ArchivesAt the NCCA
National Council of Churches in Australia
WCC General Secretary Recalls Anti-apartheid Movement
Thursday, 12 January 2012 17:12
WCC NewsIn his sermon at the chapel of Ecumenical Centre in Geneva on 9 January, the World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit paid respect to the anti–apartheid movement in South Africa, which was born in a church, one hundred years ago.
Tveit was referring to the 100th anniversary of the African National Congress (ANC) on 8 January, founded in 1912 at the Waaihoek Wesleyan Church.
The ANC is currently South Africa’s ruling political party, and has its roots in the liberation movement formed by Christian pastors and civil society actors to challenge racial segregation among the South African people.
Read more: WCC General Secretary Recalls Anti-apartheid Movement
2011 Christmas Messages from Australian Church Leaders
Friday, 16 December 2011 11:07
from the National Council of Churches in Australia
Peace on Earth
praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace among those whom God favours!” Luke 2:13-14
Peace on earth is more than the absence of conflict, peace is stability. Everyone wants stable employment, health, housing and. personal relationships. A stable political and economic environment is also desired.
Similar desires filled first century people. Economic and social pressures existed and increased when all citizens were required to journey to their home town for a census.
Read more: 2011 Christmas Messages from Australian Church Leaders
Just peace, prayer and a common witness keep church relevant
Thursday, 12 January 2012 16:44
WCC NewsThe dramatic events of 2011 brought an increased focus on the relevance of the church in pursuing just peace, said Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) this week in Geneva.
The freedom movements of the Arab Spring, the continued financial crisis; heightened tensions on the Korean peninsula and a rash of natural disasters have all made for a tumultuous start and finish to the year.
“Many things have changed, such as with the Arab Spring in the Middle East and North Africa, which led to strong rising up of ordinary people and their request for justice and peace,” said Tveit during an interview in which he reflected on the past year and role of the church in just peace. “They also ask for democracy, protection of human dignity, human rights and human values so they can live together with justice and peace.”
Read more: Just peace, prayer and a common witness keep church relevant
The Christmas Bowl shines a light on suffering women in Pakistan
Monday, 14 November 2011 08:38
from Act for Peace, the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia
Kohistan, Pakistan is one of the poorest and most remote and culturally conservative regions in the world. It’s also one of the worst places in the world to be a woman: a place where fathers arrange their daughters’ marriages when they are just children so they can marry them off as soon as they go through puberty. Once they are married, women are almost never allowed to leave their homes.Australians who support Act for Peace’s Christmas Bowl appeal in 2011 will be helping to provide quality doctors and health workers in Kohistan, promote greater awareness of the importance of health care and hygiene and help women access the pre- and post-natal care they need
Read more: The Christmas Bowl shines a light on suffering women in Pakistan
More Burmese people displaced in past year under 'democracy' than in previous ten
Friday, 04 November 2011 07:21
from Act for Peace, the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia
A report on displacement and poverty in Burma to be released in Australia on Monday has found that despite growing opportunities for change by the Burmese government, the Burmese army has forcibly displaced more people in the past year than at any time in the past 10 years.
Displacement and Poverty in South East Burma / Myanmar, the annual report by a consortium of humanitarian agencies including Act for Peace, the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia, has documented 105 villages which have been destroyed by the Burmese army and 112,000 people forcibly displaced in the past year in south east Burma alone.
Act for Peace, which supports displaced people in Burma and Burmese refugees in Thailand and Australia, believes the current window of democratic reform is the best opportunity in decades to resolve ethnic conflict. The aid agency is encouraging the Australian government to use the report to pursue an international investigation into crimes against humanity in Burma.
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Read more: More Burmese people displaced in past year under 'democracy' than in previous ten
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