In 2018 we felt God was calling us to help equip and empower the countless people sitting in churches nationwide who care about addressing issues affecting their neighbors and neighborhoods. Our way of doing this was by launching the Compassion Network, an effort to share Compassion Connect’s service models that have been successful in the Pacific Northwest with a national audience.
In the summer of 2018, Compassion Connect’s Executive Director Milan Homola moved to the midwest with his family to help launch the Network. Upon arriving in Minnesota, he embraced our core values of unity and innovation and began to ask, “what is God doing with The Church of the Twin Cities and where are the Kingdom minded leaders?” These simple questions led to an amazing movement of anti-trafficking leaders working together to fight sexual exploitation.
In this post Milan shares about the Restore Honor movement along with Stephanie Page, the Executive Director of Stories Foundation and a co-collaborator in the Restore Honor group.
Can you give some background context on your work with the anti-trafficking sphere in Minnesota, and what events led up to the Restore Honor movement?
MILAN- As my family and I landed in the Twin Cities area in the summer of 2018 it was exciting to take an open handed approach to ministry and mission as I met with various leaders.
That led to meeting a handful of leaders of Christ centered anti-trafficking nonprofits. At the same time a friend who hosts events called Pop Up Think Tanks asked if I wanted to do one for Compassion Connect. I said no, but that I would be interested if he could facilitate an event that was co-hosted by a team of anti-trafficking leaders. He was on board and a small team of leaders said they would go in on it. That event took place in June 2019 and our hope was 30 people. 55 attended and we nearly ran out of chairs.
It was clear there was a hunger for Christ centered collaboration as we asked “What could we do together if we stopped competing as churches and nonprofits?” As a result, a small team was built of the people who really have a calling and passion for moving the needle away from sexual exploitation and doing it through unity.
This team built trust and humbled themselves before the Lord by going on a 28 hour prayer retreat. It was a powerful time of unity, humility, repenting, and seeking the way the Lord would have us move forward. The biggest truth that became apparent to everyone: The Church needs to focus on Honor as a way of combating sexual exploitation. We will co-labor to Restore Honor and invite Christians on that lifestyle journey.
It was clear there was a hunger for Christ centered collaboration as we asked “What could we do together if we stopped competing as churches and nonprofits?”
STEPHANIE- I first learned about human trafficking in the summer of 2012 and have been working in the anti-trafficking sphere since 2013. When I learned about human trafficking I knew it was not OK and someone had to do something. So I started to educate myself and give education/awareness presentations. My work has primarily been to talk about trafficking in a way that people understand the issue(s) and then are activated by seeing their role in fighting against it. We (Stories Foundation) helps people learn and act by starting social impact businesses that give people a unique way to aid in the fight through purposeful purchasing and unique opportunities for awareness.
How specifically did the Restore Honor idea come about? Why did it seem like a good fit for Compassion Connect/ Stories Foundation to get involved?
MILAN- We all felt passionately that The Church, when it actually addresses sexual sin, does it with a heavy (often unintended) emphasis on shame. It’s usually done in a way that reinforces the power of darkness to keep people pent up and hidden with their true struggles. We knew that the strategy forward was to focus on the positive innate calling of God planted in all who bear God’s image. Inviting people into the powerful purpose-filled lifestyle of honoring others shatters the grip of darkness by replacement rather than shame filled self-focus. The “Restore Honor” idea came clearly as the group prayed together and it has been confirmed countless times.
STEPHANIE- Milan and I sat down late 2018/early 2019 and had a conversation about collaboration. From the beginning of my anti trafficking journey, I have known that collaboration is the key. My work is grounded in the desire to create streams of income to support anti-trafficking work. Yet, collaboration in the nonprofit sphere and specifically in the anti-trafficking sphere, is much easier said than done. When Milan wanted to talk collaboration and said he had experience collaborating with believers, I was in 100% instantly.
What is Restore Honor About?
MILAN- Restore Honor is about bringing the light and power of oneness in the body of Christ to the incredible darkness of sexual exploitation in a focused region (the Twin Cities). Our vision is to see a victory over pornography, prostitution, and other forms of sexual exploitation. This will happen as Christians reignite a time-worn reality buried deep within that reflects the image of God: namely, to honor one another.
We see the Church as the first crucial battleground, so we can unlock the potential of a community that has clear moral footing by inviting it to action. Churches must lead the way in surrendering the ways of sexual exploitation in their own midst and then honoring others (in their home, across the street, and on the other side of a screen).
We all felt passionately that The Church, when it actually addresses sexual sin, does it with a heavy (often unintended) emphasis on shame. It’s usually done in a way that reinforces the power of darkness to keep people pent up and hidden with their true struggles.
STEPHANIE- Restore Honor is a movement that seeks to unite Jesus Followers through prayer and worship to see, value, and honor those around us with the goal of seeing an end to sexual exploitation and trafficking. We have sexual exploitation and human trafficking because in a culture that glorifies and worships sex, people are loosing because the act of sex has more value than the human. Restore Honor seeks to activate Jesus Followers to see this cultural issue and to seek God through prayer and worship to find their place in fighting against it by Restoring Honor.
Anything you’ve learned from the process of working with other leaders?
MILAN- From this experience I’ve learned (relearned) the significance of God’s favor. It doesn’t seem normal to build trusting friendships for collaboration with other non-profit leaders in under a year of showing up in a new city (especially within the “Minnesota Nice” culture). Also, it’s not normal to be a strong male leader welcomed into a cause full of strong female leaders.
I’ve had strategies confirmed that I’ve always thought true: it is humble leaders of small, “often overlooked” groups who are the most ready and willing to collaborate and risk for the glory of God. I’ve learned that collaboration really does grow and deepen through trust, and trust is rapidly built when you focus on prayer.
There is a battle, but it is not against flesh and blood. We have an enemy and we have to be intentional to not allow human ideas, pride, ego or competition rob us of the unity we are meant to have that will point people to Jesus.
STEPHANIE- Collaboration is hard, even and maybe especially with Christ Followers. There is a battle, but it is not against flesh and blood. We have an enemy and we have to be intentional to not allow human ideas, pride, ego or competition rob us of the unity we are meant to have that will point people to Jesus. I am grateful for the messy process of collaboration with these leaders and hope that as we choose to continue to build trust that we will see God work in bigger ways than anything we could ask or imagine.
Anything else you would add?
MILAN- We see this as a movement, not an organization. Therefore the move must be of the Holy Spirit and we have to continue living it out first amongst ourselves and then inspire and invite it amongst the thousands of Christians in the Twin Cities.
STEPHANIE- If Christ Followers would choose unity, look outside of their immediate community, seek God in prayer and worship, then maybe we would get to see God work in and through us to honor each other and we would be a part of healing this land.
Learn more about the Restore Honor movement here.
