Last year, junior Tyler Duerr, senior Andrew Rurik and Buchanan High School senior Josh Ansiel hosted an event called “We Are One,” encouraging church unity through a night of worship and charity fund-raising. Here, bassist Ansiel reflects on the experience and details the upcoming “Hope for Haiti” benefit concert, to be held on campus, Feb. 11.

The first “We Are One,” held Dec. 5, 2008, was a day I will remember for the rest of my life. As event director and co-founder, our debut worship event was a nerve-wracking process that produced an amazing night of fellowship, prayer and social justice. To think that all of these things were the result of an idea that my friends and I pursued is nothing short of amazing to me.

However, “We Are One” 2008 wasn’t just a great night of music; it was a starting point. Using the experience we gained organizing the first event, we’ve been able to progress “We Are One” to so much more than just a single event.

In many ways, we’re taking the concepts of unity, worship and justice, and pushing them to the forefront of our community. From the very begining, “We Are One” has been about taking churches which rarely interact with each other, and bringing them together for one common purpose.

However, the biggest struggles we have faced when planning these events have not been choosing set lists or talking to charity representatives. The greatest struggles have been those generated by uncertainty and lack of direction.

Right after the first “We Are One” in 2008, we were so excited to begin preparations for the next event. We took some time off and then began the discussion on how to make this year’s event even better.

To be blunt, we had nothing. Nothing came across our minds as to how we could improve our events and that lack of direction cast a shadow over us for quite a while.

After months of prayer and self-discovery, the “We Are One” team came together to begin planning the next event, and as things would turn out, this year we’re organizing not just one, but two large worship events. Because of the uncertainty surrounding the future of the “We Are One,” the fact that we’re putting on two worship events this year is truly amazing.

“We Are One: Hope for Haiti” will be held at 6:30 p.m., Feb. 11 at Ground Zero, and will be benefitting such organizations as Convoy of Hope, Christ in Action and World Vision. There will also be a bake sale, which will benefit Convoy of Hope.

The next “We Are One” event will be held at Eaton Plaza in downtown Fresno with the support of mayor Ashley Swearengin, and will be April 16. The event will focus on tackling homelessness in Fresno County, on-site in the center of downtown.

For more information, read the Dec. 5 2009 article, ‘We Are One’ to unify church body or check out “Hope for Haiti’s Facebook page. For more about Haiti, read the Jan. 19 article, Haitian earthquake impacts Valley residents.