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.
Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu, ONE’s international patron, turns 80 today!
You may have seen some of yesterday’s celebrations from St. George’s Cathedral in Cape Town, South Africa. The evening was full of dancing, singing, and testimonies to a truly global hero in the fight for human rights and social justice. Our colleagues in Team South Africa were there and we look forward to hearing a report, soon.
Though retired, “The Arch” continues to raise his voice and urge people to act for our most vulnerable neighbors around the world.
These past few months Tutu has joined a chorus of advocates calling everyone to do their part to fight the famine in the Horn of Africa:
“The images of starving children are an indictment on a world of skewed priorities and resources… no matter where we come from…. We are all members of one family, God’s family. We depend on each other, we care for one another – that is what it is to be human. Our brothers and sisters in the Horn of Africa are in dire need!”
Let’s say “Amen” to the Arch’s call to action and join the movement.
As you join us to fight the famine and feed the future, add a birthday wish to “The Arch” in the comments section below.
The Fall season is a time of harvest not only for farmers around the world but also a season of harvest and thanksgiving for many of our faith traditions.
This month the Jewish holiday of Sukkot (October 12 to 19), or the Feast of Tabernacles, is a time traditionally given to the remembrance of the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the Promised Land and to the celebration of the harvest. Yet the ongoing famine in the Horn of Africa continues to loom large: over 13 million people, mostly nomadic pastoralists and farmers in south-central Somalia, north-eastern Kenya, and south-eastern Ethiopia, are severely lacking in food and water.
This past week I went on the road in Texas with the David Crowder* Band as they launched their 35-date farewell tour. What a blast! We kicked it off in Austin at Stubb’s BBQ, where it was 101 degrees outside at concert time. The guys put on a phenomenal set and the shows just got stronger and stronger as we were in Houston and Dallas.
The Crowder band is taking ONE out on the road with them on their final tour to spotlight the living proof of hope and change in Africa as well as enlist their fans to get involved to fight the famine and diseases like HIV/AIDS. They’re joined by fellow artists Gungor, John Mark McMillan and Chris August, and coming to a city near you. So be sure to check us out on the road and bring a friend to join a night of inspiring music and take action with ONE. We got a few minutes with David Crowder himself, just before they went on at Stubb’s. Check out the video below:
Throughout the world, people of faith are observing Ramadan in a number of different ways. With daily reports on the famine crisis in the Horn of Africa, where some 9 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya need immediate assistance, this season of prayer, fasting and reflection comes at a particularly critical time. It is time to inspire many to act, to not only seek this immediate humanitarian assistance, but to address the root causes of hunger and development, where more than 950 million people around the world will go to bed hungry tonight.
What another exciting night on the U2 tour, this time at the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. ONE volunteers signed up more than 3,000 new ONE members to join our movement to end extreme poverty and preventable disease. Throughout the day we met people from not only all over the country, but all around the world. After this show outside New York City, new ONE members can be found in Manhattan, Queens, Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and even further afield in Peru, United Kingdom, Germany, and Hong Kong.
Faith Rowland, a ONE volunteer who works at Episcopal Relief and Development had this to share:
“After much excited anticipation, the day of the show finally came around, and I can say that it was totally worth the two-hour bus misadventure just to be there with all the other fans and ONE volunteers. I got to meet loads of really nice and social-justice-minded people while canvassing in the parking lots for new ONE members, and just getting into the show was a thrill, since it was my first U2 concert. I totally cried during ‘Mysterious Ways,’ and loved just watching the guys play. But the best part was getting to actually walk on stage with other volunteers during ‘Walk On,’ which the band dedicated to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the thousands of others who have been imprisoned for their political beliefs.”
What a great weekend! I had the privilege of spending two days in sunny Anaheim, California working in and outside Angel Stadium mobilizing new ONE members to take action on our latest vaccine petition at the U2 360 Tour. While the band was doing their sound check, we were hitting the pavement hard. I probably got a little too much sun and I’m definitely beat –- but it was well worth it because we brought in more 7,500 new ONE members who raised their voice to ensure that four million kids get access to the vaccines they will need in the next five years.
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