BFA Founder LIVE on 89.5 Praise FM Friday, Sept 10

Our founder and human trafficking over-comer, Julie Shematz, will be discussing Beauty From Ashes Ministries live on "The Drive Home Radio Show" with Arnie Coones of Praise FM 89.5 on Friday, September 10th.  If you're not in the Naples/Fort Myers, South West Florida area, you can listen online here: http://www.praisefm.com/

Public Outreach and Communications Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries Where Victims Become Over-Comers

Fort Myers Strip Club OutREACH, Mentoring Program, Coalition Mtg, Upcoming Events & More!

STRIP CLUB OUTREACH:  Fort Myers, FL, Saturday, September 11th 7pm - 11pm.  The Beauty From Ashes (BFA) outREACH team will be delivering a warm, comfort meal consisting of various quiches, salad, rolls & pies to the employees of of our local 'adopted' strip club.  We'll also be doing foot washings, bible study and serving communion.  After 6 years of outREACH to this club in the past 2 months we've been privileged to lead 8 people, including the manager, in the sinner's prayer.  It's been your prayers and the giving of our partners that has made this possible, THANK YOU!  Please continue to pray for these precious individuals. They desperately want out of their lifestyles and struggle with thinking it's impossible to do so.  May the relationships we have developed be rooted and grounded in the truth that will set them free to be all that God destined and purposed them to be! 

MENTORING PROGRAM:  In response to the new believers from the strip club outREACHes and requests from the five county area guardian ed litem's office, we are developing a specialized mentoring program.  If you are interested in becoming a mentor to a girl or young woman, please contact Julie Shematz.  Application, references and BFA training is required. 

LEE COUNTY HUMAN TRAFFICKING COALITION MEETING:  Thursday, September 9, 10am-12pm at Summit Church, 19601, Ben Hill Griffin Pkwy., Fort Myers, FL 33912.  This meeting is an open public meeting.  If you are from the area, please consider participating and become part of the solution to human slavery. 

BFA EDUCATION PRESENTATIONS:  

One of BFA's  goals is to equip others to reach, rescue and restore victims of commercialized sexual exploitation and trafficking with the message there is help and a way out. Since 2005, we have been providing 'victim/survivor-centered' training locally and across the United States in the development of this unique type of ministry.  

Below is a list of the current presentations that we offer:

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking:  Identifying & Responding to America's Trafficked Youth

Human Trafficking - Hearing from the Victims & Addressing Demand 
Sex Worker AfterCARE
Street OutREACH
Strip Club OutREACH

XXX OutREACH

For more information and to schedule an event, CLICK HERE 

UPCOMING BFA AWARENESS & PREVENTION EVENTS:

Thursday, September 16th, 3:00-4:30pm, North Fort Myers, FL:  Brookwood Girl's Home - It's Not Glamourous & Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking will be presented to the residents and staff.  

Thursday, November 4th, 5:30 - 6:30pm, Fort Myers, FL:  Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) - Human Trafficking, Hearing From the Victims & Addressing Demand will be presented to students and faculty. Event is sponsored by the Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking (FCAHT).  

Sunday, November 14th, 5:00-6:30pm, North Fort Myers, FL: Wesleyan Diplomat Church - Human Trafficking, Hearing From the Victims & Addressing Demand will be presented.  Event sponsored by Women's Ministries.  

PLEASE PRAY WITH BFA:  Agree with us that those we have influenced will receive the revelation of who God is and who they are in Christ.  May they have the strength and wisdom to make healthy choices and the courage to pursue the journey of inner healing.  

theCALL2XXX:  Join us for weekly global prayer to abolish slavery and for the organizations reaching, rescuing, restoring and advocating for the victims.  Fridays 8-9am EST For more information and prayer guide:  CLICK HERE

PRAYER REQUESTS:  We care for you and have a team that prays over your every need.  Please send them to prayer@beautyfromashes.org

DONATIONS:  Your partnership is vital for us to continue providing awareness, advocacy and reach, rescue and restoration services to victims of commercialized sexual exploitation.  Please consider becoming a monthly partner by giving a tax deductible gift today.  For  $35 or more we will send you our  Child of God CD.  For secure online donations, CLICK HERE or mail your check, cash or money order to Beauty From Ashes, 5100 S. Cleveland Ave., Ste, 318-148, Fort Myers, FL 33907.

For the LATEST NEWS REGARDING DOMESTIC SEX TRAFFICKING, visit our home page:  http://www.beautyfromashes.org

BFA E-NEWSLETTER SIGN UP:  CLICK HERE

We love, appreciate you & are praying for God's best for your life.  Thank you again for your continued support.  TOGETHER we are making a difference!  

Passionate to see victims become over-comers,

Julie Shematz & the BFA FREEdom™ Team

Beauty From Ashes™ Ministries  

Where Victims Become Over-Comers

Craigslist Drops Ads for Adult Services In USA

Craigslist appears to have surrendered in a legal fight over erotic ads posted on its website, shutting down its adult services section Saturday and replacing it with a black bar that simply says "censored."

The move comes just over a week after a group of state attorneys general said there weren't enough protections against blocking potentially illegal ads promoting prostitution. It's not clear if the closure is permanent, and it appears to only affect ads in the United States.

The listings came under new scrutiny after the jailhouse suicide last month of a former medical student who was awaiting trial in the killing of a masseuse he met through Craigslist, a popular site that lets users post classified ads, often for free.

Craigslist's adult services section carried ads for everything from personal massages to a night's companionship, which critics say veered into prostitution.

Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster said in a May blog posting that the company's ads were no worse than those published by the alternative newspaper chain Village Voice Media. He cited one explicit ad which included the phrase: "anything goes $90."

Craigslist has been caught for years in a murky legal fight that centers on how much responsibility the company bears for its ads, said Jonathan Zittrain, professor of law and computer science at Harvard University.

Prosecutors can argue Craigslist is an "intermediary" to the crime of prostitution, Zittrain said, but such cases are hard to prove. He said prosecutors must essentially prove that Craigslist knew an ad was a solicitation for prostitution; ads on Craigslist are typically worded more vaguely.

Nonetheless, to avoid a legal showdown, the company has tried to keep "inappropriate activity" off its site by screening ads.

It's unclear if Craigslist felt the attorneys general had a good argument, or if it simply got tired of spending time on the issue. But saying adult services were "censored" rather than just removing could be seen as a message to prosecutors, Zittrain said.

"They don't like being pushed around" Zittrain said.

Like many other online forums, Craigslist typically does not review ads before they are posted by users. But in 2008, under pressure from 40 state attorneys general, Craigslist began requiring posters to provide a working phone number and pay a fee for placing an ad in what is now the adult services section. Several months later, Craigslist adopted a manual screening process in which postings are reviewed before publishing.

U.S. courts have repeatedly ruled that online service providers such as Craigslist aren't liable for postings made by their users, but because Craigslist now reviews those ads ahead of time, an argument could be made that the site is playing a more active role in the postings.

State officials believe Craigslist is still not doing enough to stop illegal ads from appearing. The company did not comment Saturday.

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, one of the 17 attorneys general who pressed for the change, said in a statement that he welcomed the change and was trying to verify Craigslist's official policy going forward.

In an Aug. 24 letter, the state attorneys general said Craigslist should remove the section because it couldn't adequately block potentially illegal ads promoting prostitution and child trafficking.

Authorities point to the case of 24-year-old Philip Markoff as a prime example of the dangers posed by Craigslist services. The former medical student was accused of killing a masseuse he met through the hugely popular classified advertising site, which was founded by Craig Newmark. Markoff committed suicide in the Boston jail where he was awaiting trial.

Source:  OneNewsNow.com

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