Anthony Walton, a visionary New Zealander active in International relief, church planting, and New Zealand politics, founded Global Tribe in 1992. Anthony is the founder of numerous not for profit organizations: Body and Soul Gyms; Zeal - youth and education programs; Fuse - an annual creative arts event; Romania child aid and the Body and Soul national care network. Anthony is also the founder of The Rock, a contemporary church based in Wellington New Zealand. Over the past 20 years The Rock has pioneered innovative ways of actioning the Church including Global Cafe’s - Cafe Style Churches. Anthony has authored a number of books and has been a guest speaker for various organizations throughout New Zealand, Australia, Asia, Europe and the USA. He was also second in command of Future New Zealand, a political party that has gone on to have a significant role within the New Zealand government.

“The birth of Global Tribe was the result of my spearheading a major paradigm shift for me personally, and The Rock. It was our initiative to help the children suffering in orphanages throughout Romania. The result of twenty-five years of a dictatorship under Nicolae Ceausescu evoked global outrage, made International headlines, and saw these children living under hellish conditions.

It all stared late one Saturday evening, when I reflected on what I had seen of the Romanian children on the BBC World News that day. Pictures of naked children covered in sores, huddling together like animals in cages, splashing in their own excrement. I had only really caught a glimpse of these children while in deep conversation with family and friends at my parents’ house, however the images returned to my mind with huge feelings of both compassion and helplessness.

I kept saying to myself “It’s impossible. What can I really do that will make any difference?” No sooner had I thought those thoughts, than the most powerful of emotions entered my soul. Feelings and thoughts with a penetrating punch. This was not a passing fit of passive pity, it was a defining moment, a revelation of what God sees and feels everyday. Emotions so cutting that the pain would not leave, echoing through my soul, forcing out the tears and moving me to aggressive action, shifting me out of the feelings of helplessness towards becoming their advocate, and attempting to do my small part in relieving the pain of these children. This experience changed my view of what was foremost on the mind and heart of our heavenly Father.

On that first trip, I led a team of twelve doctors, nannies, and volunteers on a trip to Romania to a large castle housing over 300 children to give what love, affection, or hope that we could.

It was this experience that launched a ministry that all these years later, brings me here tonight, and has taken me to places around the world several times. It was this passion that captured the heart of Wes, Peter, and all the Newsboys and their organization. ” - Anthony Walton

In the mid-90’s, music group Newsboys and their longtime manager, Wes Campbell, each lifelong friends of Walton, decided to join forces in 2007 to wage war on both physical and spiritual poverty, to take the Gospel across America in events that require no admission fee, and to mentor emerging Christian leaders. Together, they launched Global Tribe US on the 2007 and 2008 GO tour, to accomplish all these things.

For more than 15 years, Global Tribe has been active in addressing physical and spiritual poverty Internationally. In India we work with a Children’s home and school; in Haiti we help feed 1000 youth, and in Uganda we provided micro financing for widows to become self sustaining learning a trade. In Baja Mexico we work with Baja Christian Ministries to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the very poor in the area.

Robert Michaels joined Global Tribe in the summer of 2008. He comes from a 25 year background as a music business marketing executive and has considerable experience in working with cause driven non-profit organizations. Michaels’ is tasked to shape Global Tribe as we go into the future, refining the brand and focusing the mission to assure focus and effectiveness. Michaels spearheaded the first REACH event November 2008, has commissioned the redesign of the web presence, strengthened the donor relations mechanisms, initiated strategic funding programs, and brought clarity and focus in the day to day operation.