The Salvation Army Chatham

It is always good to be able to report on the activities of members of our Corps when thay are away from home. We have received the following information from Mark Scoulding who is currently studying at Durham University.

Mark Scoulding

Mark tells us about an initiative which will come to fruition this coming week-end in which he has played a vital role, that of Events Co-ordinator.

He says:

The weekend really has blossomed! God has blessed it. It has gone city wide and will be featured in the local newspapers and radio. The Durham MP (Roberta Blackman-Woods) will be attending too. Many different organisations are involved: from Durham City Fairtrade Partnership to my college’s Social Committee and Churches Together. Over 500 people have been invited on facebook alone. David Brand from International Development is our guest speaker (he graduated from my college in 2004 – the coincidence is amazing – God works in mysterious ways!)

Mark also sent us some of the advertising material which is displayed below (and above).

The following is an extract from the invitation letter encouraging people to be involved.

Human trafficking is modern day slavery. It is estimated that every minute of every day another man or woman or child is trafficked across a border into a life of exploitation. Human trafficking is the fastest growing type of international crime. Something has to be done.

From Friday 25th to Sunday 27th January 2008, students and staff across Durham University plan to run a weekend of anti-human trafficking events for the university and resident communities within the Durham area. We aim to *Raise Awareness, *Raise Funds and *Raise Our Voices. We have a fantastic opportunity! This single weekend of events will awaken our small community to a world-wide problem and may go on to have an international impact.

The weekend has been inspired by The Salvation Army’s international campaign to end human trafficking and borrows their aims. The Salvation Army is a Christian church, respected for its social work across the globe, and is a member of the ‘STOP THE TRAFFIK’ coalition. The events are intended to reach every person in the community regardless of background or belief. We will deal with challenging global issues in a fun and relaxed way. We hope to inform and unite the whole community in the fight against the trafficking of people. All funds raised will be donated to The Salvation Army’s International Development department and STOP THE TRAFFIK.

Chatham Corps wishes to lend its support to this initiative and to pray for the whole project, especially for Mark, as events unfold. We would also pray for our friends at Sherburn Hill Corps as they host some of the activity and ask that God will give them the ability to grasp the opportunities that will undoubtedly arise. We would ask interested readers to do the same and to let Mark know that you are praying for him. You may send any comments directly through this website or use our ‘contact us‘ page. All emails will be forwarded immediately to Mark.

We look forward to bringing you a report on the event next week. Hopefully Mark will send us some pictures.