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Saturday March 30, 2019

9:30 AM – 3:30 PM

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church

6401 Wornall Terrace

Kansas City, Missouri 64113

Registration Not Required

Lunch Provided

Human Trafficking | Modern Slavery | Sexual Abuse

Program

9:30 AM	Registration
10:00 AM	Introductions – Mike McDonnell
10:05 AM	Brotherhood of Saint Andrew – Jeff Butcher. A brief introduction of the work of the Brotherhood in areas of social justice.
10:25 AM	Slavery, the Bible, and Gritty Evangelism – The Rev. Dr. Benjamin Thomas. Slavery is seen all over the Bible, and the Bible has been used (wrongly) to defend this practice. Learn how a biblical theology of humanity stands against any practice of slavery, including human trafficking, and why fighting human trafficking should be viewed as an act of “gritty evangelism.”
11:25 AM	Break
11:30 AM	Hiding in Plain Sight – Greg Holtmeyer. One in six males are sexually abused by the time they are eighteen. That means approximately twenty-five million males have been sexually abused in this country alone. There is no religion, education level, socioeconomic level that is immune from sexual predators. Greg will share his personal story of childhood sexual abuse, discuss the short term and long term effects of the sexual abuse of males including physical, emotional, and provide some brain research, provide resources for health care providers, survivors, and friends/family members.
12:50 PM	Lunch (provided)
1:00 PM	Lunchtime Speaker – Christine McDonald. Christine will discuss her experience of being trafficked for 20 years.
1:45 PM	Sex Trafficking – Benjamin Nolot. This session will examine the social and cultural underpinnings of sex trafficking as well as what can be done to abolish commercial sexual exploitation as a whole.
3:00 PM	Close

Speakers

The Rev. Dr. Benjamin Thomas, Director of Church Relations for the Saint Francis Foundation

Prior to joining Saint Francis, Fr. Benjamin served as Dean of Christ Cathedral (2010-2016) in Salina, Kansas and Assistant Rector at Grace Church in New York City (2008-2010). In addition to his work at Saint Francis, he teaches courses for the Bishop Kemper School of Ministry — a collaborative initiative to train bi-vocational clergy and lay persons to serve the Dioceses of Kansas, Nebraska, West Missouri, and Western Kansas. Fr. Thomas and his wife Holly have four children and are negotiating about a dog.

Greg Holtmeyer, Executive Director of The Phoenix Project

Greg Holtmeyer is an educator, advocate, and survivor. His passion is to create awareness concerning the devastating effects of childhood sexual abuse of males. Greg created The Phoenix Project to offer hope, education, support, and inspiration for those who are on their healing journey from sexual and physical abuse. Greg is currently a member of two state level tasks forces, appointed by the governor. He gives voice and attention to the many male victims of sexual crimes who are waiting for support and understanding.

Christine C. McDonald, Trafficking Survivor and victim advocate

Christine C. McDonald survived two decades of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation (17 years of which were in the Kansas City area), 103 arrests, and 7 prison terms. After nearly taking a life at gun point, Christine knew that if she did not find a way out she would become the very evil she had experienced over the years. Attempting to do so took her on a journey that, although different, would be equally challenging. Christine was left totally blind after choosing the life of her unborn child over medication that would have saved her eye sight but ultimately taken the life of her child. Eternally vigilant, Christine uses her life experiences as a tool to break stigmas, and construct conversations for change. Christine is the author of “Cry Purple” A glimpse into her journey of life. Her second book “Same Kind of Human” was written to help professionals and people of faith understand the complexities behind exploitation. The book provides the tools enabling them to engage individuals who have experienced exploitation. Christine’s latest exciting venture is a movie of her book “Cry Purple” to be filmed in Kansas city Missouri later this year by River productions in partnership with the “I will rise project” as they plan to humanize the homeless, the addicted, and the prostituted in cities across America. Christine is on the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Task Force, and serves on the Supreme Court Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Commission. She has been featured on PBS, CBS, NPR, NBC, The Wall Street Journal, and other media outlets.

Benjamin Nolot, CEO and Founder of Exodus Cry

Following in the footsteps of his hero, William Wilberforce, Benjamin fights to end modern-day slavery. He campaigns to shift cultural mindsets and laws that would abolish human trafficking and the commercial sex industry, thus setting people free. Benjamin has created two films, the award-winning Nefarious: Merchant of the Souls and the soon-to-be-released Liberated: The New Sexual Revolution. He has been a featured speaker at the United Nations and a columnist in a plethora of online and traditional media. He also hosts a podcast at ExodusCry.com. Benjamin is driven by a core conviction that every person should be free. He resides in Kansas City with his wife Lauren and their three children.