Churches raising funds for Sudan refugees

Local Lutheran churches will host a fundraising concert featuring the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers at 6 p.m. Sun., Nov. 2 in the sanctuary of Ascension Lutheran Church, 1600 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks.

The goal of the benefit is to raise $125,000 to help victims of war and poverty in the southern Sudan.

Participating churches are Ascension, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church of Thousand Oaks, Westlake Lutheran Church of Westlake Village and Mount Cross Lutheran Church of Camarillo.

The Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers is an internationally acclaimed group that performs African American folk music worldwide. The group was selected three times to serve the U.S. State Department and USIS Cultural Exchange Program in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa.

This concert will launch Ascension's annual Gifts of Hope outreach campaign.

The churches will work through Lutheran World Federation, which will use the funds to distribute farming tools, supplies and clothing to refugees in Sudan.

Suggested donation is $25 for adults, $75 for families and $15 for students.

Tickets will be available at the door or may be reserved by calling Ascension at (805) 4950406.

To hear a sample of the music of the Jubilee Singers, visit www.alcto.org.