By Anna Johnson & Christine Gilge
In early 2015, Christine Gilge’s husband asked if she would like to merge her women’s ministry (which had been held in their home) with his dental office in Tacoma, WA, which he was planning on remodeling.
That evening she went online to ask if anyone would like to donate gowns toward the ministry. Our Adorned In Grace team in Portland saw the post and offered to donate 300 dresses, which began the beautiful journey of Adorned In Grace Tacoma (AIGT).
For the past three years AIGT’s team, led by Christine and a passionate team of volunteers, has focused on spreading awareness of human trafficking through the sales of bridal and formal gowns as well as being engaged in a multitude of community events, presentations, & teas to educate the public.
Although a seemingly unusual partnership, the connection with the dental practice has been powerful: many of the patients have joined in the ministry in various ways, and human trafficking survivors have been able to receive practical job skills training in dental assisting.
Adorned In Grace’s goal of fighting human trafficking through awareness, prevention, & restoration has a unique expression in Tacoma, as their team walks survivors and other vulnerable women and girls through what they call the GRACE plan:
G- Gospel
R- Resources connected with local organizations
A- Activities (art, music, dance, drama, Bible studies, Mending the Soul, outdoor activities)
C- Connecting with the Church and community
E- Education and employment: providing mentoring & job/life skills classes, educating the public to the reality of human trafficking and equipping them with tools to become advocates, and providing a safe place for girls and survivors to heal from the past.
“It is through this amazing place of Adorned In Grace that finally I said […] as a woman I feel whole again.”
The acts of faithfulness done by AIGT’s volunteer team over three years have not returned empty: “It is through this amazing place of Adorned In Grace that finally I said […] as a woman I feel whole again. Through the bible studies, through the Mending the Soul programs here I was finally able to say I am a daughter of God the father and he is well pleased with me,” said a survivor in a recent interview.
Life transformation at Adorned In Grace Tacoma happens regularly because of passionate volunteers who believe God can work through them to use something as beautiful as a donated bridal gown to raise funds to fight something as ugly as human trafficking.
Fast forward to July 2017: with more than 1,000 gowns crowding their current space, Christine confided to a local newspaper that “our hope is that there’s a donor out there who has a retail spot to offer where we can sell the dresses.”
In March of 2018, that hope was answered. Dan Durr of First Western Properties was moved to generously gift AIGT with 3,000 square feet of retail space in Southgate Plaza Mall in Lakewood, which opened the floodgates of other business who have generously donated everything for the buildout. The long list includes supplies for painting, flooring, a commercial backlit sign, furniture, labor, as well as thousands of new bridal gowns.
“We are forever grateful that [God] has united his church to do this work. These are men and women that he has drawn from a variety of churches and different nations!”
In response to such massive generosity, Christine thanks God for working through all the people who have set aside their differences to serve together: “God has exploded His blessings for his ministry in our community. We are forever grateful that he has united his church to do this work. These are men and women that he has drawn from a variety of churches and different nations!”
Christine Gilge (center) with several key volunteers who have made AIGT possible.
Work on the new shop is going quickly thanks to the many volunteers who continue to dedicate time, talent, and energy to transforming an empty space into a beautiful sanctuary where brides can find the perfect dress while knowing they are supporting something as important as empowering women and ending human trafficking.
The team hopes to be completely moved in by May 23rd and is shooting for a grand opening on May 30th.
Our work in Tacoma is truly a beautiful picture of what happens when passionate people have the tools they need to come together and make a difference in their neighborhood. And the even more beautiful thing? It could happen anywhere. Anywhere there are passionate people of faith who want to be equipped with the tools to fight sexual exploitation together and serve others in Jesus’ name, that is where we want to be.
Shop hours at the new location (Southgate Plaza, 10310 South Tacoma Way Unit 1, Lakewood, WA 98499) will be Wednesday-Thursday 1-5pm, Friday 12-5pm and Saturday 10-5 pm.
How Can I Get Involved?
- Visit us during our grand opening on May 30th!
- Get current updates by following AIGT on Facebook and Instagram
- Volunteer as a bridal shop retail associate! Contact us by emailing aigtacoma@compassionconnect.com if you would like to learn more about volunteering.
- Make a gift to Adorned In Grace Tacoma to join the mission of bringing hope and beauty to replace the evil and tragedy of human trafficking!
- Interested in fighting human trafficking in your city? Find out more here.
