Archive for March, 2007

News

Prayer: 1,000 Christians gathered recently in Canberra and other centres in a powerful weekend of intercession. 21 hours of prayer! One of the 6 main themes was justice – justice for the global poor, for indigenous people and in our political process. There was a strong sense that the church needs to be humble and repent of its materialism and division.

Remembering our Christian heritage: This weekend marks the 200^th anniversary of the end of the slave trade, thanks to the efforts of a group of Christians led by William Wilberforce in Parliament and Rev Thomas Clarkson. The campaign to end slavery which ran for over 20 years used many ground breaking ideas: graphic displays of slavery equipment and conditions, personal stories of ex-slaves, careful research into the conditions endured by slaves, Biblical teaching, pamphlets, prayer, a logo and a successful promotion of sugar ‘produced by the labour of freemen’.

We can be inspired by the faith and energy of the anti-slavery campaigners. AND we can act today to end the slavery of poverty and the slavery that millions still endure in forced labour, the sex trade and child labour.

For more on the 200^th anniversary see http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/slavery/index.htm; http://www.theamazingchange.com/whois.html

Opportunities to be inspired

Sydney: There is still a chance to hear David Batstone at the Liberating the Captives conference in Sydney on Saturday March 24^th at the Wesley Centre.

Melbourne: David Batstone is at St Hilary’s Church, Kew on Saturday March 31

More info about both these events is at http://www.micahchallenge.org.au/pages/content.asp?plid=44

March 25

Pray on March 25 that the example of Wilberforce and his group of campaigners will inspire us to speak out for the poor and to act with compassion.

What to Do before Easter

1. order the new 07:07:07 postcards for your whole church, school or group. This is an easy and effective step to take and if we can send 100,000 postcards, it will have a huge impact. Our last postcard campaign in 2005 saw the Prime Minister announce a big increase in aid. But more needs to be done if we want to see the hungry fed, the vulnerable secure and the homeless with shelter. See http://www.micahchallenge.org.au/pages/content.asp?plid=151
2. come to Voices for Justice 07 in June. This promises to be an exciting time of worship, learning and speaking to politicians. It is an amazing opportunity. Come and be inspired by Bishop Alexis from Rwanda, singers, role play, forums, art, prayer and politicians.

See http://www.micahchallenge.org.au/pages/content.asp?plid=49

1. Order an 07:07:07 sports kit with everything you need to know about running a half-time sports event with your club, at school or in the community. There’s a half-time dvd and whistle in every kit!

Contact pippa.cave@micahchallenge.org.au

Prayer for March 25th

Lord God, we pray for children in Siera Leone and Sri Lanka who are forced to be soldiers.

We pray that you will father the children from Bangladesh and Mexico who have been sold into forced labour to pay family debts.

We pray for girls and women who are tricked into prostitution.

We cry out for your justice.

We know Lord that you have created all human beings with dignity and that slavery is an injustice. Empower us, who are not enslaved, to fight for the rights of those who are.

Help us to pray and empower us to speak for those who have no voice. Amen

Quote of the Month

Around 27 million people are currently enslaved worldwide.

During Lent, may we remember God’s abundant mercy to us and act with mercy, righteousness and compassion in our needy world. Amanda, National Coordinator

For Creed and Creation is a new booklet published by churches in London which is full of ideas about how to have a “greener” church.

The guide provides advice on everything from basic ways of reducing heating bills, such as fitting insulation and installing energy efficient lighting, through to introducing car sharing schemes for church services, setting up recycling programmes and encouraging local children to learn about the environment and take an active role in protecting it.

The guide will be distributed free to over 4000 churches in London. It is hoped that the guide will ultimately be adapted to encompass other religions and faiths and supported by a telephone advice-line.

Funding for the guide has been provided by The City Bridge Trust as the first part of a three-year grant to The Conservation Foundation to develop and manage an environmental programme for London’s faith groups.

In his blog, Crossings, Bruce Fisk, Associate Professor of New Testament, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, USA, provides a significant commentary on the Talpiot Tomb, also referred to as the “Jesus Family tomb”, with useful links. Also keep going back to Mark Goodacre’s New Testament Gateway blog and, of course, James Tabor’s Jesus Dynasty blog

Cherishing Creation is the new Uniting Church national website that provides information and resources on climate change. It contains:

The National Assembly’s Response
Information on Climate Change
Worship Resources for Congregations
The Wider Uniting Church Response

Information from the Avaaz.org group:

This Thursday, the environment ministers from the G8, the world’s biggest contributors to climate change, will be meeting in Germany. The outcome of this meeting is crucial to world’s response to global warming.

Avaaz.org has been invited to attend this meeting to present our climate change petition. A strong voice for action could help set the agenda for the G8. To help seize this opportunity, click below:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/climate_action_germany

The G8 is a summit of world leaders from the “Group of 8″ largest economies. Together, these countries account for 50% of global greenhouse gas emissions–the gasses that cause climate change. The full G8 summit is coming in June, but the agenda and outcome of this type of high-profile event is usually set far in advance–at meetings like the one this Thursday.

This year, the president of the G8 is German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Her environment minister, Sigmar Gabriel, is in charge of the ministers meeting Thursday. And at 4 pm on March 15th, we have a personal meeting with Mr. Gabriel to present our petition for binding emissions targets to stop catastrophic climate change.

Merkel has indicated an interest in making climate change a top priority. With a significant global petition, we can make the case that the world is ready for aggressive leadership on climate change–and pave the way for truly historic commitments at the G8 summit this June.

It’s a rare opportunity to have a global impact. Add your voice to the petition now:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/climate_action_germany

50,000 people from 131 countries have already demanded action. Our goal is to reach 100,000. Please sign the petition, forward this email to friends and family, and post the link on your blog–we only have a few days to make this statement count.

If we add our voices together, now, 2007 can become the year we took the first step to save the world.

With hope,

Ricken, David, Iain, Lee-Sean, Galit, Graziela, and the rest of the Avaaz.org team

World Vision Australia Connect

World Vision Australia - Connect - Take action allows you to send an e-card to politicians, or download and sent a printed version. It appears that there is a different issue each month. In March, it’s water. The site also provides a large amount of other information about things you can do and should know.

This arrived in my inbox today and as promised, I am passing it along:

March 10-18

The Sustainable Living Homes and Gardens Tour: – March 10-11, New England Region. A range of innovative and inspired buildings and gardens with a sustainable focus.

The Sustainable Living Expo: – March 10-11, Beardy St Mall with exhibitors, stallholders, government and community groups demonstrating sustainable products and practices.

Leadership in Environmental Sustainability Workshop: - 12-13 March, University of New England for local government and community –

A presentation and discussion of Climate Change concerns: 15 March, 7.00pm – Armidale Town Hall. Sustainably Changing Our Climate Future – “The Inconvenient Truth of Australia’s Impact”

Ideas into Action - community workshops: 16 – 18 March Armidale Town Hall. How to implement sustainable practices in your own home

Alison Buckley
Event Co-ordinator
ph: 02 6770 3648
mob: 0427 659 525