17 Years of Bringing the Light of Jesus to the Darkness
May comes and goes each year like every month before and ahead, but this month of May has been particularly amazing reflecting back on 17 years of ministry, impact, and stories of all that God has done. Looking back to May of 2007 when God gently turned my attention to that theater X while driving into work and said, “Rachelle, go and share my love with the women in that place,” I can honestly say I’ve never looked back. Instead, I have experienced the grace of God through every season He has asked us to enter. Today, I want to share 17 stories of God’s glory through the years. These stories reflect the goodness of God when we are obedient and courageous for His kingdom. The thousands of people who have heard Gospel hope, the thousands of lives that have been touched, and the millions of meals that have been served are all because of Jesus! I pray that these snippets of stories will encourage your faith, inspire your journey to follow Jesus, and motivate you to share the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Stories of Provision Through the Years
2007
God opened the door to our very first strip club where we served our first meal. The name of the ministry, Scarlet Hope, would be affirmed here by meeting a woman named Scarlet.
2009
The Lord led several volunteers on our staff to launch Scarlet Hope Cincinnati, multiplying our ministry to a second location.
2011
We were given the Hope House by an organization called Operation Appreciation, which became our ministry home and offices and remains so to this day. Our commercial kitchen has allowed us to prepare over a million meals for women in the AEI.
2012
Hope for Kids launches, creating a family-centered program for moms and their kids to attend Bible study, share a meal, and participate in activities together.
2013
We opened the Hope Program, a transitional living program that houses 10 women coming out of exploitation and trafficking. Our outreach teams were serving 500 women in clubs weekly, and by this year, we were in all 27 clubs in the Louisville area.
2015
Scarlet’s Bakery, a social enterprise, opens and begins employing women out of the industry. The Career Development program soon follows, through which over 70 women have been employed.
2019
Scarlet Hope Louisville launches text outreach through Freedom Signal. Our first campaign saved a woman’s life, forever changing our outreach trajectory. In this year alone, we reached over 12,000 women in our city!
2020
The Scarlet Hope Network was formed, expanding the mission and vision to other cities. Scarlet Hope Miami opened during a year when most things were shutting down, but God opened doors to start reaching women in one of the highest exploitative cities in America.
2022
Scarlet Hope acquired the software platform Freedom Signal, allowing us to expand our reach to all of the 10 cities we operate in.
2023
Scarlet Hope Los Angeles launched!
2024
Scarlet Hope Dallas launched!
Stories of Change Over the Years:
From Streets to Strength
A woman we met on the streets came into our program, graduated from our career development program, gave her life to Jesus, was hired at a corporation, and now leads their outreach department for philanthropic giving.
From Prison to Set Free
She thought her days of being a mother were over, living behind prison walls. But she was released into our career development program, gained full custody of her kids, secured a full-time job, and found hope and freedom.
From Generation to Generation
She knew us from the club but didn’t look our way until God showed up in her life. She joined our Bakery staff and went back to school for a career she always dreamed of. This year she celebrates 10 years out of the industry, and her daughter, whom we knew at age 10, is now a nurse, walking in generational freedom!
From Forgotten to Family
In and out of foster care, she never knew what being loved for who she was meant. After aging out of foster care, she found herself in a strip club, where church ladies shared the gospel with her. Five years later, she gave her life to Jesus and now spends holidays with two families that have “adopted” her into their family.
From Surviving to Thriving
Trafficked into the industry at age 14, she became an elite escort. For ten years, she was in and out of trafficking and prostitution but stayed in touch with one of our church ladies. This past Easter, she bravely attended church and is now out of the life, pursuing a dignified career free from exploitation.
From Club to Christ
At 18, she entered the sex industry, looking to have fun and find empowerment as a young lady. Over the next four years the industry left her disappointed. She ended up separating herself from family and surrounding herself with people in addiction and exploitation. She felt empty and wanted more. She began talking with Church Ladies on Thursday and having spiritual conversation. She is now out of the industry and walking with the Lord.
17 Years, 17 Miracles, 17 Stories of provision and lives
changed among thousands more!
I remember the day God said, “Go,” and that call has now been answered by thousands of Christians around the nation and world to bring the light into the darkness—bringing hope to the hopeless and watching Jesus resurrect dry bones!
And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation” (Mark 16:15).
We will continue to proclaim the gospel one by one until Jesus returns! Thank you for a beautiful 17 years of ministry and support.
By His Grace,
Rachelle Starr
Founder, Scarlet Hope
