Sudan Songfest

I attended and sang at the Sudan Songfest at Crozet United Methodist Church on Saturday evening. The guest speaker, Mohammed Yahya, who had many family members killed during the complete destruction of his village in Darfur (while he was a student in Cairo) spoke incredibly honestly and bluntly about what needs to be done. He said (I’m paraphrasing), “Look around you. There are perhaps 100 people here. 200 people died today in Darfur. No superpower in the world is doing anything about it.” As I listened, I wondered, for the 100th time, why this story doesn’t get more attention. 2 million people have no home. Over 400,000 have been killed. The music and fellowship last night were inspiring; the offering will help. Perhaps the letters to Senator Allen and Congressman Goode will have an impact. But we really need 1,000 people, not 100, at evenings like these, at every church and town hall across the country. As Pastor Doug Forrester said, “If the people lead, the leaders will follow.” Who is ready to lead??