Ministry Today

Setting the Captives Free

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Written by Marcus Yoars

QUOTE: “As a Christian, I can’t be satisfied knowing there are people living in such a condition. As a Christian, I’m a steward of the image of God. And every person on the face of the earth bears that image. I became responsible for Eka the day I met her.” —former Portland, Ore., youth pastor Mike Mercer, who founded and directs a nonprofit ministry called Compassion First to help individuals such as Eka, a young Indonesian sex slave, not only break free from her life as a prostitute, but also integrate into a rehabilitation and education network. Compassion First is one of the many emerging ministries trying to reach the estimated 27 million-plus slaves worldwide—an effort USA Today columnist Tom Krattenmaker says is indicative of “what evangelical Christianity increasingly looks like in the new century, and in the new paradigm.” [usatoday.com, 1/12/09]