If you’ve been following the ONE blog these past few months, you certainly noted that the David Crowder*Band took ONE with them on their farewell 7 Tour. Over 34 sold out dates nationwide, the guys made it a priority to not only deliver an inspirational set of songs but mobilize their fans to take action and join up with ONE to fight the famine in the Horn of Africa.
USAID’s Dr. Raj Shah gave us an update on the latest surrounding the famine in the Horn of Africa while ONE’s CEO Michael Elliott briefed our national network of faith leaders on ONE’s comprehensive hunger and agriculture campaigns. More than 13 million of our sisters and brothers in east Africa are vulnerable to hunger and lack of access to clean water at this time –- and there is something we can do about it!
During the fall season, and especially around Thanksgiving, it’s critical that we do all we can to fight the famine and secure a future where there is hunger no more. Get your local faith community involved and sign up for ONE Sabbath.
Over a cup of coffee with a friend recently, I described myself as a “William Wilberforce Evangelical,” humbly placing myself in the stream of Christian tradition that sought the abolition of slaves. After reading this morning’s newspaper, however, I’m calling my friend later today with an update: I am a “Rich Stearns Evangelical.”
Rich Stearns in Africa. Photo credit: World Vision.
So many of us in DC are beginning to get a little too used to the grinding partisanship and divides that we often miss good news when it comes through. Yesterday morning, Rev. Jim Wallis of Sojourners and member of President Obama’s White House faith advisory committee, and Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention and former supporter of President George W. Bush, sat down on on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program to talk about the moral issues facing the 2012 election. Joe Scarborough opens up with a joke, expecting Rev. Wallis and Dr. Land to come into the studio wearing boxing gloves, since they disagree about a lot. But when it comes to fighting global poverty, both Wallis and Land agree: We must maintain our commitments to the world’s poorest people.
Tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m., ONE members of faith will have the opportunity to join a special call with USAID Administrator Raj Shah. The event will update our national network of churches, local faith groups and ONE members on the famine in the Horn of Africa and discuss FWD, USAID’s initiative to fight famine, war and drought. Michael Elliott, ONE’s new president and CEO, will also be joining us to give an update on ONE’s overall campaign on agriculture.
This call will also help formally launch our ONE Sabbath Thanksgiving campaign, “Fight the Famine, Feed the Future.” Throughout the entire month of November, faith communities across the country will call on world leaders to help break the cycle of famine. So far, 200 individuals and faith groups are participating — but of course, the more voices, the better. We hope you’ll join our call tomorrow afternoon! RSVP for our event here.
Rich Stearns, World Vision’s president and longtime friend and partner of ONE, has a tremendous piece in the Huffington Post called “Cutting Foreign Aid: Not the America I Love.” In his post, Stearns articulates cornerstone reasons why poverty-focused foreign assistance is not only a proud American value, but an effort that needs to be bolstered in these tough economic times. Separating fact from misconception, Stearns also gives us a peek at how he’d advise the current presidential candidates on efforts to save lives around the world.
Here’s an excerpt of his piece:
“If I were advising the Republican candidates, I would encourage them to clear up some misperceptions about American foreign aid.
The past couple weeks I’ve been able to meet personally with churches in Missouri, Texas, Iowa, Oregon and Washington, and am tremendously encouraged by the ongoing concern for our world’s most vulnerable sisters and brothers despite economic challenges at home.
As the leaves change and the temperatures turn, each of us will be gathering around the table with family and friends in thanksgiving big and small. What heartens me is that the churches I’ve met with will not only be giving thanks at home but using thanksgiving as a moment to mobilize to put an end to this senseless famine that is affecting over 13 million people in the Horn of Africa.
ONE is campaigning to ensure that the Congressional budget does not cut foreign assistance programs like Feed the Future that help people break the cycle of poverty and hunger.
The Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years. More than 11 million people, mostly nomadic pastoralists and farmers in south-central Somalia, north-eastern Kenya, and south-eastern Ethiopia, are severely lacking access to food.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
As aid agencies warn more than 9 million people could be affected by a food crisis in East Africa, world leaders are failing to keep their 2009 promises to tackle the causes of chronic hunger and support farmers in the world's poorest countries.
