Vice President of the United States Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence joined Keith and Kristyn Getty on Saturday evening at the sold out Sing! An Irish Christmas concert at the Kennedy Center to present the inaugural “Sing!-Lifetime Achievement Award” to Joni Eareckson Tada.
The “Sing!” movement was created out of Keith and Kristyn Getty’s work as modern hymn writers and launched as a conference in 2017, which is now the largest Worship Conference in North America. As part of the movement, the “Sing” award has been launched to celebrate individuals who have significantly influenced the world through sung worship.
Joni Eareckson Tada has understood this mission and embodies how singing affects us as individuals, as families, as churches, and as communities. Through her singing, integrated into her life and her work, particularly with the disabled community, and she has affected countless individuals and strengthened families and improved people’s lives. She has challenged the church as a whole and has been an advocate to the culture on every level – from government, the arts and to the neediest people groups; including some of the most dangerous parts of our world. But even beyond her work, Joni, at heart, is someone who sings infectiously to her Lord as part of everyday life.
As the leadership at Getty Music talked to many of the church leaders, Bible teachers, artists, worship leaders and participants from over one hundred countries who have been a part of the first three Sing! Conferences, there was no one who had more profoundly influenced people than Joni Tada.
Keith and Kristyn Getty state, “No one has inspired us more in how singing beautifully and critically binds life and faith together than Joni Eareckson Tada. From growing up in Northern Ireland loving her story and listening to her albums as a family, to then having the privilege of meeting her, working with her and calling her a friend- that has profoundly shaped so much of how we understand the gift of singing is to all of us. Her very real love for the Lord has anchored the song of her heart and voice we all enjoy and want to join. She embodies life, life in all its fullness and is the model to the next generation of those who are leading church music.”
About Joni Eareckson Tada:
Joni is one of the world’s leading international advocates for people affected by disability. A diving accident in 1967 left her, then 17, a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. After two years of rehabilitation, she emerged with new skills and a fresh determination to help others in similar situations. She founded Joni and Friends in 1979, which quickly grew to provide Christ-centered programs to special needs families, churches, and communities. Joni survived stage III breast cancer in 2010 and still keeps a very active ministry schedule. Joni has written over 50 books, including her best-selling autobiography, Joni, which was made into a feature film. Her new award-winning daily devotional, A Spectacle of Glory, contains fresh biblical insights from her battle with cancer and chronic pain. Joni also served as General Editor of the Beyond Suffering Bible, a special edition published by Tyndale for people who suffer chronic conditions and their caregivers. She and her husband Ken were married in 1982 and reside in California.
The Sing! An Irish Christmas tour will be making stops at the Chicago Symphony Center, New York City’s Carnegie Hall along with dates in Missouri, Michigan, Indiana and culminating on the 23rd in Nashville at the Schermerhorn Center. On Friday, December 20th, please tune in TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network) to “Sing@ Live at the Grand Ole Opry House!” at 5pmPT/8pmET and 8pm PT/ 11pm ET. A special showing in the UK on Christmas Day will air at 5:00 pm GMT.