R&B singer Maxwell, controversial rapper The Game and Australian band Hillsong United are among some of the big names that have signed up for the new social platform borne from the mind of HopeMob founder and CEO Shaun King.

"It's really different than anything else that exists now," King told CP via phone last week, speaking from Catalyst West, a four-day networking event for leaders, thinkers and influencers.

"It's a little bit of a social network, maybe similar to Twitter or Instagram. But it has much deeper tools that allow people of influence from all genres, be it in the church or out of the church, be it artists, musicians, comedians, photographers – anybody who has really devoted supporters could really benefit from the platform, so we're really excited about it." more >>

Eugene Cho, lead pastor of Quest Church in Seattle and co-founder of international anti-poverty movement One Day's Wages, takes his message of generosity and justice to Willow Creek Community Church's Celebration of Hope 2013 this weekend. Pastor Cho shared with The Christian Post his message for the Illinois megachurch, his hopes for ODW and why he believes Christians are compelled by their faith to practice both righteousness and justice.

Cho and his wife, Minhee, and their children founded One Day's Wages over three years ago after the Washington pastor came back convicted from witnessing the challenges faced by impoverished communities in Burma. They felt a need to act and sought God for guidance. The response Cho and his family received, however, was not at all what they were expecting. But they obeyed, took up the challenge and sacrificed a year of their family income to launch a movement that has since inspired people and organizations all over the world to join the fight to eradicate extreme global poverty. One Day's Wages and its partners have managed to award grants that are helping to provide necessities like electricity to the maternity ward at a South Sudan hospital, HIV treatment for children in Togo and nutritional support and education for malnourished children and expectant mothers living in rural Guatemala.

Pastor Cho told CP that he hopes his message inspires two things this weekend among those who gather to hear him and others speak at Willow Creek Community Church. more >>

After completing the U.S. portion of a 2,400-mile relay from Atlanta to Guatemala City in Guatemala, a Christian-based global leadership development organization plans to hand over the baton to their Guatemalan partners at the Mexican border near Laredo, Texas, on Friday. The purpose of the approximately 120-day journey by foot (and bicycle in parts of Mexico and Central America) is to bring awareness about plans to activate Christians in leadership positions, first in Guatemala and then elsewhere around the world.

"It's a big initiative and we felt like we need to do something very bold that would be consistent and bring attention to such a worthy cause," John Hull, president and CEO of EQUIP Leadership, told The Christian Post by phone call from Laredo on Wednesday.

"The EQUIP World Relay is a journey that represents what leadership is all about – a journey full of extraordinary challenges, hard work, sacrifice and daily-mile markers that ultimately reach a goal that is bigger than oneself, a goal that could never be accomplished alone," he said. more >>

Olivia Osteen, niece of famed pastor Joel Osteen, has joined forces with Disney star Jake Short to bring national awareness to children suffering from hunger in the U.S. through the Blessings in a Backpack campaign.

The two young advocates have recently been featured in a public service announcement (PSA) to promote the nonprofit organization, which works to fight hunger in elementary schools nationwide by supplying children on the federal Free and Reduced Price Meal Program "with a backpack of food to take home for 38 weekends during the school year," according to the nonprofit's website.

Short, who is the star of Disney Channel's comedy A.N.T. Farm, and Osteen, an aspiring actress who serves as a young Christian role model, implore viewers to contribute to Blesssings in a Backpack in their recent PSA announcement, which was produced by Sound Tree Entertainment's Gregory James Blount. more >>

Christian leaders in the U.S. responded quickly to the bomb blasts at the Boston Marathon on Monday that left at least 3 dead and more than 130 injured, by sharing their own grief over what is being called a terrorist attack, and calling for prayer.

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted (Matthew 5:4)," wrote Pastor David Fairchild, who leads Mars Hill West Seattle Church, in a blog post on the church's website shortly after the bombings.

"I am deeply grieved by the early reports of two blasts occurring at the finish line of the Boston Marathon," Fairchild stated. "Sadly, in a split second, people and families have been shattered and forever changed by this terrible tragedy. more >>

As tornado season begins in the United States, a major Christian humanitarian organization is providing families with a downloadable guide about disaster preparation.

Operation Blessing International announced Monday that they would be providing a free booklet known as the "7-Day Family Disaster Planning Guide."

"Historically, March marks the beginning of the peak tornado season in the USA. However, due to much colder temperatures than normal this winter, there were only 17 tornadoes in the month of March, the lowest in 35 years," says OBI. more >>