Human trafficking awareness: People being bought, sold
By Becca Nelson Sankey, San Angelo Standard Times
Posted March 28, 2011
SAN ANGELO, Texas — If knowledge is power, San Angelo could be on its way to having an educated army to battle human trafficking.About 75 people attended a seminar on human trafficking at First Baptist Church on Sunday evening. More than 60 people attended a four-hour training session the following morning, and about 30 law enforcement preregistered for the afternoon workshop.
Charlotte Bumbulis of Good News Goods — Texas Baptist Fair Trade Initiative in Austin educated consumers about how to combat forced labor with everyday purchases. Tomi Lee “T.L.” Grover of TraffickStop, headquartered in Dallas, discussed the growing global issue of human trafficking.
According to information provided at the Monday training session, human trafficking — dubbed modern-day slavery — is the fastest-growing and second-largest criminal industry in the world. Between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked in the U.S. every year, and about 20 percent of those victims have been identified in Texas.
Half of human trafficking victims are children, and 80 percent are female, presenters said. Read more…
Article by John Hall, Texas Baptist Communications
December 17th, 2010
SAN ANTONIO – Texas Baptists are discovering that the perfect Christmas gift can do more than bring a smile to someone’s face; it can change a life.
Several Texas Baptist congregations across the state are holding Good News Goods markets leading up to Christmas, giving people an opportunity to purchase fair trade items that serve as Christmas gifts, but also help people work their way out of poverty.
Good News Goods is the fair trade initiative of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission and brings fair trade products and ministry opportunities to churches and universities all across Texas. Fair trade is a market-based approach that seeks to help people in developing countries earn better wages and lead more financially secure lives. Fair trade products are guaranteed to be made without child or slave labor by producers who treat their workers fairly.
Charlotte Bumbulis, Good News Goods specialist for the CLC, said the ministry is designed to alleviate poverty across the globe by helping create sustainable and dignified employment for the poor. Additionally, the effort helps Christians think about whether their purchasing habits match up to an authentic gospel which emphasizes taking care of “the least of these.” Read more…
Did you know that the Fair Trade movement has Christian roots?
Over 60 years later, Baptists along with many other denominations are continuing to grow this movement by educating, promoting, and supporting Fair Trade within their churches and denominational bodies. Specifically, the two Texas Baptist Fair Trade initiatives are the Christian Life Commission’s Good News Goods and the Women’s Missionary Union’s World Crafts . You can read the full article below.
Fair Trade movement has Christian roots
By Robert Marus, Associated Baptist Press
Published: November 24, 2010
WASHINGTON (ABP)—In 1946, a faithful Mennonite named Edna Ruth Byler took a trip to Puerto Rico and was shocked by the poverty she encountered—and the seeming hopelessness of the artisans who produced goods that could be sold in the United States for much more than the makers received for them. And a movement was born.
Read more
This past Sunday, FBC Abilene hosted their first Good News Goods Fair Trade Market, and what a success it was! So much so, that within the first 30 minutes of the market, all the order forms had disappeared and more needed to be printed off.
It was a unanimous decision by the pastoral leadership and the church volunteers to open the market back up to their congregation and community members next Sunday as well!
Another positive surprise was the article written about the market by the Abilene reporter. You can read more about it at http://www.reporternews.com/news/2010/sep/26/the-real-world-market/
Good News Goods Market Helps Church Members Reconsider
By John Hall, Texas Baptist Communications
Published: December 18, 2009
SUGAR LAND—In the weeks leading up to Christmas, some Texas Baptists have been learning that purchasing with a purpose has the power to pull people out of poverty.
Within the last month, several congregations—Williams Trace Baptist Church in Sugar Land, First Baptist Church in Austin, Willow Meadows Baptist Church in Houston and Second Baptist Church in Lubbock—held fair-trade shopping markets produced by Good News Goods, the fair-trade initiative of the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission.
Read more…
Good News Goods Allows Consumers To Purchase With a Purpose
By John Hall, Texas Baptist Communications
Published: November 12, 2009
BROWNWOOD—Consumers may be buying a bit more than a quick snack when they pick up their favorite chocolate bar. They may be supporting modern slavery, fair trade advocates insist.
By purchasing items from particular companies and product supply chains, consumers are getting more than they bargained for, said Charlotte Bumbulis, who leads the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission fair trade initiative Good News Goods.
Many of the cheapest items on the market—including those from some of the largest manufacturers and retailers—are made available at such low rates because they rely on trafficked slave labor worldwide. Read more…
Texas enacts landmark human trafficking legislation
By John Hall, Texas Baptist Communications
Published: August 24, 2009
AUSTIN—Gov. Rick Perry signed into law Aug. 20 landmark legislation against human trafficking, a bill the Texas Baptist Christian Life Commission helped navigate through the lawmaking process…
The CLC and BGCT Community Care Ministry provide ministry opportunities to do something to combat human trafficking. Purchase Good News Goods at www.goodnewsgoods.com to support missional businesses helping victims. Read more…
Fair trade fights poverty, allows gift giving with a clear conscience
By Ken Camp, Managing Editor, Baptist Standard
Published: November 24, 2008
Any so-called gospel that fails to take seriously Jesus’ proclamation of good news to the poor lacks authenticity, Nathan George decided a few years ago. And that belief led him to found Trade as One—a company that helps poor and marginalized workers by bringing together markets and missions.
And as a primary provider of Good News Goods, members of some Baptist churches note the company is offering an avenue where they can do Christmas shopping with a clear conscience. Read more…
