He was trafficked over 1600 years ago...

Over 1600 years ago there was a young boy of 14 years, trafficked as a slave from Scotland to land of Druids and pagans. As a slave for over 6 years tending sheep he learned the local language and culture. Finally, he escaped his captors and was reunited with his family.

In an act of redemption, God called this freed slave back to his captors. Once captive, now free, he brought the Good News of Jesus - Hope, Salvation, LOVE to transform this dark, rough land... Ireland.

St. Patrick himself was a victim of human trafficking. He turned around and fought it head on by returning to the very people who captured him and showed them love and compassion like they'd never seen!

How are we fighting this horrific crime today? As you celebrate this day of green, in whatever way you may be, remember those who are in slavery and those who hold them captive. St. Patrick helped transform a nation. So can you!

Read more on the story of St. Patrick here.

ORANGE

When's the last time you thought about slavery? It's not even on the radar for most of us. Crazy thing is though, there are more slaves in the world today than EVER before. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 27 million, in fact. Hard for me to even conceive... 27 million individual lives are caught in the bondage of slavery...

Even worse, I'm part of the problem. All of us are. It's part of our supply chain. Most clothes made of cotton, most electronics, a lot of food, coffee - somewhere in the supply chain many of the mainstream products we buy use slave labor. A major area of modern day slavery, also known as human trafficking, is sexual exploitation. The numbers are shocking.

There is so much to learn about human trafficking, and perhaps learning about it is the first step to doing something about it. As a church, Love Chapel Hill is starting into the fight against human trafficking. How do we become modern day abolitionists. You can learn more about the problem and find very practical ways to get involved over at lovechapelhill.com. Checkout the ORANGE page.

Keep in mind as you go shopping this weekend, look for SLAVE FREE products.

Have a GREAT THANKSGIVING!