Anti-Slavery Week at Acadia

Today's student guest post is by Pelham Flowerdew. He is in his third year at Acadia University. Pelham is the president of Acadia Christian Fellowship.

Hello Div College and beyond!

Those of you who are current students may have seen me around the building every once in a while, and if not, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Pelham Flowerdew, and I’m in my 3rd year pursuing  two degrees – Chemistry and Theology.

I have the privilege of letting you know that this week is a significant one here at Acadia. Anti-Slavery Week, organised by Acadia Christian

Fellowship, kicked off this Monday with the goal of raising awareness of the issue of human trafficking and gathering funds to fight back.

Estimates for the number of slaves alive today range from 27-30 million (around 1 in every 250 people). Currently, the Human Trafficking Industry is THE largest growing criminal activity in the world. Last year, the sex industry made over $32 billion, which is more than Google, Nike and Starbucks combined. Innocent children, men, and women are sold into slavery and forced to perform sexual services, unbearable manual labor, and made into child soldiers where they are often forced to murder their own families. More than 2 million children are exploited for sex every year. Women and children are shipped into ports all around the world, even Halifax, and many of us are completely unaware of this reality.

But we serve a God who is aware. He adores people and loathes slavery. We follow a Saviour who proclaimed “He has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.” As his hands and feet at Acadia, we are called to play an active role in the abolition of this horrible practice, and bring God’s Kingdom here.

The most important thing we can do is pray.

On Monday, 30 people around the country signed up to pray for a portion of the day, crying out to God for the sake of His children, and asking him to allow us to burn with compassion for the victims around the world.

This Tuesday, two interactive art stations were set up on campus to get students creatively engaged, informed, and dreaming of freedom.

Wednesday night, all are invited to a “Coffee House for Change” in the KCIC Garden Room from 7:30-10. Free snacks and drinks provided, but donations are asked for to fight for those without a voice.

On Thursday night, join us in the KCIC Auditorium from 7-10 for a screening of the documentary “Nefarious: Merchant of Souls”, which shed light on the sex trafficking industry from a Christian perspective. This will be followed by stories of hope from an expert abolitionist.

Friday afternoon, however, is where the whole week comes to a climax. From 12-5, a full-sized shipping crate will be sitting outside the Div College, and we are currently looking for 30-60 volunteers (we only have 10 so far) to sit in the crate for 5 hours, getting a small taste of what thousands of women and children face as they are shipped around the world like objects. The event will be live-streamed around the world, and online donations will be collected. As the money comes in, people in the crate will be “freed” one by one.

For more information on the week and how to donate, check out our site:

http://wallace092695.wix.com/anti-slaveryweek

In Christ, Pelham