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For Immediate Release: 16 May 2015

Christian rock bands Mercy Ships philanthropy song

Kiwi musician Peter Woolston is about to release his latest album release, Hope On My Horizon, but he’s giving fans a bit of a taster with the release of the Mercy Ships video for his title track.

Beneath Woolston’s alt rock tunes and catchy hooks lies a worthy ulterior motive. Woolston has partnered with Mercy Ships, coming aboard as their Musical Ambassador. To help Mercy Ships continue to provide free surgeries and life-changing medical care to some of the poorest people in the world, Woolston is ‘rocking the boat’ by donating 50% of EP, CD and iTunes profits from the song Hope On My Horizon to the floating hospital.

Mercy Ships is Africa’s medical God-send. Since 1978, the floating hospital has performed more than one billion dollars’ worth of life-changing medical services on hundreds of thousands of the world’s poorest people – all for free.

Yup, you read that right. Mercy Ships is powered by voluntary medical professionals from more than 40 nations all over the world, including New Zealand. The crew pay their way and perform vital – often life-saving – medical services including cleft lip and palate corrections, cataract removals, straightening of crossed eyes, and orthopaedic and facial reconstruction, all at no charge to the patient.

The powerful video for Hope On My Horizon takes you behind the scenes of Mercy Ships to see the sheer number of people who rely on the free life-changing procedures they provide. While some of the images aren’t for the faint-hearted, they provide a humbling eye-opening reality to the staggering need and desperation of people who don’t have access to the kind of medical care the Western world takes for granted.

But making a difference doesn’t come cheap. And that’s where Peter Woolston comes in.

“My first connection with Mercy Ships was in 1983 and I was amazed at how practical Christianity aligned with caring for the poor and needy,” says Woolston.

“My wife worked with Mercy Ships before we met, and we have stayed engaged with Mercy Ships since, eager to hear about the radical impact being made in the lives of the poorest of the poor.”

“My songs tell the stories of life – the good and the bad – pointing to hope and courage with lyrics that are distinctive to how I write as a songwriter. I connect with fans one person at a time in an honest and authentic way, trying to see how I can encourage them or inspire them to take what they’ve got and make a difference in the lives of people around them.”

Mercy Ships New Zealand Director Graeme Walls says a partnership with a musician like Woolston is invaluable.

“Mercy Ships works because of the dedication of volunteer professionals to provide world-class healthcare services to the poorest of the poor, free of charge. Peter Woolston’s determination to join us in using his skills to highlight both the needs in Africa and the opportunities for Kiwis to roll their sleeves up and get involved is a gift we are delighted with.”

Drawing comparisons to artists like Jon Foreman, Bono and Martin Smith, Hope On My Horizon counts its blessings and sees the glass as half full rather than half empty. Recorded in Sydney and due for release in June 2015, this album is characterised by Woolston’s melodic and guitar-powered alternative rock. Each track draws on his knack for deep-thinking, and is consistently introspective and serious-minded – and memorable.

Influenced by bands like U2, Switchfoot, The Police and Larry Noman, Woolston’s music-making has taken him all over the world, including far-flung nations like China, Romania, Bulgaria and Russia. His love for music isn’t something Woolston takes lightly, though, which is why he took up the role of Musical Ambassador for Mercy Ships NZ in 2014.

The music video for Hope On My Horizon was released on 15^th May 2015 PST | 16^th May 2015 NZ.

For the video release page visit www.peterwoolston.com/hopevideo.

ENDS

About Mercy Ships

Since 1978, Mercy Ships has performed more than $1 billion worth of free medical services, directly impacting more than 2.35 million of the world’s poorest people. Mercy Ships providing surgeries, dental work, well drilling, and other capacity building services free of charge to the most destitute in Africa’s most impoverished nations, and all volunteers pay their own way. Mercy Ships has 16 national offices worldwide, including one in Auckland. More information at www.mercyships.org

Mercy Ships have:

• Performed 78,000+ life-changing operations such as cleft lip and palate, cataract removal, straightening of crossed eyes, orthopaedic and facial reconstruction. All operations are free to patients.
• Treated over 183,000 patients in village dental clinics and educated 5,800 local health care workers, who have in turn trained multiple thousands in primary health care.
• Trained over 35,300 local professionals in their areas of expertise, including anaesthesiology, midwifery, instrument sterilisation, orthopaedic and reconstructive surgery, and leadership.