From the National Director

I would like to inform you that, in the spirit of Churches Working Together, CWS recently convened a meeting of Church aid agencies (eg. Caritas Australia, Anglicord, UCOA, etc). We agreed to look at:

• The role of faith based agencies in authentic human development;
• The feasibility of an Australian Action by Churches Together (ACT) programme; 
• A common Millennium Development Goals (MDG) focus.

Refugee Sunday

Please see the contact points, listed in this issue of In Focus, for material, resources and ideas to mark Refugee Sunday (31 August). As the community continues to grapple with political and other implications of refugee and asylum seeker issues, Refugee Sunday gives us an opportunity to consider our response informed by the Gospel.

Thank you

By June, Christmas Bowl income was $2,342,189, a 3.08 % increase over the same period last year. Our deep appreciation goes to all the donors, and churches, ecumenical and other groups, and individual promoters. Whenever a community is enabled to feel or glimpse life or hope anew, it is their Christmas!

Thank you.

Caesar D’Mello