Nearly 300 students gathered on the mailbox patio last Friday for an event put on by AS called Call to Compassion. The event showcased a variety of ways for students to interact with mission organizations and also a benefit concert featuring sophomore Christian Koons, The Hong Kong Sevens and Evan Wickham, the brother of Christian artist Phil Wickham.

The most unique event at Call to Compassion was the water simulation, in which students took off their shoes and ran around the SUB carrying 60-pound water jugs. The first 88 students to participate were given the opportunity to purchase TOMS Shoes for $20 off the retail price of $45. The fastest male and female competitors were given a pair of TOMS for free. Students who purchased TOMS were given the opportunity to decorate their shoes with a variety of paints and buttons provided by TOMS Shoes.

“It was exhausting,” said junior Ashley Emerson, one of the many students who participated in the Water Simulation. “My arms started to give out near the end.”

World Vision was also at the event, informing students of its activism effort and encouraging students to sign a petition for the Child Protection Compact Act. The act would allocate $50 million dollars over the next three years to countries whose governments show political interest in implementing programs that fight against child sex exploitation and child labor.

Freshman Chantelle Bliss was promoting her group NourishNiger, which in partnership with Reach Now International, is trying raise $13,000 in order to send a shipping container full of meals to feed the impoverished people of Niger. To help raise the money needed for her cause, she sold bracelets and handmade Nigerian artisan goods.

Also at the event was a group of students traveling to the Middle East through SMU over summer. They sold t-shirts, beanies and artwork to raise funds for their trip.

Mission Year, an organization that takes young adults and puts them in a poor urban environment for a year to love and serve the people of the city, was at the event, raising awareness of their organization and giving more information to interested students.

The main attraction of Call to Compassion was the benefit concert, which was originally only supposed to feature the Robbie Seay Band. Wickham was invited when that fell through, and plans were changed yet again with the addition of two more acts to open for Wickham. Koons performed some original songs using only a sampler, a floor tom and his voice, to create a unique, almost ethereal sound.

The Hong Kong Sevens, a band of Emerson residents, rocked the night with a set of blues-rock inspired songs that pleased the crowd. They closed their set with a mash up of “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears and “Poker Face” by Lady Gaga that got many students singing along.

Evan Wickham took the stage last and brought a worshipful atmosphere to the place. His music provided a fitting backdrop to the tone of the event. He encouraged the students in attendance to worship with Him, and make God the center of the night.

Originally, SMU was planning a benefit concert at Emerson Hall for one of the teams that featured both Christian Koons and The Hong Kong Seven, but the two concerts were scheduled for the same night, and rather than having two different, competing concerts on the same night, they joined forces.

“Students should realize that these call to compassion are really the calls of Jesus Christ commissioning us to join in what he is doing,” said Evan Wickham, when asked what students should do in response to the event. “The cool thing is, you can delight yourself in the Lord, and embark on one of the journeys of these causes and know that Jesus is already involved.”