What a great weekend! Friday night at Seattle Mennonite, Saturday evening at the Hess Yoder place, Sunday morning at Lebanon Mennonite, and Sunday evening at Albany Mennonite. We had the privilege of singing to more than 400 people, meeting really amazing folks, listening to Abe Janzen (MCCA Executive Director) inspire and challenge the crowds (and us) to respond to the crisis of AIDS.
Each concert had a group of volunteers who organized and advertised the events. Bob and Barb Buxman (MCC West Coast) worked for months prior, both with the committee's and with raising funds, and attended each of the events, representing MCC, giving greetings, selling cds, doing so much in front and behind the scenes. By the end of the weekend, more than $53,000 was raised for the Generations program!
One of my favourite moments at each of the concerts was the offering time. Just in front of the stage were large baskets, and people were invited to come forward (some people even danced forward!) and give their offerings as Darryl and I sang a song. This is a common practice in many churches around the world, but not so common in Mennonite churches. We experienced this in Kenya, and were inspired by the public show of commitment and accountability of giving. In North America, we tend to view our giving as private and personal. In Kenya, what we saw was a public commitment to sharing what was available with the church community. Everyone gave something. The amount didn't matter. Giving mattered. This is what we saw this weekend, and it was overwhelming to watch.
Thanks, Bob and Barb, the committee's, our hosts, and all the good people who came to listen and give!
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