World evangelicals, Salvation Army unite to speak out on human trafficking

The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Christine MacMillan, Director of the International Social Justice Commission of The Salvation Army, as a spokesperson for the WEA on human trafficking issues.

Commissioner MacMillan spent much of her life providing social services, particularly to women and children. She will co-work with the WEA in raising voices within the church on human trafficking, much of which is carried underground.

"We need to be advocates," said Commissioner MacMillan. "We need to stand up and be counted so that ways in which certain people are forced to live doesn't continue. A spokesperson can contribute to bringing light into the darkness and to alleviating suffering. We can't be naïve about it. We need to be strategic in rooting this out. We have to be creative in dealing with this issue."

Commissioner MacMillan, a Canadian native, believes that by raising the awareness of human trafficking within the churches, the church itself can be a resort to those who have become victimised.

"We have to raise our voices within the church again with grace," said the Commissioner. "There is a lot that is misunderstood about human trafficking. So the question is: how do you create awareness among the church? In my own denomination, we are now holding, once a year, Human Trafficking Sunday, which could be perhaps promoted around the WEA network.

"It is very helpful if one part of the church speaks to another. Evangelical churches in certain parts of the world understand that creating conversations between themselves will create testimonials and help address this issue."

On July 1, 2007, after thirty-two years serving the Salvation Army, Commissioner MacMillan was appointed Director of the International Social Justice Commission thereby becoming the first Director of the International Social Justice Commission (ISJC). Whilst based in New York, Commissioner MacMillan and the Commission are part of the office of the Chief of Staff in the UK-based International Headquarters.

Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe, International Director of WEA, congratulates and welcomes Commissioner MacMillan on behalf of the WEA community.

"I am delighted to have Commissioner MacMillan join our team as spokesperson on human trafficking," said Dr Tunnicliffe. "She is an articulate advocate for social justice and brings great experience to this role. It is an honor to have her serve the WEA in this vital role."

On a personal level, Commissioner MacMillan appreciates exploring creative expressions of sharing the Gospel and to this end has written lyrics and directed plays for a variety of settings. An appreciation and value for people is her primary focus. She is committed to officership in the belief that a redemptive capacity must be the influential thread through all of the Army's activities and thinking.

"Jesus meeting the woman at the well is amazing to me," she said. "He is willing to take a risk and do what was not socially acceptable in those days. But his reputation is enhanced in my eyes because he is willing to stand for truth and righteousness. And sometimes that is what we need to do."