LOS ANGELES (BP) – When shopping for real estate, one typically looks positively at traits such as good schools, a higher socio-economic bracket and low crime. Selecting the location for the Los Angeles Ministry Center for Send Relief went a decidedly different route.
When Los Angeles became the site to establish a Send Relief Center, its director, Daryl Spears, said one criterion was for it to be in an area in need of the light of the Gospel. In particular, the center was to address the growing scourge of human trafficking, specifically child trafficking.
“We were in conversations about the high degree of human trafficking that takes place in Los Angeles,” he said. “And looking into it, this part of East Los Angeles has the highest amount of child trafficking.”
The building that serves as the center’s home base, Los Angeles City Baptist Church, is located in the middle of it all. Before he became its pastor, Min Lee was a fellow Angeleno who felt compelled to go by the church one day and pray for its people. The church was struggling, yet had potential.
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They invited him back to lead a devotion. Then they did it again. This happened enough times that he was asked to become pastor. He accepted, becoming a re-planter for the church with the North American Mission Board’s endorsement.
It’s become a point of debate as to whether the Super Bowl – hosted this Sunday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood – becomes an annual magnet for an increase in human trafficking. The Los Angeles Times’ Feb. 6 editorial this week calls it a dangerous myth. However, others disagree. Some evidence says online ads for sex increase whenever large events such as concerts, trade shows and athletic events occur, so the Super Bowl is no different in that regard.
It can also be considered a moot point for the Send Relief Center. The fight against trafficking has no season or special emphasis. It must go on every day.
California rates among the top states in human trafficking, with Los Angeles easily being the epicenter. The U.S. State Department reported that COVID-19’s impact on the economy not only placed vulnerable people more at risk of being trafficked, but led governments to divert funds elsewhere that would have addressed trafficking.
LA City Baptist Church’s location and desire to address such issues compelled the partnership with Send Relief.
“We wanted to build a ministry center that can partner with a church to equip its community to help with the issue of child trafficking,” Spears said. A floor-to-ceiling renovation provided room for ministry as well as housing for up to 20 missionaries. That space can also be used for those who have been rescued and need a temporary place to stay.
