What is ONE Sabbath?

ONE Sabbath - along with its companion Muslim and Hindu programs ONE Sadaqa and ONE Seva - rallies individuals and congregations of all faiths to raise awareness and advocate on behalf of people living in extreme poverty and struggling against preventable diseases. Using ONE Sabbath tools, churches and houses of worship respond through advocacy to such global challenges as AIDS, malaria, lack of clean water and children out of school.

How can a congregation participate in ONE Sabbath?

To participate in ONE Sabbath, you can:

Hold a service - Congregations can incorporate the issues of extreme poverty through prayer, scripture readings, songs and sermons. ONE offers service guides to help you get started.

Youth Groups - Get the upcoming generation of leaders to take action on issues of global poverty and disease. ONE.org has a toolkit designed especially for youth groups.

Small Groups - The small group setting is great for having a discussion about the issues, advocacy and what you and your church can do to get involved.

We invite you and your congregation to decide what type of ONE Sabbath event makes the most sense for you.

Go to http://www.one.org/us/onesabbath to learn more and sign up.

ONE offers participating individuals and congregations the tools to respond and make a difference within their own faith tradition. These tools, which can be found at ONE.org/onesabbath, include:

ONE Sabbath is about advocacy. It's about raising your voice and enlisting your congregation to speak out to our neighbors and leaders in support of proven methods for tackling poverty. In doing so, participants in ONE Sabbath mobilize needed support behind effective global poverty-fighting efforts that are saving lives, putting children in school and creating opportunity.

ONE is a secular organization with deep roots in the faith community. Our members include people of faith as well as those who profess no faith. We know that communities of faith are central advocates in this effort, the global movement to end needless poverty and disease. To succeed, this effort needs every willing voice. ONE Sabbath is an effective way people of faith can lend their voices and meaningfully contribute.

ONE is a grassroots campaign and advocacy organization backed by more than 2 million people from around the world and all walks of life who are committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Cofounded by Bono and other campaigners, ONE is nonpartisan and works closely with African policy makers and activists.

We hold world leaders to account for the commitments they've made to fight extreme poverty, and we campaign for better development policies, more effective aid and trade reform. We also support greater democracy, accountability and transparency to ensure policies to beat poverty are implemented effectively. ONE works closely with policy experts, African leaders, and anti-poverty activists to mobilize public opinion in support of tested and proven methods for tackling poverty. At ONE, we believe the fight against poverty is not about charity, but about justice and equality.

ONE members mobilize at key moments - when a critical piece of legislation is up for a vote in Congress, or when world leaders gather at important summits like the G8, or when an emergency occurs like the global food crisis. Online at ONE.org and working on the ground in local communities, ONE members take action to ensure the issues of the poorest of the poor - issues that can often go unnoticed - are heard by our neighbors and addressed by our leaders. By taking part in ONE Sabbath, churches, temples, synagogues and mosques will make a vital contribution to this movement and make a difference in the fight against poverty and disease.

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From:   one.org