It is sad that the David Crowder*Band is on their final tour. Not only because I really like the David Crowder*Band, but because their fans really like ONE. Armed with iPads that lit up the dark floor of Denver’s Ogden Theater, ONE leaders Megan Marsh, Joe Marsh, Valerie Bobalek and I signed up several hundred new members on Friday.
We received very few no’s from the Crowder fans and the only reason we didn’t sign up more new members was because of the limited amount of time we had.
While all good things must come to an end, I am excited to see some many new ONE memberships begin. Farewell David Crowder*Band. Welcome to the team fellow ONE members!
My name is Seth Philpott and I’m an old time friend of the David Crowder* Band and new good friend to the ONE Campaign. I am currently ONE’s voice on the ground for the David Crowder* Band’s farewell tour.
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:
Don Golden, vice president of World Relief, discusses how the famine has affected the way of life for many pastoralists living in Turkana, Kenya — and ways that we can save it.
Photo credit: World Relief
Famine. This tragic word is used now in the international media to describe the crisis unfolding in the Horn of Africa. Refugees fleeing Somalia overcrowd the Dadaab camp in Eastern Kenya and images of emaciated children reach our television screens. Aid is flowing to the camps but the need for food and water continues to outstrip the supply. It is of utmost importance that aid continues, but awareness and action must expand beyond the camps.
Joe Mason is a regional faith organizer for ONE in Missouri and is passionate about mobilizing the Church. He shares a reflection of faith and advocacy after a recent trip to the Horn of Africa below:
As I walk along the dry, dusty road that leads to Garissa, my teeth feel the gritty earth that is carried for miles across the desolate plains in the northern regions of Kenya. My mouth feels parched, and my lips are cracked. My thoughts continue to return to a plastic bottle of water purchased in Nairobi several hours earlier. I’ve only been in this harsh environment for a short amount of time, and my body is reminding me that without continued hydration, it will soon begin to suffer.
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.
