The Advent Conspiracy is an international movement centered around bringing a deeper meaning to Christmas

Christmas

Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

. The movement is characterized by its four founding principles: Worship Fully, Spend Less, Give More, Love All. The movement's message is to avoid getting caught up in the consumerism surrounding the holiday in order to celebrate Christmas more fully.

Origins

In 2006 a handful of pastors created Advent Conspiracy in order revitalize the true meaning of Christmas. Pastors Greg Holder, Chris Seay, Rick McKinley and a few others founded the organization to rebel against the hyperconsumerism to which they found many Christians fall victim. They proposed to spend less on gifts and give more to the poor. Advent Conspiracy partnered with Living Water International

Living Water International

Living Water International is a faith-based non-profit organization that helps communities in developing countries acquire safe drinking water in response to the global water crisis. It is based in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1990 and currently operates in 26 countries...

 in order to build clean water wells in impoverished areas. In their first year Advent Conspiracy's raised half a million dollars to build a high capacity well in Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

 and 13 wells in Liberia

Liberia

Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...

.

Present

Today Advent Conspiracy consists of approximately 1500 member churches and organizations around the globe. In 2008 the organization raised over US$

United States dollar

The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

3 million for Living Water International.