Date/Time
Date(s) - 10 Nov 2011
8:00 PM - 8:00 PM
8pm All Saints Church The Drive Hove, East Sussex BN3 3QE Tickets: £7.50 – concessions £5 Tel: 01273 733331 
Garth Hewitt – Biography – January 2011 Singer, songwriter and author Garth Hewitt is the Director of Amos Trust, the human rights organization which he founded in 1985 and which celebrated its 25th year last year. Writing and recording songs for over 35 years, he has released over 30 albums. He has also written nine books, the most recent being Bethlehem Speaks: Voices from the Little Town Cry Out, which is a series of interviews with Christian Palestinians in Bethlehem (SPCK 2008).
His books of prayers, Making Holy Dreams Come True (SPCK 2006) and Holy Dreams to feed the Soul (SPCK 2007) are illustrated with photographs by Wilf Whitty, offering vividly illustrated meditations that draw our attention to particular situations overseas. Garth Hewitt’s latest album Moonrise is joyful yet peaceful. It is a burst of happiness. It shows Garth at his best – relaxed, poetic, humourous and prayerful. It is an insight into the spirituality that drives Garth – reflecting the inspiration of silence, his love of the beauty of nature and of prayer, yet his constant commitment to the ways of justice and peace. In 2009 Garth released the CD, Gaza, Palestine, an EP of six songs about Gaza, created to highlight the impact of the situation in Gaza; four of the songs are Garth’s including a new one written after he received a letter from Father Musallam, a priest in Gaza. He has also included a song by Martyn Joseph, and a Palestinian lament by Reem Kelani.
Garth is very committed to Amos Trust’s latest initiative “A Just peace for Palestine”. This is a campaign for faith communities to respond to the Kairos Palestine document from Christian leaders and theologians in Palestine, which is a call to recognise that “the Israeli occupation is a sin against God”. AJPFP is trying to guide people as to how to respond to this. Previous albums have included “Stealing Jesus Back”, “Bethlehem, Palestine” and “30” – a compilation double album of songs stretching back 30 years; also “The Dalit Drum” with Paul Field. Garth has done a series of albums called Journeys: “Journeys Africa,” “Journeys Holy Land,” and “Journeys Latin America”. Garth’s rootsy storytelling songs are influenced by country, folk and blues and in 1988 Garth received the International Artist Award from the Gospel Music Association in Nashville.
In the past 30 years Garth’s songs have been covered by other artists including Sir Cliff Richard, who sang Garth’s song “A World of Difference“ at Live Aid, and also recorded “Under the Influence (Now you see me…. now you don’t)”. Garth is the Guild Vicar of All Hallows on the Wall in the City of London – a centre for organisations involved in issues of justice and art. He is also an honorary Canon of St George’s Cathedral, Jerusalem. In 2006 he was given special creditation by the House of Poets in Ramallah, West Bank for his ‘positive attitude towards the Palestinian people and their struggle towards freedom and justice’. He is a Patron of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and in 2007 Garth was given an award by the British relief and development agency Interpal for his ‘longstanding commitment to the Palestinian people through both the relief and awareness work done by his charity, the Amos Trust, and also for his personal commitment through songs and telling the stories of ordinary Palestinians and their daily struggles’. Martin Smith from Delirious? recently spoke warmly of the influence of Garth & his music:
“I remember being at Greenbelt Festival when I was a kid and seeing Garth Hewitt on stage. He was banging on about Christians having a heart for the poor and saving the world and frankly I didn’t get any of it. Garth has always been ahead of his time and we are all catching up with what God has been saying through Garth for the last 30 years. I wish I had listened closer standing in that field, but it sometimes takes a lifetime to recognise a true prophet. It is people like Garth who make us look at the world differently and realise what it is to be a true Christian.”