Moving Forward in Hope Through Community Partnerships

Written by: Erin McClelland, SFM Leader of Set Free Genesee

Throughout the Set Free Movement’s onboarding process for new leaders, the word “community” has been a focal point of our discussions. SFM Director, Kevin Austin, reminds us that community involvement is essential to carry out the mission and vision of the Set Free Movement. It takes community collaborations and essential partnerships to defeat the enemy and combat human trafficking. The Set Free Genesee team in Genesee County, Michigan focuses on community collaboration. The most difficult part of creating a Set Free team is deciding what to do to engage and serve the community. It is easy to get pulled into many different directions and team members may have their own ideas of what the group should be accomplishing. After prayer and many discussions, our group chose to focus on establishing community relationships and helping those who are reaching the most vulnerable to human trafficking with a primary focus on faith-based organizations. Set Free Genesee raises funds, provides for basic needs, creates care packages, and makes food to give to those who are most at risk in Genesee County, primarily the inner city of Flint. We’ve learned that many of the women we serve are being trafficked on the streets of Flint in exchange for drugs. We hope that what we have to offer provides the women with warmth and comfort knowing that they are loved and cared about. The work we do with our partners centers around our faith and knowing this is what Jesus would want us to do. Set Free Genesee has shined His light through generous offerings, facilitating educational seminars for the community and youth, bible studies focusing on human trafficking, fellowship, and prayer. The pandemic may have halted our physical efforts but our hearts never stopped caring. Moving forward we hope to increase our community partnerships and assist our partners where we can. We know Jesus has plans for us and our work is not finished.