The following is an article that was in the Fayetteville Observer newspaper on October 29.
On Saturday, the congregation of Fayetteville Faith Wesleyan Church will spotlight an issue of which many people are unaware.
Pastor Cyndi McClendon invites the community to join with church members for a Human Trafficking Awareness Walk from 8 to 10 a.m. to raise awareness of the matter. Participants will walk up and down Legion Road, from East Mountain Drive to Black and Decker Road.
Church member Kim Fox has volunteered as an assistant with the walk. She says her church has been raising awareness of the issue for years.
"The Wesleyan Church is very involved with the human trafficking position," she said. "A few years ago, they had done a stop child trafficking walk in downtown Fayetteville, and our church was a part of that."
Fox said Faith Wesleyan held a small human trafficking awareness walk last year. About 50 members of the congregation walked laps around the church's property.
"We are bringing awareness to all human trafficking, and I think that it has been brought to light in our congregation and in our community, that it is something that is here. We have had issues in our own area that have come to light."
To further support the cause, Faith Wesleyan Church makes donations to Emma's Home. Established in 2012, Emma's Home is a safe house in Durham where youth and female victims of human trafficking can heal and restore their lives.
The church also contributes to The Fayetteville Dream Center. The faith-based, nonprofit organization serves people in Fayetteville and the surrounding areas. One of the center's main objectives is to combat human trafficking by partnering with national and statewide organizations such as; 5 Sparrows, NC Stop, SCTNow and others "to end this injustice and rescue people from captivity," as stated on the center's website.
"It's one of those things that we have heard of happening in foreign countries, but it actually has happened here," McClendon said.
McClendon said that, recently, one of her parishioners had a raid take place near their home, and it was discovered that human trafficking was taking place.
"It just hits home,'' she said. "It hits in our neighborhood and it hits the communities we are trying to serve. It has rocked Fayetteville's world. We need people to realize that this is a Fayetteville issue."
She hopes the community will take part in the walk and help spread awareness.
"We just decided to keep walking, not to raise money but to bring awareness," McClendon said. "Just sign in and start walking. We want people walking continually up and down Legion Road."
Members from the congregation will carry the church's flag along with banners and signs noting the cause.
"It's going to be a positive picket. We want good people to stand up and say 'I'll help change it," McClendon said. "While we can't go out and arrest people, we can't go and investigate, we can't stop what is going on, but we can raise awareness within the community."
Members of Faith Wesleyan Church believe the walk will not only raise awareness about human trafficking, but encourage the community to be more proactive in helping those in need.
"We want people to know the church cares. We care about the victims and we even care about the people who are perpetrating the concern, but we also care that they get disciplined," McClendon said. "I want people to intervene and to help those who cannot help themselves."
Faith Wesleyan Church is located at 2922 Legion Road. For more information on the Human Trafficking Awareness Walk, call 424-5908.
