CompassionArt: The story so far

|PIC1|For Delirious? frontman Martin Smith, music has always been the balm he's used to share a message of hope in a hurting world. And for more than a decade now, Delirious? has not only provided the soundtrack for Sunday morning services and played thousands of electrifying shows for millions of fans in clubs and churches worldwide, but the band has always challenged its audience to be "history makers"-people who look beyond their own needs to make a tangible difference in the lives of others.

But miles away from the bright lights of the stage, his hope-fuelled lyrics and the sheer exhilaration of playing rock 'n' roll to crowds of adoring fans, Smith, in his own heart, was still wrestling with a troubling dichotomy in his continued quest to be a history maker.

While he was nestled comfortably in the confines of five-star accommodations, many of those he was reaching out to, particularly in his international travels, were living in slums. If that wasn't a shocking-enough reality check for the father of six, he also met an abundance of mothers and their young children, caught up in the horrifying, dangerous life of sex trade in India. And in Phnom Penh, a poverty-ravaged locale Smith visited in Cambodia, children were routinely digging through rubbish dumps just to find anything resembling food to make it through another day.

Having such an up-close-and-personal encounter with unbelievable tragedy was heartbreaking to say the least and served as a giant wake-up call.

Unable to reconcile his comfortable life with that of "the least of these," Smith knew something truly unique, something life-changing, needed to be done to help. So Smith decided to give back with what's he's been given-a platform, a microphone and a knack for writing songs that connect with the heart-and boldly asked 11 of his fellow musician friends to do the same.

Then in an unprecedented move, he asked these friends, some of the most gifted, well-known and busiest songwriters in the world, to clear their schedules and join him for a songwriter's retreat in a quaint, little Scottish town of Perthshire. During a week-long span, they'd collaborate on songs for a release where none of them would see a penny for all the hard work invested. Instead, 100% of the song royalties would benefit the poorest of the poor around the world.

And surprisingly, one by one, each artist replied with a resounding "Yes!"

Like anything that's really worth pursuing, the rather ambitious idea behind what ended up being called CompassionArt almost seemed too big to actually work. But Smith and his wife Anna weren't about to let the complicated logistics of setting up the infrastructure of a global charity scare them off. And for the better of a part of a year and a half, they worked through most of the red tape.

Then in what Smith described as a "truly pinch-myself moment", the artists, which included Paul Baloche, Steven Curtis Chapman, Delirious? band mate Stu G, Israel Houghton, Tim Hughes, Graham Kendrick, Andy Park, Matt Redman, Michael W Smith and Darlene Zschech, began arriving in Scotland with a slew of great song ideas in tow.

Later on sessions at the famed Abbey Road studio in London and in Christian music's hometown in Nashville would feature fruitful collaborations with Chris Tomlin and a slew of genre-defining guest artists including Kirk Franklin, Amy Grant, Joel Houston Leeland Mooring, Christy Nockels, tobyMac and CeCe Winans.

While pairing well-respected artists together could've easily led to some gossip-worthy diva moments, that was hardly the case with CompassionArt. With the endgame, namely the four main charities and their individual charities they decided to support always in the forefront of their minds, the ideas flowed fast and freely.

"I love the team dynamic of CompassionArt. The common dream we have to reach out to the world's poor through this vision made for lots of inspiring moments in both the song writing stage and in the studio," says Redman. "One of my favourite moments was gathering around the piano with Martin, Israel, Tim and Paul and writing 'King of Wonders', a song which started off when Steven and I wrote together. It was a great memory-friendship, worship, music and compassion all blended into one."

The pervasive sense of community was also what resonated most with Baloche. "From beginning to end the CompassionArt project has felt like the heart of God expressed through music, friendship and charity," he says. "I've never experienced such a sense of unity as we spent the week writing songs and recording them for the benefit of others. I pray the church will get behind this as all the royalties will go to help the poorest of the poor."

Now with the 14-track album, CompassionArt, hitting store shelves and your favourite retailers on November 24, 2008, everyone who cares about the plight of the poor, suffering and disenfranchised can be a vital part of this landmark event, simply by purchasing the project.

One half of the proceeds over the songs' lifetimes will be divided among four charities. Through the work of India and Cambodia: Hand of Hope, relief and restoration will be offered for families caught up in Mumbai's sex trade and food and education will be provided to suffering children in Phnom Penh. With Brazil: Ray of Hope, a team gathers at the river to provide food, education, medical aid and everyday essentials to those in remote locations deep into the jungle. To rally against the trafficking of people, an ordinary group of activists with Stop the Traffik is a global movement with more than 1,000 member organisations in 50 countries. Finally, Uganda: Watoto helps restore hope to people whose lives are constantly marked with suffering. By providing creative life centres, Watato encourages artistic education and plans for a better future for all.

Together, these artists have discovered they can accomplish so much more, which is why the work of CompassionArt has been such a meaningful, life-long investment of their time.

"The recording process might be over, but the real work of CompassionArt has just begun," says Zschech. "Our heart and mission to relieve human suffering means for the rest of our lives we will live with our hearts fuelled in worship to have our lives poured out in service. I pray for continued wisdom and revelation, and for great grace and kindness, as justice makes a way for those who until now have only known grave suffering."