Abraham Jam to perform interfaith concert at Westminster

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa. – Westminster College’s Office of Faith and Spirituality will host Abraham Jam in Concert at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, in the Wallace Memorial Chapel.

An interfaith worship experience, Abraham Jam will offer an evening of song, story, laughter and inspiration generated by their own relationship across lines that sometimes divide people.

Representing each of the three Abrahamic faiths—Christianity, Judaism and Islam—Abraham Jam members Billy Jonas, David LaMotte and Dawud Wharnsby create music together, contributing vocal harmonies, percussion and instrumentation to each other’s songs. They believe in the healing power of music to dissolve the illusion of separateness, song by song.

“At a point in history when divisions loom large, it is important that we not only stand in the way of actions that separate us, but also that we create those things that bring us together,” Jonas said.

Jonas, of Asheville, N.C., is an accomplished percussionist, guitar player, pianist and songwriter, as well as an educator and multi-faith advocate.

LaMotte, also of Asheville, is an award-winning songwriter, author and public speaker and the founder of an international non-profit that supports literacy and arts in Guatemala.

Wharnsby, of Kitchener, Canada, is a poet, songwriter and artist who began sharing his songs with audiences as a street performer in his late teens.

Abraham Jam originally formed in 2010 to promote interfaith respect and cooperation. They released their first album, “Abraham Jam Live,” in 2018. A studio-produced second album, “White Moon,” was released this year.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Diane Gabriel in the Office of Faith and Spirituality at 724-946-7117 or gabriedl@westminster.edu.

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