College students attending the Passion Conference in Fort Worth… exceeded the set goal and gave over $227,000 to fund a Bible translation project in the Western African nation of Mali.

Currently, members of that particular people group in Mali have no access to the Bible in their own language. But now with the money given by students attending the Passion 2011 Fort Worth conference, the people group will receive translation of 90 Bible stories into their “heart” or native language over the next five years.

If you want to pump up your youth group by making a huge difference for the poor, contact me about holding a Harmony of Hearts event for your church this summer.

Less than 5 percent of the ticket revenue from a Carnegie Hall concert  Sunday night touted as a Haiti fund-raising event will actually go to earthquake relief, reports The New York Times.

A long-scheduled performance by the pianist Lang Lang and the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra was turned into a Haiti benefit at Mr. Lang’s request. A sell-out would bring in $190,000, but the costs of marketing, hall rental, and other overhead would leave less than $8,000 for Haiti relief, according to an accounting by CAMI Music, Mr. Lang’s management agency.

In all fairness, The Times article says that sponsors will subsidize the bottom line and the benefactor (UNICEF) is happy for the PR.  But I wonder how many people who bought a ticket know or approve of the outcome of the event?

To avoid disappointment when supporting charitable work, it’s wise to:

a)  Do some research. Do the people involved have experience in doing this kind of benefit?

b)  Read the fine print. Know where your money is going to and how much of it gets there.  Overhead & costs are to be expected, but be sure that they are reasonable and there is a projected goal or amount that goes to the charity itself.

b)  Adjust expectations.

If your church or worship team would like to hold a benefit concert with low overhead and most of the proceeds going to the poorest of the poor in Jesus’ name, please contact me.

HT:  Philanthropy Today

The Celebration Worship Team will perform along with bluegrass artists Southern Reign.

Celebration Baptist is 30 miles west of Jacksonville, just off I-10.  For a map, click here.

Thanks to Chet and Rosina Gray of Celebration Baptist for putting this together.

If your church would like to hold a benefit concert, contact me @ 1-800-391-8545 ext. 174 or via email.

Tallahassee-area band Fisher Creek is hosting a benefit concert supporting African orphans December 12.

Grace Baptist Church of Crawfordville (FL) is the venue, starting at 11:30 am.

No ticket necessary, and all proceeds will go to benefit African orphans.

Click here for more details, and Tweet – email – Facebook your friends and family near Tallahassee to join Fisher Creek & friends for a great day of music.

Rev. Thomas Park of Austin Korean Presbyterian, speaking on Mercy and Justice, incorporated a Harmony of Hearts presentation into his series concerning Core Values (other messages in the series are Outrageous Generosity and Community of Authenticity – click on links for free Mp3 download of message).

Kudos to AKP for making Texas state #5 to host a Harmony of Hearts presentation.

Contact me today to find out how you can present the responsibility and opportunity of God’s people serving the poor through music and worship.

(5 down, 45 to go)

Austin Korean Presbyterian Church leadership

(Photo cred:  AKP)

Music director and worship leader Joyclyn Wilson will be presenting our song and video Believe.  Pastor Anthony Anderson will be preaching on “The Least of These.”

I met Joyclyn at the National Worship Leader’s Conference in July, and God distinctly impressed upon her both the opportunity and need to serve the poor.

Pray that the Lord will be pleased to use this small inner-city congregation to impact the poor, and that they will catch God’s vision for worship by serving ‘the least of these.’

From small acorns mighty oaks are raised.

Thanks!

(4 states down, 46 more to go)

Pastor Harlyn Matson and I met at the Saddleback Worship Conference earlier this year, just before his trip to Burundi.  Upon viewing our music video, he immediately requested it for his church.  According to worship coordinator Mike Stonehill, there were few dry eyes in the service.

Kudos to Dr. Matson and Crossroads Community for following God’s instruction for worship by serving the poor.

To debut a Harmony of Hearts presentation in your area, click here.

Pang Yang (pictured) and I met at the National Worship Leader’s Conference in July, where she immediately caught the vision of being a music advocate for the poor.

After Pang’s presentation, she had requests for our song Believe to be translated into the Hmong language.

Thanks to Pang, Pastor Yang, and the First Hmong CMA Church in Kansas City for their vision to worship God by serving the poor.

Can your church be the first in your state to debut a Harmony of Hearts presentation?  Click Here for free materials and more information.