Bands That JAM for Africa with Morgan Fisher

Hey there Rocking It Christian Style readers. Today we have something really special for you. We are doing our best here at the blog to make it something great, and with the response from you we have made some changes and have adjusted certain things all in the effort to make the read more enjoyable. We now have something even greater on the horizon, something which would mean the growth of the blog and the growth of the Christian music scene in South Africa. We are incredibly excited to welcome Morgan Fisher to RCS and we believe that God has an amazing purpose for her mission. Let's let her do the talking now...

            Hi my name is Morgan Fisher , I am 20 years old., and I am an American girl from Detroit, Michigan. I currently live in Nashville, Tennessee where I am studying Social Entrepreneurship. I enjoy graphic novels, music, and traveling. It’s a pleasure to meet your acquaintance!

When I was 12 years old, I attended take your child to work day with my mother. On that same day, an NGO called Joint Aid Management was using the office for a board meeting. I had the pleasure of crossing paths with Peter Pretorius, the founder of Joint Aid Management (JAM), that very day. JAM is a non-profit organization that feeds and educates over 1 million children in Africa every day. Peter was the first South African I had ever met. He was a powerful man with a voice that captivated the room. More importantly, he was a man that pursued God and followed his calling like nobody I have ever witnessed before. It’s impossible to meet Peter and not feel compelled to pursue a life that is a story worth living.

For two years, I carried a tin can around sharing Peter’s story hoping to fund raise whatever I could to contribute to JAMS efforts. I would share JAM in class, at youth groups, sporting events, on the sidewalk, and to anyone that was willing to listen. After two years of relentlessly working toward every $60, that would feed and educate a child per year, I found my heart beating faster for JAM. I asked God to show me a way to make a bigger impact.

I started evaluating what I was most passionate about in life. Music, Jesus, and helping people were the three things I knew my heart would beat for. I was heavily involved in the local music scene. So, I began to share the vision God put on my heart with local and touring artists. After 6 months of prayer, mentorship, and planning, Bands that JAM for Africa was birthed on July 9, 2008.

Since then, God has had His hands on BTJ4A as a ministry. We have had the delight of being featured in Seventeen Magazine and by President Obama for being an MLK Drum Major for Service. We have fed and educated over 3,000 children and have fund raised to put water wells in Angola. I have had the opportunity to visit South Africa twice. This May and June, I had the blessing of returning to Johannesburg and exploring Cape Town for the first time. I was able to see the lovely faces of the children, which I miss so dearly when I am in the states. I conducted Early Childhood Development research, connected with South African musicians, and studied religion and writing abroad.

My return to South Africa revealed so many new visions, undertakings, and hopes for the future.  God showed up on my journey and assured me that I was pursuing the call He had for me. My life verse is Philippians 4;13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Without this verse being the foundation of my faith, I am certain I would be where I am today.

With your help, we are capable of bringing a revival to South Africa, God willing. A movement of positive, Christian music is in the near future. We will see lives being transformed and renewed!

To support our mission, you can share our story on Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, at the supermarket, anywhere with anyone! We are looking for musicians, volunteers, venues, churches, and people to partner with and do life with when we bring Bands that JAM for Africa to South Africa.