A couple weeks ago my colleagues Omer Ismail, John Bagwell, and I visited an extraordinary church in the middle of an Ohio corn field, Ginghamsburg Church, right outside of Dayton. Rev. Mike Slaughter, the remarkable lead pastor there, hosted a memorable and inspiring evening focusing on what Christians can do to help end the suffering in Darfur. In what is considered one of the fastest dying cities in the country because of massive job losses due to plant closures, more than one thousand people turned out on that Sunday night to learn more about how they could help their brothers and sisters in Darfur, halfway around the world. That evening, we also heard from the extraordinary Rev. Suzette Caldwell from Houston, TX, whose prayer for the people of Darfur moved many in the audience to tears and inspired everyone who heard her thoughtful words that night.
Thanks to the good folks at the Church Communication Network, more than 90 churches across the country and Canada tuned in to the live broadcast of the event. Luckily, the event was captured for posterity. As a supplement to the Christian Companion for the book I wrote with Don Cheadle called Not On Our Watch, we hope this video will serve as another powerful tool to engage the Christian community on the issue of Darfur. Check out the full broadcast at Darfur Christian Action. Here’s a glimpse: