Asbury For Darfur Hope Concert

The amount of money some Americans spend on a used car or a fancy high-def TV can build a kindergarten in Darfur, a western region of Sudan. That's what students at an Asbury Seminary chapel service heard last fall-only $4500 could build an entire kindergarten that would benefit children in a Sudanese refugee camp.

That explanation was all the motivation Asbury student Michelle Terwilleger needed. "I sent out an e-mail and a handful of students responded and we formed ‘Asbury for Darfur.'" The group has been raising money for the last few months, but on Friday, February 29, it hosted its biggest fundraiser yet- the Asbury for Darfur Hope Concert.

The concert was held in historic Hughes Auditorium on Asbury College's campus in Wilmore. Local artists Jason McAnally and BASIC opened the evening, followed by major Christian artists Brandon Heath and Robbie Seay Band.

The theme of the concert was "HOPE in the Desert," bringing attention to the genocide taking place in the Sudan. More than two million people have been driven from their homes and villages and about 400,000 people have died. It's easy to feel paralyzed in the face of such horror, but Asbury students are choosing to do something positive for the people trying to survive in the midst of this situation.

J.D. Walt, vice president of community life at Asbury Seminary said the concert was “sponsored by Asbury House of Prayer along with both Asbury College and Seminary. It has been student initiated, developed and led. The purpose is to raise awareness about the crisis in Darfur, to educate and enlist people in the quest to provide aid and advocacy, and to infuse hope through a concert of song and prayer."

Asbury For Darfur more than met their goal of $4,500. Thanks to efforts of students from both sides of Lexington Avenue, this event raised over $6,000 for the people of this troubled region, planting seeds of hope in the desert.

Asbury Theological Seminary

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Asbury For Darfur Hope Concert