ORLANDO (BP) — When God called Rachelle Starr to minister to women working in the sex industry, she and her husband fasted and prayed frequently while driving by strip clubs for 18 months before God told her to go inside.
Nearly two decades later, many Southern Baptists support the Scarlet Hope ministry God birthed through Starr, which has helped more than 10,000 women in a 10-state network change their lives, Starr told Baptist Press.
In concert with the 2026 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Orlando, Starr will share her story during “Bearing His Image,” a panel discussion focused on protecting vulnerable children and adults from abuse, exploitation, trafficking and other forms of harm. Sponsored by the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee and One More Child, the panel will feature Starr and six other experts June 8 from 2 – 3:30 p.m. (EDT) in Grand Ballroom C/D/E of the Rosen Centre Hotel, 9840 International Dr.
“The church is the answer to exploitation and trafficking,” Starr told Baptist Press ahead of the event. “We cannot wait around for the government to fix the problem or to put a bunch of laws in place, and for these places (strip clubs and other venues) to shut down. It’s really the responsibility of the church to go into the darkness, share the Gospel, and watch … lives change.”
Jeff Dalrymple, director of abuse prevention and response at the SBC Executive Committee, stressed the urgency of combatting the evil.
“People made in God’s image are abused, enslaved and exploited every day. This event is intended to equip churches and ministry leaders to respond faithfully, wisely and proactively,” Dalrymple said in promoting the event. “Abuse and exploitation leave devastating and lasting scars, particularly when harm occurs within trusted environments.”
The event will address online exploitation, sexual abuse prevention, survivor care, human trafficking and ministry safeguarding, organizers said, and also show churches how to compassionately and ethically protect the vulnerable.
“Every life is sacred because every person bears the image of God,” One More Child Chief Operating Officer Jodi Domangue said. “As followers of Christ, we are called to protect the vulnerable, defend dignity and bring hope and healing to those who have experienced exploitation and abuse.”
Domangue will join Starr on the panel, along with Brad Eubank, pastor of Petal First Baptist Church, Petal, Miss.; Olivia Littleton, One More Child’s senior director of survivor services; Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Counseling Professor Julie Lowe; anti-trafficking specialist Ashlee Lucas of The Tebow Group; and Kevin Malone, senior advisor on human trafficking with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
One More Child, headquartered in Lakeland, operates in 29 states and 19 countries globally, helping children and adults facing foster care, hunger, sex trafficking, single parenting and other vulnerabilities.
Bearing His Image registration, $5 per person, is available here.
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