Disciple Women work to block traffic on interstate

 

No, the Disciple Women of the North and South Carolina and Virginia regions did not stage a sit-in on I-85 over Memorial Day weekend, but they did put a dent in the information available on human trafficking. Fourteen women spent five and a half hours at a North Carolina rest stop serving "safety break" coffee and giving out generous helpings of information about the issues around trafficking. In all, they estimate serving coffee to 250 and information to twice that number.

 

This three-region cooperative effort came as a result of several factors. First, Disciple Women adopted an emphasis on human trafficking at the last Quadrennial in 2010. Also, Claretta Witherspoon (above right), a member of the International Disciples Women's Ministries cabinet is trained in anti-trafficking education and is part of the North Carolina region.

 

"On why we reached out across the regions, maybe because we truly love one another, love God, and feel quite comfortable working together on social justice issues," said Donna Webster, director of women's ministries in Virginia. "We find that our women will make the drive for something as important as helping women be rescued, or provide pertinent information to safeguard them and their loved ones. Virginia and North Carolina already had a working relationship through the Piedmont Convention, and Virginia got closer after holding a tri-region weekend gathering at Christmount this year. C.S. Lewis said, 'Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, "What! You too?  I thought I was the only one."' 

 

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