Each of us has a unique role to play in addressing global challenges such as poverty, HIV/AIDS, clean water and maternal health. For over twenty years now I’ve been telling stories, through video and web media, designed to inspire small groups to live out their faith. In particular, I have a deep passion that individuals in small groups discover their role in seeking solutions in the fight against global poverty and pandemic diseases.

That’s why I created a small group and Church video and print resource called START: Becoming a Good Samaritan. That’s also why I’m excited to partner with ONE—to get this resource into your hands…your Church. Starting today, we’re offering “Becoming a Good Samaritan” as a free resource to small groups and Churches looking to raise awareness in their congregations and their communities.

This teaching tool will help your small group or Church become inspired to take action in the fight against global poverty—especially treatable, preventable diseases such as AIDS and malaria. You’ll hear personal stories from Kay Warren of Saddleback Church, Rich Stearns, president of World Vision, as well as Princess Kasune Zulu who shares her hope that we can end the senseless suffering of HIV/AIDS. Sign up and register at ONE Sabbath today to receive this free DVD session and study guide chapter from START: Becoming A Good Samaritan curriculum. Together as ONE… We can make a difference!

-Mike Seaton, C2 Group

Last week ONE joined with hundreds of leaders at the National Association of Evangelicals “Evangelical Leaders Forum” at First Baptist Church of Glenarden in nearby Landover, Maryland mobilizing action in the fight global poverty alongside other national and global challenges. The consensus here is that despite many differences and difficulties, there is hope when we work together in achieving positive change.

ONE was a cosponsor of the event, along with Micah Challenge USA, where we led discussion and discernment in how churches can best raise awareness and act in concern around AIDS, clean water, education and maternal health issues through ONE Sabbath and Micah Sunday. Other ONE partners such as Bread for the World, Save Darfur, and World Relief were also in attendance.

Friday morning we heard from Wesleyan General Superintendent and ONE Sabbath supporter Jo Anne Lyon on the importance of the church’s role in working to end poverty by direct relief and development as well as its role in advocacy to elected leaders. Lyon, in reflecting on Psalm 82 , made a compelling and passionate plea for the church to work towards women empowerment, continued AIDS initiatives like PEPFAR, as well as leadership for care for the environment – because “the world’s poor are hurt first and worst” amidst the climate crisis. Later at lunch, former President George W. Bush’s speechwriter and adviser Michael Gerson gave an eyewitness account of the President’s historic PEPFAR initiative and his on the ground stories of seeing US funds at work to rebuild a community in Ethiopia.

It was a spirited couple of days of conversation and calling – I look forward to the action that will come out of this national gathering in the days to come.

Trinity Presbyterian Church and Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center co-hosted an Interfaith Hunger Banquet this past weekend in Arlington, VA to unite the community in the fight against hunger. The Oxfam Hunger Banquet simulates the number of people living in poverty worldwide. Guests sit according to a randomly assigned income level and eat a corresponding meal with the high group enjoying a nutritious feast and the low group, half of all attendees, eating just a small portion of rice.

Pastor Bernie Nord and ONE Sadaqa endorser Imam Johari Abdul-Malik opened the ceremony with prayers from their distinct traditions. Despite their differences, these two faith communities are working together in the fight against global hunger. They welcomed Congressman Jim Moran to the podium who shared a message of unity reflective of his career-long commitment to human rights issues in the developing world. He invoked a metaphor of the human organism to illustrate how our lives are interconnected. He said:

“We really are part of a human organism, of really one organism, hence the organization that is represented here, ONE…A majority of the humans on this earth really don’t have a whole lot of opportunity to realize their full potential, so we as a human species will never realize our full potential…when we ignore so much of that body of which we are a part.”

At the end of his speech, Rep. Moran pointed to my ONE shirt and reminded the audience, “That’s really what this night is all about. It’s recognizing that we’re all one.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5ReK927cjo&feature=player_embedded

Faith communities in Virginia and across the country are organizing to raise awareness and take action to end the suffering caused by global poverty. Learn more about ONE Sabbath here.

-Lauren Conn

Last night I was joined by 100 faith leaders from across the country, to launch and begin to plan ONE Sabbath events in churches, mosques, synagogues and temples. Speaking on the call with me were 4 national faith leaders – Princess Kasune Zulu, a noted AIDS activist, Zambia native and Christian activist in Chicago; Rabbi Shawn Zevit, Director of Tikkum Olam for the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation; Imam Mohamed Hag Magid, Vice President of the Islamic Society of North America; Ishani Chowdhury, the Hindu American Foundation Director of Public Policy. They endorsed ONE Sabbath and discussed the role of faith inspired advocacy with ONE.

ONE Sabbath organizes congregations to raise awareness and advocate with ONE through their worship services, small groups, youths groups and women’s organizations.

If you missed the call last night and would like to listen in, check it out here.

And do be sure to learn more sign up to host your own ONE Sabbath event at www.one.org/onesabbath.

-Adam Phillips

Tonight at 7:00pm EST, ONE Sabbath 2009 kicks off as ONE members across the nation answer the call to engage in the fight against global poverty and suffering, literally.

The call will be led by Rev. Adam Phillips from our faith team, who will be joined by four activists representing a diverse range of faith communities. They’ll be talking all our exciting plans for ONE Sabbath, and its companion ONE Seva and ONE Sadaqa programs.

To join, call 877-229-8493 tonight at seven o’clock and then enter 15195 when prompted for the passcode.

On the call, you’ll learn how leaders in your church, synagogue, mosque, temple, study group or youth group can raise awareness while bringing belief and action together.

The inspiring conference call scheduled for tonight will also feature the voices and experiences of four activists of diverse faiths who add power to the fight against poverty and disease.

They are:

• Princess Kasune Zulu – a noted AIDS activist and speaker, as well as an associate pastor at River City Church in Chicago.
• Rabbi Shawn Zevit – the Director of Outreach and Tikkun Olam for the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation.
• Imam Mohamed Hag Magid – the Vice President of the Islamic Society of North America and Executive Director of the ADAMS Center.
• Ishani Chowdhury – the Director of Public Policy for the Hindu American Foundation.

To hear from them, learn more about ONE Sabbath and ask questions and share your experiences, join the call at 7:00pm EST tonight:

Call-in info:

Dial-in number: 877-229-8493

Passcode: 15195

-Sydney Skov

ONE Sabbath is back for 2009 and we’re kicking off this new season of faith and anti-poverty activism with a very special conference call that we want you to be on. Next Wednesday, September 16 at 7:00pm EST, I’ll be hosting a call to talk about how you can organize your faith community to raise awareness and take action against global poverty through ONE Sabbath and its companion ONE Sadaqa and ONE Seva programs.

And it couldn’t be easier to get on this call. That’s because there’s no dial-in number to remember. All you have to do is sign up by clicking on the link below and our conference call system will automatically call you at 7:00pm on Wednesday. Sign up here.

In addition to myself and other members of the ONE faith relations team, we’ll be joined by a diverse group of religious leaders who are also active in the struggle to end global poverty and preventable disease. From the Christian community, Princess Kasune Zulu will be on the call – she is a noted AIDS activist, Zambia native and associate pastor at River City Church in Chicago. We’ll also have Director of Tikkum Olam for the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation, Rabbi Shawn Zevit; the Vice President of the Islamic Society of North America, Imam Mohamed Hag Magid; and Ishani Chowdhury, the Hindu American Foundation Director of Public Policy.

We’ve got some exciting resources and special materials we’d like to offer you free of charge made by experts in the fields of preaching, small group and youth group curricula. So be sure to register for the call – and don’t worry about calling us, we’ll call you!

-Adam Phillips

Recently, Hope Presbyterian Church in Richfield, MN held 3 ONE Sabbath services. The services were attended by more than 800 people and it was an exciting morning of worship. Pastor Bruce Hillyer challenged the congregation to help those in need and bring compassion to those who are hurting.

During the service we focused on three ministry organizations in Africa. The first ministry was Daystar University, a Christian university located in Kenya. We were joined by Frank Msambya, a Daystar graduate who now works in Daystar’s U.S. office. Frank shared with the congregation about the great work happening at Daystar and how they could become involved. Specifically Frank talked about a new mentorship program that is training Daystar students to go into the Kibra slums and work with children. One of Daystar’s goals is to educate students so that they may disperse throughout Africa with an education that can make a difference.

The second ministry that we highlighted was the Kenya Children’s Fund. This is another education based ministry. Since 1987 Kenya Children’s Fund (KCF) has sought to transform the lives of Kenya’s impoverished children by providing life’s basic necessities, principally education, nutrition, and medical care. KCF’s biggest project is in Kinyago-Dandora, one of the poorest areas of Nairobi, Kenya. KCF’s mission is to lift children from a place of hopelessness to personal achievement. Armed with an education, these young men and women will return to their communities to serve as change agents in every sector of society.

The final ministry that we highlighted was Water for Life. Water for Life’s mission is to help communities in need develop safe and sustainable water sources. By combining formal instruction with hands-on training they teach people how to supply and maintain their own local water resources. Water for Life’s focus is not simply to provide safe drinking water to those in need. The ultimate goal is to help people gain the knowledge and experience they need to help themselves and their communities. We specifically focused on Water for Life’s project in Rwanda, a 4 year project that began in December of 2008. When complete all primary-school students in Kigali will have access to safe drinking water. By December of 2012 this project will improve the lives of over 80,000 children and their families in Kigali.

In between services all three of the ministries had tables set up for members of the congregation to come and visit with them and learn more. We also had a ONE table to get information out to the congregation about the campaign, many people stopped and signed up!

It was a great morning and many of the ministries and church members have already talked about doing another ONE Sabbath service next year.

-Ben Hayle, ONE Member

We’re inviting you to lift up your voice and inspire others to join and act with ONE in the fight against extreme poverty.

The ONE Sermon Challenge, part of ONE Sabbath, invites leaders and members of congregations across the country to create and submit sermons connecting their own faith to these vital issues and lift up the important role of advocacy as an act of faith.

Today we are faced with a global financial crisis in which the world’s poor are the first and most adversely affected. Yet we have proven solutions: Two million people living with HIV/AIDS in Africa receiving lifesaving medicines. Millions of families protected from malaria thanks to simple bed nets. Tens of millions of African children going to school for the first time. and YOU.

Continuing through May, the ONE Sermon Challenge will accept original and inspirational sermons, d’ivrei torah, and khutbas related to global poverty and collect them online at ONE.org. Through the ONE Sermon Challenge, pastors, rabbis, imams and other faith leaders have the chance to share their message to ONE’s millions of members and congregations nationwide, inspiring advocacy and action. At the ONE Sermon Challenge you’ll find inspirational preaching from many traditions, including original Christian, Jewish, and Muslim messages all lifting up a call for action against extreme poverty and treatable, preventable disease.

At the ONE Sermon Challenge you can read Rev. Abby King Kaiser’s inspiring word on the “Work to Do,” download and listen to Rabbi Eric Solomon’s reflections on the role of prophetic leaders like Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel, or watch Imam Johari Abdul-Malik’s inspiring Friday khutba on the vital role advocacy plays in fighting global poverty and treatable, preventable disease.

Participants that send us their inspired message will receive a ONE Sabbath Action Pack, resourcing them and their local congregations with next steps to act with ONE.

Last week I caught up with Pastor Eugene Cho, of Quest Church in Seattle, at the Sojourners Mobilization to End Poverty here in Washington DC – he shares his challenge to you to do your part and join the ONE Sermon Challenge:

-Adam Phillips

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

Moody Radio, based out of Chicago, had me on their program ‘Prime Time Chicago’ yesterday to talk about ONE and our ONE Sabbath efforts. I also told them a little about my own faith journey as pastor and advocate in fighting extreme poverty. It was a bit of a hectic start however– the radio transmitter (and its backup!) were both down for the afternoon until ten minutes before I went on. Fortunately, the problem with the transmitter was fixed in time so my interview could hit the airwaves. Many thanks to Steve Hiller, the host, and Michelle Strombeck of WMBI.

Here’s the segment for you to listen to in full.

-Adam Phillips, ONE’s Faith Outreach Coordinator