Tucked on the hillside of a landscape that more resembled a treed African savannah then the middle of Texas, our friends Steve and Nancye Drukker hosted more than 50 of their closest friends and family for a special Father’s Day house concert earlier this week in Boerne, Texas.

It was apparent from the moment that guests started arriving that this was a close-knit community that was ready to join with Blood:Water and Jars of Clay in helping to end the HIV/AIDS and water crises.

As the band played, Jars of Clay’s Dan Haseltine weaved in stories of the beginnings of Blood:Water and the importance community continues to play in creating sustainable change in Africa. And as the night went on, we began to speak about how the community of Boerne and the communities we serve aren’t that much different.

Our partner in Zambia for instance serves a community of just about the exact same size of Boerne (pop. 13,000). Both communities are filled with smart, creative, and hardworking people trying to provide for their families. It wasn’t hard to see that this night provided a unique opportunity for one community in America to reach one community in Africa and help change lives.

The people of Boerne responded to the call to help a community in Africa. They raised $20,000 that will be used to ensure friends like ours in Kaloko have the same opportunities as our friends in Boerne.

House concerts like these have quickly become some of my most favorite and treasured times with Blood:Water. If you are interested in hosting an event like this with Jars of Clay or another artist, please email me at [email protected], and I can share with you more about how we can engage your community.