So you want to Take Action, but don't know how to act? You want to serve others, but aren't sure how to begin? The Take Action Heroes are here to help.

None of these people do acts of love and justice for recognition, but we point to them as models of following Jesus into the hardest places. "The purpose of influence," Rick Warren has said, "is to speak up for those who have no influence." Each of these "heroes" has done just that with a unique mixture of vision, ingenuity, and sacrifice. Each has added to our understanding of how the gospel is at work in the world. They have devoted their lives to serving others ahead of themselves.

Our first eight "heroes" are just a list to get your thinking started. Do you know someone who really knows how to take action? Add your candidates to the comments below, and we may feature your choice in future updates.

Bono

Not many rock stars are known for their social activism as much as they are for their music. But the lead singer of the enduring band U2 has become a symbol for social justice by transforming his art into action. Bono has been known to lead crowds in chanting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and he's become a regular presence at the United Nations, congressional meetings, World Bank gatherings, and more. In the last few years, virtually every head of state has had a Bono moment—either by meeting him or being called out by him to do a better job of caring for a the world's most needy.

In Words:
“God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them."

In Deeds:
Launched ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History
Founded the Product (Red) initiative to raise money for fighting AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis in Africa
Founded EDUN, an ethical clothing line

Learn more:
Bono's sites: DATA, ONE: The Campaign to Make Poverty History, Product (Red) initiative
Time magazine 2004 cover story
Follow ONE and RED on Facebook, and EDUN on Twitter


Steven Curtis Chapman

After adopting three children, Christian musician Steven Curtis Chapman was inspired to help other families embrace the miracle of adoption. Together with his family, he established a foundation named after his first adopted daughter from China, Shaohannah’s Hope, which helps families overcome the costly barriers to adoption. In 2008, the Chapmans' youngest daughter, Maria Sue, was killed in a tragic car accident. Despite their unimaginable grief, the family founded a memorial fund in Maria’s name and raised over $750,000 to help more families in the adoption process. Chapman is also building a care home for orphans and disabled children in China, which will be called Maria’s House of Hope.

In Words:
“Caring for these children is not the job of government or institutions; instead, it is the job of families, people and communities. And even more than it being our job, it is a privilege and blessing that is ours to experience and receive.”

In Deeds:
Established Shaohannah’s Hope, a foundation to help Christian families adopt by providing financial grants
Founded an international memorial fund and a home for orphans in China called Maria’s House of Hope

Learn More:
Shaohannah’s Hope
Steven Curtis Chapman’s Official Website
Follow Steven Curtis Chapman on Twitter and Facebook


Lisa Sharon Harper

In less than three years, Lisa Sharon Harper and her small staff at NY Faith & Justice have established a thriving network of churches, organizations, and individuals dedicated to ending poverty in the New York City area. Lisa has inspired New Yorkers to educate, advocate and rebuild their community on the vision of Isaiah 61 through simple actions such as prayer vigils, community organizing, and uniting local pastors and faith leaders over quarterly breakfasts to address issues of environmental injustice. Her organization helped launch Faith Leaders for Environmental Justice to address alarming levels of diabetes and unthinkable rates of children dying from asthma in underserved African-American and Latino communities. NY Faith & Justice also launched the Hunger Crisis Action Tank to reveal the face of hunger to NYC businesses, and Conversations for Change to help local residents and police officers dialogue productively.

In Words:
“What if the body of Christ came together in all its diversity? And what if that diverse body spoke with one voice about one thing—poverty?”

In Deeds:
Cofounder and executive director of NY Faith and Justice
Co-founded Faith Leaders for Environmental Justice
Former Director of Racial Reconciliation, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship-Greater Los Angeles
Author of Evangelical Does Not Equal Republican...or Democrat

Learn More:
NY Faith & Justice
Follow Lisa Sharon Harper on Facebook


Gary Haugen


When the young lawyer Gary Haugen was sent to investigate the Rwandan genocide in 1994, he says he was confronted by the power of lawlessness. He founded the International Justice Mission to right the wrongs he saw during that trip. IJM is a different kind of justice organization: it doesn't just raise money or distribute goods—it tries to change whole countries by ensuring that the poor are protected by the laws on the books. IJM works in Asia, Africa and Latin America to secure justice for the victims of slavery, sexual oppression and other forms of violent oppression. The organization has nearly 300 lawyers and human rights professionals who undertake dogged legal work to fight injustice for young girls trapped in brothels, children exploited in sweatshops, and families whose property has been unlawfully seized by their landlords.

In Words:
“The thing I remember so profoundly during my time in Rwanda is when I was working as the chief investigative officer for the genocide. They were recreating the crime scenes, where hundreds of thousands of people were being murdered by their neighbors. And I had this feeling that there was someone who had witnessed all that, and that was my God.”

In Deeds:
Founded the International Justice Mission, which fights injustice in international courts
Worked for the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, based in New York
Authored a number of books about human rights issues and social justice for contemporary Christian living 

Learn more:
International Justice Mission
The IJM Institute
Profile of Gary Haugen in the New Yorker:
Follow IJM on Twitter and Facebook


Sammy Mah

In 2005, Sammy Mah left his executive position of 27 years at General Motors to become CEO of World Relief, a Christian organization that has been serving victims of violence, poverty, sickness and persecution for over half a century. World Relief empowers local churches to serve the most vulnerable and transform them economically, socially, and spiritually. Each year, they help 10,000 refugees fleeing persecution and war integrate into the United States via a network of church-based volunteers. The organization also seeks to end the spread of AIDS and promotes non-profit microfinance, sustainable agriculture practices, and education in developing countries.

In Words:
“We visited the home of a beautiful young woman and her little daughter in a tiny impoverished village [in Rwanda]. She was dying of AIDS in this little mud hut that was so small we could not stand upright. People from the local church have dedicated themselves to care for her as well as plan her daughter’s future. She now has life eternal because of the great light that has been poured into her life from the church empowered by the World Relief staff. Isn’t this the way the Lord would have us live our lives in the ‘real’ world?” 

In Deeds:
Before World Relief, he built churches, homes and Bible camps in Reynosa, Mexico
Served as youth leader in Tyumen, Siberia
Junior high youth group leader at his local church, growing the program from around 40 to over 120 to youth

Learn More:
World Relief
Follow Sammy Mah on Facebook


Catherine Rohr

This former Wall Street investor never expected to spend her life rehabilitating criminals. But on a visit to a Texas correctional facility in 2004, Rohr found that she could no longer turn a blind eye to America’s prison problem. One out of every 100 people in this country—roughly 23 million Americans—is currently in jail, creating a bottomless drain on our economic and social resources. Rohr saw a glorious opportunity to use her business experience to educate and reform prisoners. She quit her job, moved to Texas, and founded the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP), an organization that offers inmates MBA-level curriculum and one-on-one mentoring. Rohr's efforts have paid off—PEP participants have a 98% employment rate and have launched dozens of small businesses.

In Words:
“As a professing Christian who was quick to talk about God’s grace, I still had totally written off this population. These men are already proven entrepreneurs, so we are just using their existing passions and skill sets, and redirecting them.” 

In Deeds:
Founded the Prison Entrepreneurship Program

Learn More:
Prison Entrepreneur Program
MSNBC's coverage of Rohr's work
Follow Catherine Rohr on Facebook


Joni Eareckson Tada

At only 17, a diving accident made Joni Eareckson Tada a quadriplegic. After writing a book and movie that catapulted her onto the national stage, she founded Joni and Friends in 1979 to bring Christian ministry to the disability community. Since then, Joni has worked tirelessly to fight for the rights and spiritual needs of disabled people throughout the world, influencing both the church and government to take action on disability issues. She created the International Disability Center and Wheels for the World, a program that has refurbished and donated over 52,000 wheelchairs worldwide. Joni also served on the National Council on Disability, and has become a renowned author and painter.

In Words:
“You might not be paralyzed like me, in a wheelchair. But perhaps you feel handicapped, or even crippled by your own life circumstances, whatever they might be. Well, friend, let me assure you that the same God of the universe who enables me to smile, sitting in a wheelchair, is the same God who can power you in your own limitations. “

In Deeds:
Founded Joni and Friends (JAF) to bring Christian ministry to the disability community
Created the International Disability Center (IDC)
Started Wheels for the World, a program that refurbishes and donates wheelchairs to people in developing nations

Learn More:
Joni & Friends
Follow Joni Eareckson Tada on Facebook


Jamie Tworkowski

Jamie Tworkowski is the founder of To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), an anti-depression and anti-suicide movement that started as an eponymous short story about Tworkowski’s effort to help a friend. Tworkowski soon realized that he wanted to do more than tell a story, and as he created t-shirts to raise money for people struggling with depression, addiction, and self-injury, TWLOHA quickly became an international movement. With support from bands like Switchfoot and Anberlin, TWLOHA has delivered the message of hope to millions of young people around the world.

In Words:
“I believe in honesty and community, that we were created to love and to be loved by other people, to know and be known. We weren't meant to be alone.”

In Deeds:
Founder of To Write Love On Her Arms

Learn More:
Tworkowski's interview on CNN
Follow TWLOHA on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter

Come back soon for more, and don't forget to nominate your Take Action Heroes below.

Photos:
Bono by Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Steven Curtis Chapman by Rick Hoganson
Lisa Sharon Harper by Annie Michaels
Gary Haugen by Brian Tropiano/©International Justice Mission
Sammy Mah by Nerea Thigo
Catherine Rohr by Trevor Kobrin
Joni Eareckson Tada by Mike Yuen