Micah Sunday 18 October
Micah Sunday comes each year as part of the Stand Up Take Action campaign. Stand Up invites you to be a part of a group somewhere who will stand up to show their support for the fight against poverty and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Last year nearly 117 million people worldwide took part in Stand Up events. This year they are aiming for even more. Micah Challenge is a part of this campaign, and on Micah Sunday we invite Christians to actively demonstrate their support. The dates for Stand Up this year are 16-18 October, with Micah Sunday being on 18 October.
The Debt of Our Prayers
For Micah Sunday this year we invite you to focus on the Lord's Prayer, and to look again at the implications of praying this prayer as rich Christians. An African writer, Osayande Obery Hendricks says "... the Lord’s Prayer has as its paramount concern bread for subsistence in a time of hunger, relief from debt when an unjust debt structure crushed the people underfoot and the establishment of God’s sole sovereignty when the people’s misery was largely the by-product of Caesar’s authority...". How often do we think in those terms as we repeat the familiar words?
The Micah Sunday worship resources are all around this theme of looking at the Lord's Prayer from a poverty perspective. There are study and sermon resources, as well as prayers and activity ideas. Go to the Micah Sunday page, or download the resources directly from the Downloads section.
Stand Up Take Action — Youth Resources
This year the Global Education Centre in Wellington has produced an excellent youth resource on the Millennuim Development Goals as a part of the New Zealand Stand Up campaign. The pack has been mailed out to secondary and intermediate schools, but it is also available from the Global Education Centre website.
For church youth groups we have prepared some resources to supplement the GEC pack with a Biblical perspective. Youth Groups could do a Stand Up activity at their local shopping centre! Find the Bible studies and other youth resources on our Micah Sunday page, or from the Downloads section.
The Council for International Development (CID) is running a youth and schools Stand Up, Take Action programme, targeted at young people aged 13-18. There are free resources available, and the chance to take part in a one day Stand Up Champions workshop in Auckland, Wellington or Christchurch (outside school hours). For more information contact Edmund on campaigns@cid.org.nz.
To find out what other Stand Up activities are happening around New Zealand - and to join in! - go to the Stand Up New Zealand website.
Wellington Event
When we started planning for Micah Sunday we did announce that we were planning a big event in Wellington. With the pressure of time this was not going to be ready, and also would not have fitted in with other Stand Up events being planned. If you are in Wellington on Saturday 17 October there are a variety of Stand Up events and displays being planned for the Civic Square. A wide range of organisations will be taking part through the day. Watch out for more details, and come along to join in!
1.4 Billion Reasons ....
Hugh Evans, former Young Australian of the Year and member of the team behind the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY concert that involved BONO, did a whirlwind one week tour through New Zealand at the end of August, to introduce the Global Poverty Project's presentation ‘1.4 Billion Reasons’. If you missed out on the presentations, don't panic! The aim of the Global Poverty Project is to train a number of people in New Zealand to bring the experience to as many groups as possible.
Watch trailer on YouTube here
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It Takes a Church to Raise a Child
There is an old African proverb that has been making the rounds for many years: “It takes a village to raise a child.” Its message is clear: The whole village is in this together, to raise a child with care, love and compassion so that traditions and morals that set the course for the future of our families for generation to come are preserved.
Today, this village has been ravaged by HIV/AIDS, malaria, polluted water, child sexual abuse, early child marriages and is filled with child headed homes, child mortality, poverty and environmental degradation. Today the village cannot raise a child. The village is filled with elderly grandparents who are tired, weary and perplexed with overwhelming problems.
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The Micah Call is a global petition, and a statement of our belief that now is a time when poverty can be challenged:
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The issues of global poverty are not just economic. They are also political and spiritual. Micah Challenge invites Christians to take a prophetic role in making a difference in the world.
Paul Thompson
National Coordinator
Micah Challenge Aotearoa New Zealand
The Micah Challenge eNewsletter is a monthly update on global poverty issues with a Christian perspective. Invite friends to subscribe. Visit our website www.micahchallenge.org.nz
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