Though none of us alone can tackle the massive injustice and poverty that shatters so many, together we are a force for good that exponentially increases our opportunity to lift those in need.
For us at Passion, being a movement for Jesus means loving the things He loves and moving where He moves in an effort to make Him happy and bring His light and love to all people of the world. Knowing that Jesus always moves to the weak, the poor, the prisoner and to those without a voice, Do Something Now has become a vital part of the fabric of every Passion gathering.
Over the four days of Passion 2011 Atlanta, over 22,000+ were rocked to the core and united for the world. We were challenged to partner with amazing organizations to fund ten local/global causes at a cost of $470,000.
Here’s what happened:
Cause//Goal//Given
Homeless//Towels and Socks for Atlanta area shelters. Given: 18,400 towels and 88,000 pairs of socks!
Clean water//$75,000 for 15 wells in villages in India. Given: 24 wells!
Micro-finance//200 small business loans for Afghan entrepreneurs totaling $40,000.
Given: 387 loans!
Bibles//20,000 New Testaments to unreached in Colombia at $20,000. Given: 31,554 New Testaments!
Feeding Children//Feed 1,000 at risk children in South Africa for one year at $50,000. Given: Feeding 2,225 children!
Homes//Build 15 homes in Haiti at $54,000. Given: 39 homes!
Sponsor Children//Sponsor 150 children and provide family essentials at a cost of $100,00. Given: 442 children sponsored!
Human trafficking//Restoration and a future for 10 girls trapped in sex slavery in Bolivia at a cost of $36,000. Given: 22 girls rescued/restored!
Surgeries for Children//$50,000 to fund 50 Hydrocephalus surgeries in Uganda. Given: 141 surgeries!
Rescue women//$45,000 to fund 10 rescue operations to free sex slaves in the Philippines (each operation frees 15 women on average). Given: 29 rescue operations!
Plus, College fund for Haitian earthquake survivor, Therissa Leo. Given: $23,106!
(This was not planned beforehand or factored into the $470,000 goal.)
Total Given at Passion 2011 Atlanta: $1,167,249.24
If you are wondering if your eyes are playing tricks on you, students/leaders/volunteers at Passion 2011 Atl gave over $1.1 million for the last and least of these in Jesus’ name. While the dollar amount is staggering, we cannot begin to quantify the intangible value of students connecting with those who will benefit from these gifts by writing a note/prayer to women being rescued, praying over a Bible or weeping for a family or a nation.
Do Something Now = worship + justice, what we believe God wants most from us. Something beautiful has shifted and we will never be the same. Stay connected and share Do Something Now with your friends and family who were not a part of Passion 2011 Atlanta at our new site: DoSomethingNow.com.
Thank You Jesus, for loving and rescuing us, and for giving us the chance to invest our money and our lives in the things that matter most in the end!
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Through Jesus, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, which is the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good, and sharing with others, for with these sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:15-16
January 7th, 2011 at 10:25 AM
Praise the Lord!
January 7th, 2011 at 10:25 AM
Praise the Lord! How wonderful it was to be such a small part of something so big! It has been so hard to articulate to people what happened at Passion, but I think I’ll just send them this link!
January 7th, 2011 at 10:26 AM
im still at tears going back to the scenes of Passion 2011, as we welcomed Jesus with our praises! more importantly, now others will also get the opportunity to share His love and one day, know Him deepy through these offerings!
January 7th, 2011 at 10:31 AM
There are really no words to express other than, WOW and AMAZING!!
So blessed to serve at the conference and to watch a student’s eyes light up in worship!
January 7th, 2011 at 10:32 AM
AMAZING! I am so excited to have been a part of this and to have carried Jesus through acts of justice.
January 7th, 2011 at 10:46 AM
I’m unable to attend Passion 2012, because I will be a graduate. So I’m going to be a volunteer! I have been to the last two Passions and God’s Glory is praised so awesomely. I cannot wait to volunteer and serve the college students. I’m saving up for next year, I don’t even want it the pay checks. I want to go on the rescue missions to save the women, I want to dig the wells. Until I can get out there, I’m giving to Do Something Now. My heart is in anguish thinking about the people out there without Jesus.
January 7th, 2011 at 10:47 AM
Wow….GLORY to God!!! Incredibly humbled & thankful to have been a part of this…expectation is even higher as prayers go up for Ft. Worth!
January 7th, 2011 at 11:01 AM
Only God could do this – only God! He blows me away.
When Louie shared the numbers on Tuesday, I kept thinking…”My God is greater! My God is stronger! My God is higher than any other!” He showed up and He showed off. Thanks be to God!
January 7th, 2011 at 11:13 AM
This is truly amazing and has brought such joy to my heart! Thank you for sharing about His power and what can be done by people who love Jesus. A most refreshing (and much needed) blog post!
January 7th, 2011 at 11:33 AM
That, my brothers ans sisters, is sooooooo Go Jesus!!!!
January 7th, 2011 at 11:43 AM
Amazing! It’s all about Jesus and we being his body on the earth! Praise God! So happy!
Rodrigo – Sao Paulo, Brasil
January 7th, 2011 at 1:52 PM
And who says that poor college students cant make a difference! All the glory goes to our AMAZING GOD!!!
January 7th, 2011 at 2:21 PM
Our God is GREATER! I was privileged to be a part of Passion2011 (as a group leader) and was truly humbled and moved to tears multiple times while visiting the Do Something Now area. I was so blessed to be able to give alongside the thousands of others, and days later I am left with one thought: Imagine what could happen if all of us who have full time jobs with steady incomes would give in this fashion? Thanks be to God for expanding my world beyond just Atlanta!
January 7th, 2011 at 3:41 PM
I’m in tears rejoicing over the way the Spirit moved in the hearts of those students. Oh what joy! May His name be proclaimed and known in every dark corner of this world. We are a force to be reckoned with.
January 7th, 2011 at 5:35 PM
I was floored… Together we REALLY ARE a force for good! It’s not just a slogan!
Thank you, Jesus!
January 8th, 2011 at 11:28 AM
Last year, we had someone match our giving, which was amazing. But this year, God proved that all we need is HIS treasury account, and we can do amazing things for Him by faith! I was crying when Louie read the totals, & now this is even greater! Our God is good, & He has not given up on the poor of this world!
January 8th, 2011 at 3:37 PM
This is so amazing! All I can think of is Romans 8:31 “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Don’t count this generation out!!
To Jesus be the glory!
January 8th, 2011 at 4:15 PM
Amazing! To Jesus be the Glory!
For next year we’re working on getting a large group of people from Philadelphia, PA to join us at the Georgia Dome for Passion 2012! After experiencing Passion 2011 for the first time, I believe every young adult should experience that level of learning, worship, and fellowship because it’s a life changing experience. So pray for us as we gather our group coming from Philly!
January 10th, 2011 at 12:47 PM
I was a “blue shirt” Touch Team volunteer for my third year. This generation is truly a special “chosen generation” as evidenced by their excitement for Jesus AND their incredible generosity in the name of Jesus! I love being a Door Holder for you!!
January 10th, 2011 at 11:55 PM
PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!! I was awaiting these results to see what they would yield. I am in utter sock! I attended Passion 2010 and if I recall correctly, $640,000 or somewhere in that neighborhood was given by the 22,000 in attendance prior to someone matching that amount. From just the 22,000 that were there alone just one year later, we practically doubled the amount that was given without anyone matching it.
Praise be to God and all glory, honor, and worship to Him! This is amazing and again, I’m still in shock! WWWWWWOOOOOO!
January 11th, 2011 at 10:11 PM
Amazing news ! Praise the Lord!
January 11th, 2011 at 11:48 PM
Praise God for these incredibly generous hearts! I was so blessed to be a “door holder” for these amazing students, and seeing all of the GOOD they did that weekend gives me so much HOPE for this generation!!
January 18th, 2011 at 2:56 PM
What an amazing, life-changing, mind-blowing experience!!!! I will NEVER be the same!!! Words cannot express the sheer joy and amazement of gathering with thousands of Christ-followers who are ON FIRE for HIM!!! What an encouragement!! This will truly be a year to remember, one that has BIG plans in store for all of us!! I am counting down the days till next year!!!!!
January 18th, 2011 at 5:04 PM
Ok, this is SOOOOO awesome! I wasnt able to be there, but I still want to give to some of these causes… Is there anyway I can still give weekly or monthly?? Please let me know!!