Second Chance Program Launch

This new ministry will be starting soon to rescue young women caught up in the despicable sex trade here in Thailand. Our aim is to give these women a second chance at life by taking them out of the scene and re-training them with skills that will be useful in the regular workforce. Can you help? Contact us at:

secondchance@cocthailand.com

OUTLINE PROPOSAL

SECOND CHANCE MINISTRY PROGRAM

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The Second Chance Ministry is a three stage strategy program aimed at women working in the sex industry. The vision is to see as many as possible leave their former lives behind and come into a living relationship with Christ. It is primarily a ministry of women impacting women with the Gospel of Christ. This is in keeping with The Christian Outreach Centre’s expressed aim of ‘Reaching our world for Christ’. It is a Church program under the national strategy and covering of The Christian Outreach Centre Foundation.

Chiang Mai is the launch point for the pilot program. One of the main goals is to develop an effective program than can be replicated in other parts of the nation. Other locations under consideration are Pattaya and Phuket.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION/ STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In Thai culture, a commonly accepted belief is if a girl loses her virginity, then she may as well make money for her family working as a prostitute. Domestic prostitution has for centuries been a part of the Thai tradition. Thousands of women throughout Thailand work as prostitutes in escort agencies, brothels, karaoke bars, restaurants, massage parlors, bars, saunas and spas.

As Christians, what can we offer these women to give them a future and a hope – to give them a second chance at life?

2ND CHANCE

We believe that The Second Chance Ministry Program is a unique, God ordained strategy to bring healing and deliverance to all areas of life (emotional, physical, practical, financial and spiritual) and to bring women to freedom and fullness in Christ. This is only made possible by the supernatural power and work of the Holy Spirit.

We believe that many of these women will go on to become ministry leaders and impact others for the Gospel of Christ.

PROGRAM OUTLINE

The main stages of the program are out lined below.

STAGE ONE:

Initial contact is made with the prostitute in her place of work. This initial contact varies from situation to situation. Some possible scenarios are listed below:

- A conversation is initiated.

- The help line telephone number is given.

- An appointment is made to meet again.

STAGE TWO:

A halfway house is established. This is a safe, secure location, located near the red light areas of the city, where women, who show an interest in knowing more about The Second Chance Ministry Program, are invited to come and talk in a welcoming, loving and peaceful atmosphere. Free refreshments are available. Women who come to the half way house are able to access free health information and advice, with a medical clinic operating on certain days during the week. This clinic is run by a local Thai nurse under the supervision of a doctor. This first location is not open to the general public and security measures are in place. It is here that women are prayed for, ask more questions and build healthy relationships with the Second Chance Ministry Team.

Suitable properties for this halfway house will be researched. It is estimated that a suitable property will require a monthly rental budget of around 10,000 baht plus additional finance for utilities, furnishings etc.

STAGE THREE:

A ministry house is established for women who show a desire to be committed to the Second Chance Program. This second location is located far from the red light areas of the city, to geographically remove the women from their past lives out of the way of temptation. Women who come to live at the ministry house are asked if they agree to abide by the rules of the ministry house. Such rules include no customers, no mobile phones and so on. These rules are strictly enforced to protect the integrity of the Second Chance Ministry Program.

The third stage initially covers such areas as life skills training, budgeting and managing money, health education. Professional counseling is available and time given for the women to talk through personal problems, emotional issues and so on. Each woman entering the program has a complete physical and psychological assessment carried out, including blood tests and drug screening. Any problems that are identified are treated and / or managed to the highest standards currently available.

The women will also be given the opportunity to develop job skills training. Such skills training includes computers, sewing, hairdressing, cooking, foreign language study and so on.

The training includes the following requirements:

- Church attendance at House of Praise.

- Personal and corporate Bible study, prayer and worship on a daily basis.

- An openness to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

During this training phase the following policies and procedures are in operation:

- A team of trained professionals is available to give advice and evaluate each woman in the program at any given time.

- A file is kept on each woman in the program. This file includes a personal progress report, details of counseling received, her disciplinary record, a health record, areas of on- going need and so on.

- Minimal ‘pocket money’ is given to each woman.

- Money is sent home to the woman’s family on a monthly basis, so that they are not adversely affected by loss of income. This amount is somewhere in the region of 1,000 baht for each woman in the program.

- The women are chaperoned at all times.

Graduates from the training who display leadership potential will be invited to join the Ministry and Leadership Training School. During this twelve month program, the women are not closely chaperoned. It is our belief that, by this stage in the program, former destructive habits and patterns of behaviour are broken and replaced by a Christ centred and Spirit led life. Graduates of Leadership School will be considered as potential Second Chance Ministry team members.

STAFF AND ADMINISTRATION

The Second Chance Ministry program demands, by its very nature, that it is primarily a ‘women to women’ ministry. There is a need for well trained and equipped team members who have a passion to see women trapped in this life style set free and fulfilling their potential in Christ. All team members are volunteers and receive no salary.

Applications are invited from women interested in joining The Second Chance Ministry Team. Not all applicants may be considered suitable to join the team. An Applications Committee will be set up to review applications and an interview set up with those women felt to be suitable. Training and preparation will be given to all successful applicants to ensure that they are well prepared before entering a ministry situation.

Some basic requirements for Second Chance Ministry Team members are as follows.

- Team members must be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit and depend on Him in every situation.

- Team members must adhere to the Second Chance Ministry Guidelines.

- Team members must be team players. There is no place for ‘loose cannons’ on the team.

- Team members should be able to speak Thai.