We want to meet with at least 1,000 politicians in over 20 countries

Read on for lots of ideas to make Micah 2010 a campaign of spiritual and political impact! If your church is using the Prayer and the Promise resources then here is how to move that spiritual impact into action in the political arena. If you have made the hand-print banners in the Promise activity, then we want to hand those banners to New Zealand politicians to tell them of our commitment and invite them to be part of making the MDGs work.

Globally the Big Hand-Over of 10 million handprints will remind our leaders that we have only five years remaining to meet our promise.

Ways to be involved in the Hand-Over

• Please make sure you add your hands count to the total global tally. Contact us with your count of the number of people involved. 
• Invite your local politician to an event at church e.g. for a meal or morning tea/coffee, to show how you are involved with the poor and to show your support for the Millennium Development Goals. Present the handprints to your representative and ask them to pass on the hands and your requests to the appropriate Government Minister and to the Prime Minister. If the politician is agreeable pray for him/her and present the global prayer with the hands. If you have never visited a politician before, see the step-bystep guide at www.micah2010.org
• You may have a simple message for your political leader, “Remember the Poor” or you may have a message based on research done by Micah Challenge or one of the Micah Challenge member organisations. The more specific the message is, the more impact it will have. So check with information on these pages about issues and solutions that are relevant for NZ.
• Join with other churches/groups in your area and visit your political representative together. This will show that there is strong support for action on poverty and will show that Christians are speaking with one voice.
• If you are not able to make contact with your local politician, send your handprints to the Micah Challenge office so we can arrange a handover with an appropriate Minister to talk about the 2 or 3 asks of the national campaign.
• Take photos and involve the media eg your local paper or radio station. You can find a sample media release at www.micah2010.org
• Remember to tell your church about the results of Micah 2010 in your country and around the world.

You can register for news of global activities at www.micah2010.org

We encourage everyone who gets involved in the BIG Promise and Hand-Over to use the Global Prayer - to lift holy hands to acknowledge the kingship of God and our need for Jesus if we are to tackle the injustice of poverty. See the Global Prayer.

Download PDF resource with these ideas here