Rooted in the Body of Christ

We are deeply indebted to our home congregation, Community Lutheran Church (Escondido, CA), whose pastoral care and congregational support animate our work.
We are likewise grateful for the partnership and example of the Lutheran Mission Society San Diego, led by Rev. Dr. Tardelli Voss:
sdlutherans.org/our-story.  Together, we pursue a mercy that restores dignity, vocation, and belonging.

As part of our ongoing commitment to learn, share, and serve alongside other ministries, we plan to participate regularly in the
Best Practices for Ministry conference hosted by Christ Church Lutheran (Phoenix):
cclphoenix.org/bpm.  We value this gathering as a place where best practices in mercy, evangelism, and community development are shared freely for the good of the Church and the neighborhoods we serve.

The Mercy Ethic that Shapes Our Work

The LCMS white paper articulates a vision of mercy that avoids paternalism (paternalism is relief done to people from above—creating expectation and dependency—whereas Christian mercy is accompaniment that honors dignity, avoids one-way charity except in crisis, and rebuilds capacity and vocation), elevates human dignity, and encourages koinonia—the Body at work for the whole person,
body and soul. We carry that ethic into every area of our mission: legal advocacy, pastoral counseling, housing stabilization, employment on-ramps, and public policy engagement.
Mercy, in this frame, is not one-way giving that breeds dependency; it is accompaniment toward restored vocation, safety, and meaningful participation in community life.
See: LCMS White Paper.

Where We Focus First: Hotels, Motels, and Ignored Red Flags

Budget hotels and motels are frequent sites of sex trafficking. Litigation is increasingly holding these facilities accountable for ignoring known red flags.
Our amicus program concentrates on creating persuasive, repeatable arguments that help courts recognize constructive knowledge and the duty to intervene
where industry-standard indicators are present.

Common Red Flags (well-documented in DOJ/DHS & industry training):

• Cash payments for rooms (nightly/weekly), third-party booking for guests
• High volume of male visitors at all hours; rooms near exits or in isolated areas
• Blacked-out windows; multiple condoms; drug paraphernalia; refusal of housekeeping
• Guests appearing fearful, malnourished, bruised, underage, or tightly controlled

Our “anchor” amicus briefs are designed to be adapted across cases, reinforcing four key themes: constructive knowledge & willful blindness; industry standards and training;
vicarious liability for staff inaction; and deterrence & public policy (why accountability improves safety for everyone).

Our Amicus Brief Strategy

To influence doctrine consistently, we develop model arguments and evidence banks that can be rapidly tailored within the standard amicus timeline.
We emphasize:

1. Statutory and policy framing that explains how anti-trafficking laws protect the common good and the dignity of the vulnerable.
2. Empirical and training evidence showing that red flags are widely disseminated across the lodging industry, undermining claims of ignorance.
3. Comparative case studies demonstrating how accountability reforms practices and reduces risk.
4. Trauma-informed narratives that keep the survivor’s experience central while maintaining legal precision.

We also maintain templates for the “Interest of Amicus” section that root our public interest in the Church’s call to a restorative mercy—a mercy aligned with justice, not opposed to it.

Church Counseling & Whole-Person Care

Survivors need safety, legal remedies, and a community that listens and walks alongside them. Our clergy and trained lay counselors provide trauma-aware pastoral care in coordination
with legal advocates, medical professionals, and social-service partners. We aim to avoid one-way, crisis-only cycles by building pathways to stable housing, meaningful work, and
congregational belonging.

Red-Flag Negligence Lawsuits & Gatekeeper Responsibility

When gatekeepers—hotels, motels, platforms, or landlords—ignore visible indicia of trafficking, they fail not only specific victims but the neighborhoods they serve.
We support litigation that clarifies and enforces reasonable duties to act on red flags, using industry standards and training protocols as evidence of what a prudent operator
should know and do.

Resource Procurement & Administrative Law Supports

Survivors often face an administrative maze: identity restoration, benefits access, medical and law-enforcement records, restitution documentation, and court calendars.
Our admin/clerical teams assemble affidavits, coordinate records, and help with timelines and filings—so attorneys and counselors can work efficiently, and survivors
can focus on healing and stability.

A Community Within the Community: How You Can Serve

We’re structuring volunteer roles so people can help where they live—or from anywhere—according to gifting and availability. This lattice lets us respond quickly
to legal deadlines while sustaining long-term care.

Our Operations Kit

• Issue Memos & Argument Bank: Short, reusable arguments with cites and exhibits for rapid amicus drafting.
• Volunteer Playbook: Roles, confidentiality, trauma-aware communication, and our “rule of mercy” (never do for a survivor what we can accomplish with them).
• Partner Map: Law enforcement victim services, DA offices, legal aid, shelters, and faith-based counselors—plus contact protocols.
• 7-Day Clock Workflow: A rapid-response checklist that starts when a party’s principal brief is filed, ensuring on-time amicus submissions.

Join Us

Mercy that restores requires the whole Body. If you feel called to help—locally or from a distance—there’s a place for you here. Together with our congregations, ministry partners, and
neighbors, we seek to make our communities safer, our courts wiser, and our churches ready to welcome survivors into a new season of dignity and hope.

Learn more about our theological grounding and approach in the LCMS white paper:
Community Development & Caring for the Marginalized (PDF).

See also the Best Practices for Ministry conference hosted by Christ Church Lutheran (Phoenix):
cclphoenix.org/bpm.

And meet our San Diego mentors at the Lutheran Mission Society San Diego, led by Rev. Dr. Tardelli Voss:
sdlutherans.org/our-story.