Garth Hewitt - Holy Ground Tour November 2005

7.30pm on Thursday 10th November 2005 sees the return of Garth Hewitt to St Michael's as part of his "Holy Ground" tour. An evening of songs and stories from recent journeys to Palestine/Israel and India, visiting those who feel forgotten and those who work to bring them hope...

Tickets available NOW from Jenny Dann (817337) or John Harper (813334) - £6 in advance or £7 'on the door'

Garth Hewitt on Holy Ground

Songwriter, writer and peace activist Garth Hewitt will be back on tour for the Amos Trust throughout November. Mainly in churches Garth will be performing in Stratford and Herne Hill in London, Godalming, Canterbury, Ossett and Shipley in West Yorkshire, Bedford and Shefford in Bedfordshire, Billericay, Lichfield, Bakewell in Derbyshire, Kings Heath Birmingham, Dartford, Shoreham-by-Sea, Southampton and Cambridge.

Garth's concerts always have a theme and this year the title is 'Holy Ground'. Garth will be reflecting on recent journeys to the Holy Land and to India - thinking about the struggle for peace with justice in the Holy Land and the struggles for the Dalit community (formerly called 'untouchables') in India. Garth has also been visiting Tsunami affected areas in India with Amos Trust's Indian partner Jacob Devadason, seeing people trying to rebuild their communities. His songs will tell stories of these people he has met, and the situations he has seen, and will reflect a spirituality that gives hope in difficult times. The songs will also be illustrated by images from the visits.

Garth is the director of Amos Trust that particularly works in four parts of the world - with Street Children in South Africa, among the poor in Nicaragua, with the Dalit community in India and with peace making projects among the Palestinian and Israeli communities.

Both the Dalits and the Palestinians have in common that they are forgotten communities. The Palestinians in Bethlehem, for instance, are now hidden away, imprisoned by the wall, and the Dalits are surrounded by an invisible wall that holds back their hopes and possibilities.

Garth says: 'I hope the evening will make us more aware of the needs of these communities and how we can play a part in supporting them while we also start to look forward to Advent and Christmas'.

Olive wood goods will be available on the tour from Beit Sahour and embroidery from Wi'am conflict and resolution centre in Bethlehem. These will be sold on behalf of communities in the Bethlehem areas. As Garth says: ' I hope part of our Christmas giving this year will support those imprisoned behind the wall in Bethlehem - it would be ironic and very sad if we ignored the people of Bethlehem in our carol services this year in their terrible despair. We need to remember them, pray for them, and do some act to support them as part of our Christmas giving'.

When asked why Holy Ground' is the title of this years tour Garth responded: 'it's about the earth - God's gift to us and about forgotten communities who live close to the land, cherish it and somehow make it holy in the way they live and in their struggle to survive. You see God in them and in their communities and so we can learn from them'.

Tickets available NOW from Jenny Dann (817337) or John Harper (813334) - £6 in advance or £7 'on the door'