary legislation. The Campaign for Fair Food run by the Coalition for Immokalee Workers (CIW) is another way to make a difference. They are campaigning for

change in the way food is produced here in the U.S. where agricultural labor, especially migrant labor, is still exploited in many of the same ways that we thought were eradicated 150 years ago. CIW leads a vibrant campaign to get grocery stores and restaurants to source their products fairly. You can join their efforts by visiting ciw-online.org.

To stand against modern day slavery, educate yourself and take action where you are able. Everyone has the right to live free, and we can guarantee that right or we can continue to create demand for slave labor. Which will you choose?

Penry is with the Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition.

1ilo.org The ILO states that about 21 million people are in slavery around the world today, more than any time in human history.2blogs.hbr.org/hbr/meyer-kirby Gross domestic product in 2011 was USD15094.00 billion, according to a report published by the World Bank making GDP value of the U.S. roughly equivalent to 24% percent of the world economy (tradingeconomics.com/united-states/gdp).3ijm.org Trafficking Victims’ Protection Reauthorization Act.

Anitha, from Rwanda, was picking tea instead of going to school.

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So, you want to be a model?Often, young girls are unwittingly lured into prostitution with promises of jobs, money, clothing and modeling. Miya is a 19-year-old girl from Arizona who was trafficked after being recruited to “model” while she was working at the mall selling sunglasses.

“They took my picture with a cheap, disposable camera, and they said they’d use high quality cameras and sets in California. When we arrived a few days later, the man showed me my picture on a website for an escort service.

I was forced to work as a prostitute. I didn’t know where I was, so I didn’t try to run away. I was moved constantly. I finally escaped one night. The police caught the man who trafficked me, but he’s only been charged with pimping and pandering—not for what he did to me. The couple I met in the mall approached 30 other girls, but I was the only one who agreed to go.”

This story is paraphrased from an ABC News special on Primetime. Read the entire story at: http://tinyurl.com/9fgv3zp

human Trafficking can happen here

human Trafficking

Girls riding on the escalator at the mall.

“i was afraid that all my dreams would die.”

Photo: D Sharon Pruitt


last December, Shyima hall became an American citizen with a bright future. She has traveled a long road. When she was 10 years old, a decade ago, hall was smuggled into California by an affluent Egyptian couple to work as a maid. She had been sold into slavery by her parents for $30 a month, according to authorities.

For 16 hours a day, she scrubbed the floors, washed and ironed the clothes and cooked before going to the garage to sleep at night. She didn’t speak English, was not allowed to play or attend school, never saw a doctor or a dentist, and was not allowed to leave the house. She was berated, slapped by her “employers” and told never to speak to police.

In 2002, when she was 13, a tip from a neighbor led child welfare authorities to rescue her from the house. She entered the foster care system and was eventually adopted and obtained a green card. She has taken college classes and hopes to become a police officer or immigration agent to help other victims of human trafficking. With her naturalization certificate she said, “Now I can move on with my career and start my life the way I want it.” The 23-year-old has been waiting for this moment for a long time.

After her rescue she confided her experiences to

investigators, learned English and graduated from high school. She’s briefed ICE agents about the emotional and physical trauma victims face. Her captors pled guilty to holding Hall in involuntary servitude and to forced labor and were sent to prison for several years. They were ordered to pay her $76,000 for her work for the family.

From a story on Fox News, December, 2011.

egyptian child used as Domestic

Shyima Hall, 22, moments after becoming a U.S. citizen. She lives in Beaumont and is deciding whether to finish a college degree or apply for the local police force. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times / December 15, 2011)

“i am never able to forget what happened to me. only God could clear it from my mind.”

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SharinG

faiThmaY 16, 2013

According to Children at Risk (childrenatrisk.org), the united States is the number one country in the world for human trafficking. “There are close to half a million runaway girls who run away from home every year. Between 100,000 and 300,000 of these girls will be lured into prostitution by false friendships and false promises,” said Children at Risk President and CEO, Robert Sanborn. “One of the things we know is that no 12-year-old girl wants to be on the streets, no teenage girl wants to be involved in prostitution.” The average age for entry into sexual trafficking is 12 years old here in the united States, he added.

Some girls are beaten and the threat of violence is present, but the girls stay with their pimps for something they have not been given at home—love and affection. Pimps exploit that vulnerability and lack of self esteem.

“Human trafficking is about people in a vulnerable position and the criminal element taking advantage,” said Dr. Angelo P. Giardino, medical director of Texas Children’s Health Plan. “It’s not about bad kids and we should not use that lens [to look at the problem].” In a raid, it may look like the streetwise teens are part of the problem, he explained, but added that there has been a trajectory for them to get to this place.

Domestic human trafficking is larger than the international one, according to Children at Risk. Sex trafficking is the largest form of domestic human trafficking and criminals target vulnerable youth—runaways and homeless children. The average age of entry into prostitution in the United State is between 12 and 14 years old. Labor trafficking is another form of domestic human trafficking and may be found in restaurants, the agricultural industry, traveling carnivals, peddling rings and in traveling sales crews.

Children run away from something, but they don’t run to prostitution, said Pat Fransen, an FBI special agent. When underage girls are picked up in prostitution stings, they rarely self-identify as victims and they are not normally compliant. He explained that when police find underage girls they first have to arrest them for prostitution, then get them the help they need. “Prostitution of American children is the only situation involving child sexual abuse in which you first have to criminalize the child before you can ‘victimize’ them,” Fransen said.

There has been significant progress in the laws in Texas, and organizations are working together against the crime of human trafficking. There is, however, a lot of work to be done, especially in domestic trafficking, said Mandi Kimball, senior public policy analyst for Children at Risk. Initiatives of the group include finding funding for long-term residential care, and improving awareness for law enforcement, CPS and health professionals.

There is a need for widespread facilities to house children, and provide medical, physical and mental treatment as well as educational support to help them get back on track, Fransen said. “That doesn’t exist now so we put them in jail and hope that they get out and see the errors of their ways,” he added.

Placement and treatment is the number one need, Fransen said. There is also a need for greater public awareness “where this is seen as a huge problem and people learn that this is your kids, all walks of life, all races, rich, poor, white, black, hispanic. American kids—everyday on the streets—engaging in sexual acts with strangers 10–15 times a day,” Fransen said.

Ways to identify a victim:

• If a person is not sure of where they are, live or where

they are going

• Has a well-rehearsed story

• Shows signs of abuse or has a branding tattoo

places to find victims:

• Spas

• Adult modeling studios

• Strip clubs

• Residential brothels

• Truck stops

• Streets

Buyers—Johns

• Come from every background and demographic, all ages,

races and classes

• Use many methods to find their victims: Internet,

classifieds, strip clubs

• Major contributors to the worldwide sex trafficking

problem. If there were no demand, there would be no

supply.

Trafficking laws gaining muscleStill More Needs to be Done


epicenter.org/sharingfaith

SharinG

faiThmaY 16, 2013

RUFUS WOODY

Blessed. Grateful. Committed.

I believe with God, ANYTHING is possible.

back is “really important.”

ROBERT “BOBBY” SATCHER, JR.Surgeon. Chemical Engineer. Astronaut

I’ve never seen science and religion as a conflict. Your spiritual self is supposed to be informing your con-

scious self and vice versa.

RUFUS WOODYBlessed. Grateful. Committed.In response to all his blessings, Rufus believes giving back is “really important.”

TONI CHRISTOPHER Caregiver. Texan. Survivor.

Cancer drew me closer to God, and for that, I now

view it as a “gift.” God used it to strengthen my

character and my faith.

CELINA CARTERMother. Pilgrim. Servant.

In my silence and stillness I experience

more fully the presence of God.

Join others on this evening at homes throughout the diocese to tell your story.

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advenT

Advent asks us to reflect more intentionally on Jesus’s future glorious return. I am increasingly convinced that embracing Advent will lead to a life of courageous vulnerability and self-disclosure. When the Lord comes, he “will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.” (1 Corinthians 4:5) In other words, anytime we hide, conceal or refuse to tell the truth, we go against the grain of where all creation is headed. That is why Advent challenges us to be more vulnerable, transparent and self-disclosing.

But this is hard in a world that teaches us to hide. We have so many unhealed wounds and the masks we wear and the lies we tell are our best attempts to cover those wounds.

As a child someone would apply ointment and a bandage when we skinned our knee because we know the value of binding up physical wounds. But emotional and spiritual wounds are different. Our spirits get “cut” early on by nasty words, neglect, rejection, smothering and abuse.

We learn to “soldier on” and medicate those wounds ourselves. We do this by adopting a persona we think will shield us from getting hurt again. We become people-pleasers or cynics or goody two-shoes or rebels or performers or holy rollers or jerks. We become someone other than the naked, authentic, fully exposed, façade-free, fully-alive human that God created us to be. This is why there is no such thing as “spiritual formation,” only spiritual re-formation. We came into the world naked and have

Getting Naked by the Rev. Canon John Newton


clothed ourselves with masks. Unless we change and become like children, we will not enter the Kingdom.

Speaking of Jesus, the author of Hebrews writes: “before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.” (Hebrews 4:13) This means a day will surely come when all masks will fall off, all wounds be exposed and healed, all wrongs be made right and all secrets revealed. That is why Advent is an invitation to a life of courageous vulnerability.

And so “take on” showing more of your scars to others this Advent. When the resurrected Jesus appeared to his disciples, one of the first things

he did was show them his scars. (John 20:20) We who have been raised with Christ in baptism must be in the habit of doing the same. Talk about your mistakes. Laugh at them. Cry about them. But tell the truth about them.

After all, when the Lord returns, he will “heal the broken hearted and bind up their wounds.” (Psalms 147:3) What a tragedy it would be to miss out on that glorious day because we were still committed to deluding ourselves, Jesus and everyone else that we’re really OK and not all that sick or hurting in the first place and that we’ll be “just fine,” thank you very much, soldiering on alone.

Newton is the Canon for Lifelong Christian Formation for the Episcopal

Contact Jamie Martin-Currie for addi-tional resources from the Diocesan Library at [email protected].

Some reSourceS

a Thrill oF hope This 50-minute DVD-based study presents the familiar story of Christmas as told in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. tinyurl.com/d7qpakg

cheer our SpiriTS Francisco Garcia explores the journey through hymns, including songs and stories used during Latino festivals such as Las Posadas and other traditions of the season. tinyurl.com/a9ghfvb

aDvenT WreaTh prayerS The Advent Wreath is a great tradition to implement in all homes, classrooms and organizations during the season. epicenter.org/advent-wreath-prayers

leGo® ciTy aDvenT calenDar Countdown to Christmas the LEGO® way with 24 gifts behind doors to build and create a holiday story with! tinyurl.com/a8vs8l3

Family aDvenT calenDar tinyurl.com/bfusx2n

Photo: Creative Commons

24 | epicenter.org

profile: luminarY

On October 6, 2012, Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori joined current and former Texas bishops to consecrate Jeff Fisher as the new bishop suffragan. He will serve in the eastern region of the diocese and office in Tyler. Carol E. Barnwell, editor of the Diolog, had a few questions for the new bishop:

Consecration in Tyler

ceB: What about the ministry drew you to standing for election for bishop suffragan?

JWf: First, I love the Diocese of Texas and want to serve here. Second, I love Andy Doyle and Dena Harrison and believe that working with them will be creative, challenging and fun. Third, I see the role of bishop suffragan, especially in the eastern region, as a connector with the rest of the diocese. All of these things attracted me, as well as the voices of others asking me to stand for election. I also believe that I can build on the great legacy of Bishop Rayford High, encouraging us to spread the good news of Jesus to everyone who is hungry and thirsty for a world of hope.

ceB: What are your assigned duties as the bishop suffragan in the eastern region of the Diocese of Texas?JWf: In addition to the oversight of congregations here, I serve as the Executive for Pastoral Ministry, which will include developing a web of pastoral care for clergy and their families. I will serve with a variety of ministries, boards and institutions, such as the Episcopal Church

Women, Altar Guild, Daughters of the King, St. James House and St. Vincent’s House. As bishop suffragan, I serve at Bishop Doyle’s direction and will gladly accept whatever duties he assigns to me at various times over the years.

ceB: Will your family join you right away?JWf: No, they will not. Our oldest son, Scott, is a senior at Texas Tech. So he has been away from home for quite a while now. Our youngest son, John, is a senior at Midway High in Waco and it was very important to our family that he be able to graduate from there and not move. My wife, Susan, is in her 30th (and final) year of teaching in Waco and will retire in May. Susan and John have an apartment in Waco just for this one year. Susan does plan on being with me on a good number of visitations this year on the weekends, which will be a good time for us to reunite and to get to know the diocese as a couple.

ceB: How involved is your family in your ministry? Can you give us an example?

JWf: Our sons are just about all out of the nest, so they

Photos: Carol E. Barnwell

The Rt. Rev. Jeff Wright Fisher, Susan and sons John and Scott.


are no longer that involved in my ministry. Susan has always approached her role as a clergy spouse in a healthy way. She has been involved in ministries she wants to; she says “no” to those she doesn’t. She makes her own decisions and I think that the people in the parishes I have served have respected her for that. Susan’s greatest gift is the gift of hospitality and she loves entertaining in our home. She enjoys cooking and makes everyone feel comfortable. I hope that many in the eastern region of the diocese will experience her gift of hospitality over the years.

ceB: You said Susan was very supportive of your decision to stand for election. How did you two meet? Where was your first date?

JWf: We met on the patio at Camp Allen! Back then, we were both going to St. John the Divine in Houston, but that parish is so large that we had never met each other. The Young Singles Group at the church had a retreat at Camp Allen and we met there. That night, we stayed on that patio talking until 1 a.m. It took me a while to realize that she was “the one” so we did not have our first date until a year later, at Nino’s Italian restaurant in Houston. We were engaged just three months later. Once I figured out that she was the one, I didn’t waste any time.

ceB: What do you consider to be your spiritual gifts?

JWf: Preaching, encouraging and mentoring, energy and enthusiasm, creativity in imagining new ways in the faith.

ceB: How are these particularly matched with your new position and its demands?

JWf: The mix of my spiritual gifts can be useful for my new position. A

bishop, however, is not just a bundle of gifts and skills. A bishop is a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit, empowered to be an agent of love and forgiveness. Bishop Doyle spoke most effectively about this in his sermon at my consecration. I believe that God called me to be a bishop—filled with the Holy Spirit, warts and all—and the person that I am today will not be the same as the bishop I will be tomorrow. God has always given me the gifts to do the ministry I am called to do. I am trusting that the same will continue to be true.

ceB: What do you want to do first?

JWf: Make relationships. I have so many people to meet and get to know. I want to hear story after story from people in this diocese, from the folks on the diocesan staff, from congregations, from the myriad institutions and ministries in this diocese. I want to make relationships by being a story-receiver.

ceB: What do you most look forward to?

JWf: Visitations to parishes and missions. As my initial visitation schedule has come together in the last few months, I have been excited to watch the amazing diversity of congregations in our diocese filling my calendar. I will visit congregations all over the diocese, not just in the eastern region. When I was a parish priest, the congregation and I always viewed the bishop’s visit as a time of great celebration and worship. Now I get to be a part of a great celebration every Sunday.

ceB: At the end of the day, how will you know if you have been successful?

JWf: If I have made a difference. If I help a clergy person to find their smile in the midst of a rough situation. If I assist a parish or mission to see things

in a new way, if I am a small part of a confirmand’s increasing journey of faith, if I listen so that someone knows that they are heard, then I will know that I am making a difference as a bishop—and that will bring me a lot of satisfaction.

ceB: What is something that most people don’t know about you?

JWf: I snore terribly. I don’t know how Susan has stood it for 23 years. I think that I have run off every single roommate I have ever had at clergy conference. Maybe that’s why I am a bishop—now I will have a private room!

ceB: What do you do on your time away from “work?”

JWf: I know that I am very energetic at work, but I am actually pretty good at doing a bunch of nothing at home. Susan and I like to linger over a good dinner and a glass of wine, chatting the night away (which is actually what we did when we first met). We have our TV shows that we do not miss and watch together: Survivor, Modern Family, Mad Men. I am a much bigger fan of Mad Men than she is. I like to work out with free weights. I took up golf with my son, John, about three years ago. I am not that great (doesn’t every golfer say that?) but enjoy playing.

ceB: Some quick responses … Favorite food: Pie. I am not that into cake. But I love pie, especially chocolate and pumpkin. I even asked for a pumpkin pie in lieu of a birthday cake last year.

Favorite song or entertainer: I am a product of the 1980s. So anything by The Cars, ELO or Journey makes me smile and remember.

Favorite book: The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen

Favorite movie: “The Mission”

26 | epicenter.org

profile: The arTs

60 Years of Amazing GraceBeverly hilburn was reared in Jacksonville, just 30 miles from tyler, where she has touched many through her music, as a teacher and at worship. She has played the organ and piano at St. John’s Episcopal Church since 1952—that’s a lot of hymns! hilburn, 84, has been making music since she was a child, encouraged by her parents. As an adult, she taught music and choir in the East texas public school system.

“I was 11 when my sister and I had our first piano lesson,” she remembered.

“We’d bang out all the church songs we could remember without knowing what we were doing, and my mother thought we ought to learn how to play.”

Those piano lessons paid off. When Hilburn attended Wiley College, she was able to teach piano each afternoon to pay her tuition—$25 a quarter.

“We were very, very poor and we didn’t even have that,” she said. Hilburn studied, taught and then practiced each day to graduate magna cum laude. She later received a master’s in music from Southern Methodist University.

“I married in 1950 to a handsome young man who came to Wylie. All the men had came back from service and [they] filled the campus. The girls were lookin’ and runnin’!” Hilburn laughed.

When she and her husband moved to Tyler two years later, the Rev. John D. Epps, Sr. invited the young family to move into half of a duplex on the grounds of St. John’s. Epps, who served as vicar of St. John’s for 20 years, was a friend of Hilburn’s family and she remembered attending

“bible camp” at St. John’s during her summer vacations.

Raised a Methodist, Hilburn joined the Episcopal Church shortly after moving to Tyler. “They asked me if I could play the organ and I said yes. We had a big old pipe organ then,” she said.

Following college Hilburn had a long and esteemed career teaching both music and choir. She began as an

Beverly Hilburn

by Carol E. Barnwell

Photo: Luke Blount


amazing grace aT sT. John

Watch an interview and Beverly playing her favorite hymn at tinyurl.com/BeverlyH.

itinerant music teacher in the Bullard community and taught first through twelfth grade in five schools before moving on to schools in Tyler. “It was an experience out of this world,” she said. “I did not know anything when I started—not even where to order music!” she laughed.

She taught during integration, helping to usher in a new era in the public schools. “It was unfortunate that in the school where I taught, we had the rich white kids and the poorest black kids instead of the black kids from

my old neighborhood. Their parents went to college and were involved in PTA and with their children,” she said of the extra stress that arose from the economic diversity in the school where she taught.

But she knew music would help the transition. “I didn’t find it too difficult because children love music,” she said. “I had to change the way I taught. White boys in the 7th–9th grade, their voices do not change like black boys. Those sweet little boys were still singing alto. Black kids were

singing tenor and bass by the 8th grade,” she explained. “The white kids wanted to sing country songs so we did all kinds of music. I introduced them to the music of the African-American people. They got to love it and loved to sing it.“

“Beverly has provided inspiration through music and modeled dedication and commitment,” said the Rev. M. L. Agnew, vicar of St. John’s. “Thanks be to God for Beverly who simply lives into the biblical invitation, ‘Here, I am use me.’”

60 Years of Amazing Grace

28 | epicenter.org

profile: advocacY

freedom place is refuge for Domestic victims

hope resides just outside houston for American girls who have been victims of sex traffickers. There is no sign that marks Freedom Place, a two-story lodge surrounded by 110 acres of woods. The privately run safe house is able to offer long-term housing, counseling, schooling and recreation for up to 30 young girls and is one of only a few such facilities in the state.

Freedom Place provides an alternative to juvenile detention, and a new solution for officials as they try to support young victims. There are a number of programs for international victims but few for domestic victims.

Efforts shifted in 2010 when the Texas Supreme Court ruled that domestic minors younger than 14 involved in prostitution be considered victims, not criminals. But there was no established response to provide necessary services without criminalization.

That same year, 2010, Nikki Richnow, a member of St. John the Divine, Houston, traveled to Bangkok with a group of women to learn about human trafficking and returned home determined to make a difference. “It took me 15 minutes on the Internet to see Houston was a hub for human trafficking,” she said.

“There are 6,000 runaways on the streets of Houston.

One in three children is prostituted within 48 hours of being on the streets and 90 percent of them were abused in their homes, so they are running away from something,” Richnow explained.

She met Mark Tenant, CEO of Arrow Child and Family Ministries, the largest foster care group in the country, at a luncheon and found a kindred spirit. The two were soon making plans to renovate and redecorate an Arrow facility as a safe house, and Richnow went to work raising additional funds for services that would be needed.

For security reasons, the property’s location is never disclosed. Besides a very homey lodge with living and gathering areas, the property has an additional educational center, a ropes course, pool and lake as well as horses that will be used for equine therapy. Each bedroom includes two twin beds and is decorated in pale greens and lavender.

“Costs have prohibited many people from doing something before this,” Richnow explained. “It costs about $240 a day per girl for 24-hour oversight, education, counseling, and to comply with all the regulations.” But Richnow was not deterred.

Hewlett Packard donated $30,000 worth of computers and set up the networked educational system. Every can of


paint was donated and the kitchen was set up and stocked by Taste of Texas. The rooms were decorated entirely through a gift registry at a local bedding store.

Freedom House had girls waiting to move in when it was completed in June. Two of the first four had been coerced into prostitution over the Internet. Two others were in juvenile detention for lack of anywhere else to go.

The girls need constant monitoring because they are often so distrustful or manipulated by their traffickers. According to a story in the New York Times, “Many of the young victims who are not charged with prostitution must be charged with related crimes like drug possession or truancy to ensure that they are not released back onto the street.”

Freedom Place provides a template for others to follow, Richnow believes. “I have no idea how many beds are needed,” she said, but she knows there are not nearly enough.

Most girls who come to Freedom Place will stay between 9–18 months. The home has a $1.8 million budget for its first year, funded primarily from private donations and grants.

“We need to have a place to bring girls that isn’t a place where they are considered offenders but they are victims,” said Robert Sanborn, president and chief executive of Children at Risk, another nonprofit group seeking to help victims.

Human trafficking is a complicated problem with many moving parts that include ties to drug traffickers. Some groups provide training for the public, others establish safe houses, still others educate law enforcement or go after the johns and pimps.

“Everyone is chipping away at different areas and this one is ours,” Richnow said, looking out over the freshly planted flowers in the garden surrounding Freedom House.

“There’s still a lot to be done.”

To learn more, visit arrow.org.

Photo: LaShane K . Eaglin

30 | epicenter.org

profile: congregaTion

chriST church,

nacoGDocheSby Luke Blount


Being an Episcopalian in Nacogdoches can sometimes feel isolated. With no other Episcopal churches within 30 miles of Christ Episcopal Church, the sense of a larger community is sometimes hard to grasp.

In August of 2011, the church hired the Rev. Howard Castleberry as its new rector, and he quickly realized that as the only church in a large area, they served a wide range of parishioners. Each Sunday, the church has a service using the 1928 prayer book, followed by a service using Rite I. There is also a Rite II service on Wednesdays and the possibility of starting a contemporary evening service as well. They also host a Canterbury House for Stephen F. Austin University.

“Never before have I seen such a wide range of people at a congregation,” Castleberry said. “But they all love their worship and their church. They have a very high can-do attitude. People step up into the gap.”

Castleberry seized on this unifying spirit and began to challenge the congregation to reach out, not just across the street or across town, but across the globe.

First, Castleberry revamped the church’s website (cc-nac.org) to welcome people from Nacogdoches and elsewhere. And then, the church began to focus on the international body of Christ.

“It has been fast and fun and filled with the Holy Spirit,” Castleberry said.

As a former photographer for the Houston Chronicle, Castleberry covered the civil war in Somalia in the 1990s and was nominated for a Pulitzer. But the experience changed his life in a completely different way, leading him eventually to the priesthood.

Backed by his own compelling story and knowledge of Africa, Castleberry immediately began plans for a mission trip to Kenya upon his arrival at Christ Church. And then he cobbled together an impressive lineup for the church’s Lenten series featuring the Archbishop of Tanzania and the Rev. Johannes George of Christ the King, Alief, who told his story of survival in Sierra Leone.

Archbishop Valentino Mokiwa of Tanzania told Christ Church that his country needed water, and within a few weeks, the congregation raised $40,000. They bought a

drilling rig for water wells, trained a Tanzanian to operate it, and sent it to Tanzania to drill water wells across the country.

In the midst of this global awakening in Nacogdoches, some people approached Castleberry to ask why they were doing mission work across the world instead helping people in Nacogdoches.

“When you come back to Nacogdoches, you will want to do even more,” Castleberry explained. “When you pack your bags, you are thinking about how you are going to help these people. In reality, the person who is really helped is you because your heart is changed.”

And the Nacogdoches community as a whole has responded. While in Kenya, Castleberry created videos that he posted online. He recalled stories of church members being stopped at the grocery by friends who had seen the videos or heard about them. And when the church purchased the drilling rig, Castleberry parked it in front of the church, hoping to raise more funds from the community. People from all walks of life stopped to ask questions and donate money.

Adding to the international flavor of Christ Church, Mano Rumalshah (the former Bishop of Peshawar, Pakistan) acted as supply priest for a month when Castleberry was on the mission trip to Kenya.

“Our church was very hospitable to him. We took care of him, and he took care of us,” said deacon Wanda Cuniff.

“He became a part of our community. He just ministered to us in a really beautiful way. I’ll never forget him.”

Somehow, a church in Nacogdoches, Texas, has suddenly become a center of global mission work and international spiritual diplomacy.

“Who would have thought? Not me,” said Cuniff, a Christ Church member for 25 years. “God has surprises. There is every reason to think we are entering a period of renewal and growth.”

It is still about a half an hour drive to reach the nearest Episcopal church from Nacogdoches, but with connections in Kenya, Tanzania, and Pakistan the isolation now seems trivial.

Photo: The Rev. Howard Castleberry

Challenge Leads to Deeper Sense of Mission

32 | epicenter.org

by George DehanIt is wonderful to hear stories from families who have been able to “unplug” at Camp Allen, even for a little while. A walk in the woods without cell phones, iPods or gaming devices: priceless. This kind of opportunity can create lasting memories for parents and kids alike, but be careful, outings to our diocesan camp can become habit-forming.

Camp Allen has added a number of ways you can experience the camp as a family or with guests. Last year more than 52,000 people visited Camp Allen in addition to nearly 2000 summer campers. Sometimes people who attend a seminar don’t realize they can take advantage of a number of activities to enjoy 1100 acres of piney woods and rolling hills. It’s possible to plan a family or private event or sign up for one of many retreats that Camp Allen offers.

There are six fully furnished log cabins facing Lake Coffield, suitable for a family gathering or small retreat. The three- and five- bedroom cabins have wood-burning fireplaces and sleep 10–14 people. All come with linens, a fully equipped kitchen, long back porches and plenty of rocking chairs from which to enjoy the sunset. Hike one of the many marked trails or take a paddleboat out on the 70-acre lake. If you don’t want to cook for yourself, you may also make a reservation at the main dining room at the conference center two miles away. Horseback riding, skeet shooting, archery, the giant swing challenge, and canoeing are also available.

“Some families come every year and Camp Allen is their children’s favorite vacation spot,” stated Toni Christopher, Marketing Director.

Another way to enjoy Camp Allen is by attending one of the many programs hosted by the dedicated staff. The two largest and most popular events are: Holiday in the Pines, the second weekend in December; and Labor Day Family Camp,

on Labor Day weekend. Guests can select from a wide variety of preplanned activities suited for children and adults, both outdoor and indoor. Holiday in the Pines features blown snow on the front lawn for snowball fights and building snowmen, lots of holiday crafts and indoor games. Hayrides and petting zoos are also favorite activities. For older children, there is a climbing wall and a night zip line. Because these events sell out regularly, reservations 90 days in advance are recommended.

Camp Allen welcomed more than 1800 rising third graders through high school campers for a week’s session of camp this summer, our 90th year! The camper’s experience impacts the whole family, with each child making new friends and having experiences that are not available in the city. Parents see their new world and renewed faith when they pick their kids up on Saturday mornings. So much so, that parents requested a camp for adults. Summer Camp for Moms is a weekend of adventure, creativity and relaxation for moms; and Gramps Camp, an overnight adventure-filled stay for grandparents and their grandchildren, features campfires, canoeing, stargazing and more.

A fly-fishing weekend with instructors, a C. S. Lewis retreat designed by the C. S. Lewis Foundation, and a Birds and Blooms retreat with guided nature walks are among many other events held annually at Camp Allen.

For those who just can’t stand it, wifi is available and the cobbler is always superb. Bring your family to Camp Allen and awaken your spirit in the piney woods. For additional information, to plan your family holiday or next business retreat, call 936.825.7175 or visit campallen.org for a calendar of upcoming events.

camp allenUnpLUggED


No video games here; families renew their spirits

Photo: Lauren Day

34 | epicenter.org

calendar & people

Boxing daY WiTh The BishopJoin Bishop Doyle at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck for a Jazz Mass on December 26, at 11 a.m. benefitting Lord of the Streets outreach to Houston’s homeless.

council coming To housTonThe 164th Diocesan Council will take place in Houston at the Westin Galleria, February 8–9, 2013. Visit epicenter.org/council13 to learn more.

episcopal nighT housTon rockeTsWatch the Houston Rockets take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on February 20 at the Toyota Center in Houston. Visit epicenter.org/cal for more information.

college reTreaTThis year’s college retreat, from February 1–3, is open to all college or college-aged students across Texas. The weekend includes a crawfish boil, big group discussions, breakout time and worship.

SharinG faiThStart planning for another Sharing Faith night on May 16 as Episcopalians gather for dinner conversations across the diocese. Visit epicenter.org/sharingfaith to learn more.

The conferenceThe Conference, May 3–4 combines several conferences into one: formation, evangelism and stewardship. Plan to attend and bring a ministry team.

To view calendar go to epicenter.org/cal

The Rev. les Carpenter is now the vicar of St. Aidan’s, Cypress. He was previously the associate at St. Paul’s, Indianapolis.

The Rev. Sean Cox is now rector of Faith Episcopal Church in Cameron Park, CA. He was previously at St. Andrew’s, Bryan.

The Rev. James Derkits is now vicar of Trinity by the Sea, Port Aransas, in the Diocese of West Texas. He was previously at St. Mark’s, Houston.

The Rev. Dick Elwood is now the assisting clergy at St. Francis, Houston. He was previously retired.

The Rev. Ken Fields is now the interim rector of St. Thomas Church & School, Houston. He was previously briefly retired.

The Rev. John “trey” Garland III is now rector of Grace, Georgetown. He was previously the rector of St. Andrew’s in Greenville, SC.

The Rev. R-J (Rutger-Jan) S. heijmen is now the assistant rector at St. Martin’s, Houston.

Bishop Rayford high, recently retired suffragan of the Diocese of Texas, was confirmed by the Diocese of Fort Worth as provisional bishop.

The Rev. Scott lee was ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests on September 8.

Paulette W. Magnuson, Iona School student, was appointed the pastoral leader intern at St. Martin’s, Copperas Cove.

The Rev. Bertie Pearson is now the vicar of San Francisco de Asis, Austin. He was formerly in the Diocese of California.

The Rev. lisa Saunders served as interim vicar at St. Aidan’s, Cypress for six weeks in October and November. She previously served at St. John’s Lafayette Square, Washington, D. C.

The Rev. Brad Sullivan is now rector of St. Mark’s, Bay City. He was previously the assistant at Emmanuel, Houston.

The Rev. Matt Wise, associate at Reconciliation, San Antonio, is the new missioner at Texas A&M University. The Rev. Sandi Mizirl began a sabbatical on November 1.

The Rev. Aaron Zimmerman is now dean of the W. Harris Convocation.

Deaths Bishop Andy Doyle’s father, Charles Franklin Doyle, passed away

October 27 in Houston.

JoAnne Doyle’s father, Fred J. Pearson, passed away October 1 in Houston.

The Rev. Theodore heers, retired, passed away August 8 in Waco.

The Rev. Mike Keppler passed away November 1 in Smithville.

Please keep these families in your prayers.

Calendar of Events People


episcopal nighT

feBruarY 20, 2013

vs. okc @ 7 p.m.

Special Pricing

Lower Level, Corner: $76

Lower Level, Endzone : $50

Upper Level, Sidelines : $28

Upper Level, Endzone : $18

Order Your Tickets

rockets.com/tickets

Click on Enter Your Promotion Code Here.

Code: episcopal

Bring your family and friends to watch James harden and the houston rockets take on kevin durant and the

oklahoma city Thunder!

All tickets subject to availability and price changes

For a group price map, log onto www.rockets.com Click on Tickets/Group Tickets/Group Information

Group Prices only available through the Houston Rockets Group Sales office

Tickets ordered less than 10 business days before game will be held in Will Call

For large groups or questions please contact Jeff Leiber at 713.758.7573 or email [email protected].

The Episcopal Diocese of Texas1225 Texas StreetHouston, TX 77002-3504

“The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, who look forward to something greater to come. For these, it is enough to wait in humble fear until the Holy One himself comes down to us, God in the child in the manger. God comes. The Lord Jesus comes. Christmas comes. Christians rejoice!”

—Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Bishop Andy Doyle will lead a book study of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Christmas

Sermons during Advent this year. The reflections will be podcast and the Bishop

encourages questions on each portion of the book during the week preceding his

recording. The podcasts will be available at: http://tinyurl.com/8ko4ql6

Beginning the first Sunday in Advent, December 2, 2012, the Bishop will post a podcast with his reflections on the first 40 pages of

Christmas Sermons; December 9, pages 41–81; December 16, pages 82–143 and December 23, pages 144–181.

Executed by the Nazis for his complicity in a plot to assassinate Hitler, Bonhoeffer was a prolific writer. Christmas Sermons spans his 17

years as a preacher searching out the power and mystery of the Christmas season. The book is available at your local bookstores or through amazon.com. Send your questions to bishop Doyle at [email protected] or send him a tweet @texasbishop.

Book studyAdvent

Documents

The December 2012 issue of "Diolog" magazine