Yesterday I left my flip flops behind and headed west to check out the Thursday night worship service held by Reformation, the high school student ministry at the Calvary Chapel Worship Center in New Port Richey, Florida. During the month of March, Reformation dedicates each Thursday evening service to a different social justice cause.

In the past they have featured organizations like Habitat for Humanity and Compassion International and yesterday, Youth Pastor John David Harris invited me to speak with the group about ONE and our efforts here in Florida to press government leaders to fight extreme poverty and preventable diseases.

After the worship service Pastor Harris asked me to come up on the stage where I fielded questions about how to get involved with ONE locally and what keeps me personally inspired to fight for better and increased assistance for poor countries. Pastor Harris then spoke about the importance of giving back to the community and becoming informed about poverty and preventable diseases in developing countries. He encouraged and reminded the group that “anybody committed to their community, dedicated to justice, driven to worship, with a passion for devotion is not only a part of Reformation, but is the living and breathing Reformation.”

I also had the opportunity to speak about ONE Sabbath, ONE’s initiative to help provide opportunities within the faith community to learn more about global health and poverty issues. I encouraged everyone there to get involved with ONE Sabbath and begin planning different ways they can continue to engage their peers and inspire the community to take action against poverty.

By the end of the night nearly everyone there had signed up to be ONE members and promised to remain committed to making a difference in the fight against extreme poverty. It was an amazing experience and as I drove home last night I couldn’t help but feel even more inspired by this amazing group of revolutionaries!

-Sara Paterni, ONE Field Organizer