Media Releases 2008 (28)
from the National Council of Churches in Australia
“… in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son” Hebrew 1:2 TEV
The message from our government and business community this Christmas is: “Spend up big for the sake of the country.” Will we be rich or poor? This seems to be the ultimate economic question. No matter how well off we become we still fear losing it all.
On the one hand we must save for the future. On the other we must spend as much as we can for the present, and Christmas is given as the reason. The message seems to be how we manage our economy and provide for ourselves.
But that’s not the message. Christmas is about our God who is incredibly generous, loving, and unreasonably extravagant toward human beings. Christmas says ‘thank you’ for his astonishing daily gifts. God has spent up big on us, and he continues to spend up big.
Christmas is a Christian festival that celebrates a divine life, the life of God’s Son, born in the most unlikely circumstances, and given for the sake of the world. There is no greater gift, freely given, that once received lasts for eternity.
Celebrate and spend this Christmas, if it’s good for the economy. But even better, say thank you to God, because that’s good for the soul and for your life.
Revd John Henderson, General Secretary
National Council of Churches in Australia
(NB. In the Western Church, Christmas is celebrated on December 25. Most Orthodox Churches will celebrate the Feast of the Nativity on January 7, 2008.)
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Anglican Church of Australia
This Christmas the talk around the dinner table will probably be very different from last year. The world has changed quite dramatically in 2008 and many people fear for their future.
But spare a thought for those in real poverty. In Australia we might be limiting our spending on Christmas gifts but today more than 1.4 billion people live on less than $1.25 a day. That is extreme poverty.
This Christmas I urge people everywhere to take time out to give thanks for what we have and for our standard of living here in Australia. We should all reflect on those who we should be reaching out to, those in desperate need, those who can’t afford a meal let alone presents.
I am reminded of the words in Mathew 25. ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited me in; naked and you clothed me.’ In this parable the righteous queried Jesus saying they could not remember doing those things. ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to me.’
Archbishop Dr Phillip Aspinall, Primate
Anglican Church of Australia
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Armenian Apostolic Church
St Paul spoke of love as the greatest spiritual gift cited with faith and hope. At the advent of the holy season, as we celebrate the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ let it be a time of reflection on how we use these spiritual gifts to impact our own lives and those around us.
Faith is the foundation and content of God’s message fulfilled in the incarnation of the Son of God. When we live a life of faith we are blessed with a life of direction and purpose. Live with faith.
Hope is the attitude and focus which brings solace to our lives when we trust the Word of God and are assured that God will fulfil all promises as He fulfilled His promise to send the Messiah. Live with hope.
And love, the greatest of the trilogy of spiritual gifts is the action by which God calls us to live. Honestly evaluate your heart today and make it a priority to live with love.
We can look forward to a fuller and more meaningful life only when we live with faith, hope and love in Christ.
“Christ is born and revealed. Blessed is the revelation of Christ.”
Archbishop Aghan Baliozian, Primate
Diocese of the Armenian Church of Australia and New Zealand
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AOG in Australia/Australian Christian Churches
I often try to picture what the very first Christmas would have looked like. And can I tell you; the night that Jesus arrived in Bethlehem was no peaceful, silent night! In fact, the town of Bethlehem was facing a crisis of their own. In a city overrun with people, crowded streets, new rulers, and uncertain futures…a baby was born. And He looked nothing like a King. It was majesty in the midst of the everyday.
Christmas is a fantastic time of year, and yet this season can become overwhelming at times. The good news is that 2000 years ago, our God showed us His love by bringing peace in the midst of chaos.
Friends, as tensions and financial pressures begin to rise around the globe, let us not forget that the birth of Christ came in the midst of chaos, but left us with a promise of hope for the future.
In a profound moment before He departed from this world Christ said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I now give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27)
The peace of Christmas is not merely about the absence of conflict and pressures. Jesus was not born into a peaceful situation, and yet He IS peace. No matter what circumstances you face today, may you find hope and rest in the midst of uncertainty, and hold fast to the knowledge that Jesus himself left His peace with you.
May you and your family be blessed this Christmas Season.
Merry Christmas
Pastor Brian Houston, Senior Pastor, Hillsong Church, &
National President, Australian Christian Churches
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Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East
In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4: 9-10 (NKJV)
To our beloved brothers in the Lord, honorable Prelates; elected clergymen and all our brothers and sisters in Christ:
Prayers and blessings receive:
On the occasion of the Holy Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ we take this opportunity to extend our Episcopal greetings to the faithful sons and daughters of the National Council of Churches in Australia’s member churches, all Christians in Australia and around the world and to convey upon them our blessings.
For Christians, the Nativity season is a time of intense prayer and meditation on the teaching and message of the Holy Scriptures. Christians throughout the world rejoice and submit themselves to prayer in commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ and the goodwill, peace and immense hope that is brought to all humankind as a result. The Holy Church offers worship and praise to the Heavenly Father who bestows love and kindness upon humanity in sending His Only Son, our Lord and Saviour to dwell amongst His creations on earth. This act of sacrifice and mercy attests to the grace which Almighty God finds it in His wisdom to pour down upon all humankind. Having received the grace of the Lord and witnessing God incarnate dwelling on earth, Christians submit themselves in this important religious season to commemorating the humble birth of our Lord, our King and our Saviour.
During this period of immense joy for Christians, we wish to again bring to the attention of our fellow Christians throughout Australia and around the world the continuing suffering of the Assyrian Christian people in their ancestral homeland of Iraq. This year has seen some of the most intense acts of violence and persecution committed against Iraq’s Assyrian and other Christians, particularly in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. It is the hope of the Assyrian Church of the East that as Christians we may all take upon ourselves the inherent responsibility to provide advocacy and support in alleviating the severe plight of the Assyrian Christian people in Iraq. Without our combined efforts these Christians, who are living under intense duress, shall remain voiceless and forgotten. It is our prayer that 2009 will bring an end to the suffering of the Assyrian Christian people in Iraq and that peace and security may reign. The suffering of these most ancient Christian communities is not justifiable and Assyrian Christian citizens of a new and democratic Iraq must be guaranteed the right to maintain their distinct ethnic identity and Christian faith without impingement.
May the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, forever and ever: Amen.
His Beatitude Mar Meelis Zaia AM, Metropolitan
Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand
Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East
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Baptist Union of Australia
One of the great personal pursuits of our time is a sense of self worth and acceptance. This quest is often pursued through people, possessions, power, and prestige, which ultimately prove to be inadequate sources for personal significance.
Christmas is good news because its true message declares and demonstrates that we have eternal worth and value. So great was our personal value to God that he showed it to the world: "for God so loved the world that He gave us His son.”
While Christmas can rightly be understood as relating to concerns with peace, goodwill, and forgiveness, more centrally it is a demonstration of the great love of God for humanity, in action. Eugene Peterson in the Message Bible puts it simply: "And this sublime Word became flesh and blood and moved into our neighbourhood." God came close to us in Jesus. He entered our neighbourhood, which is not always a place of harmony and peace, but a place representing real human life and struggle. The good news of Christmas is that God still comes close to us.
The simple truth remains: You are loved, - do not be afraid. An engineering professor asked his class what was the most important thing to come out of a mine. After several minutes of discussion and answers about fossil fuels and other elements mined from the earth, the wise professor said: “The most important thing to come out of a mine is the miner!” So too the most important thing to come out of Christmas is Christ – for unto you is born this day a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.
Have a very happy Christmas knowing you are greatly loved by God.
Revd Dr John Beasy, President
Baptist Union of Australia
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Baptist Union of Australia
It’s time to claim back Christmas! Once a solemn Christian memorial to the birth of Jesus, for many Australians it’s devolved into a retail festival that misses the point. Cheer and good will give way to frenzied activity, congested traffic, endless queues and financial worry.
Many approach Christmas like Tattoo, the basset hound, inadvertently taken for a ride by his owners when his leash was caught in their car door. Fortunately a policeman saw it and pulled the car over, but not before Tattoo reached speeds of 30kph, rolling over several times! Maybe our ‘leash’ is caught in the door of Christmas commercialism and hype.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We can reclaim Christmas.
Maybe this Christmas we focus less on food and self-indulgence and more on recalibrating our lives with the God who loved the world so much that he sent his son to save us. Let’s decide to make the main thing the main thing this Christmas; less presents, more wonder and worship.
And as we focus more on Jesus this Christmas let’s allow his values to shape our own. Perhaps the best gifts to give this year are less expensive, but worth a whole lot: showing hospitality to a homeless person, or a donation to a charity, or maybe something as simple as repairing a rift with an estranged family member. Christmas need not be expensive for it to be profound.
The Baptist Churches of Australia pray this Christmas will be our best ever as we capture again its true meaning. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believed in him might not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
Rev Dr Brian Winslade, National Director
Baptist Union of Australia
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Catholic Church in Australia
One of the interesting aspects of the world economic crisis is how it seems to have surprised so many people, including the economic experts, in its size and scale. Day after day, pages of newsprint and hours of broadcast time are devoted to analysis of what went wrong and how it can be rectified. All of us, from the Chairman of the US Federal Reserve to the person on the street, are trying to make sense of it all.
One thing we do know about this crisis is that it affects us all in varying ways. As stocks crash, businesses and industries fail, governments seek to respond and individuals and families tighten the purse strings to prepare for what looks like a bumpy road ahead. Many people have watched the bottom fall out of their retirement nest-egg, others have had savings locked up by financial institutions and, even as interest rates fall, families are keeping a wary eye on their job security and their mortgage commitments.
Charities and social service providers are also feeling it. A recent report from Access Economics for Catholic Social Services Australia, Anglicare Australia, the Salvation Army and UnitingCare Australia examined the impact of the global financial crisis on social services. It found that the crisis will have an acute impact on the most disadvantaged members of society, as well as pushing increasing numbers of low and middle income earners to seek the services of already stretched welfare agencies. The report says that with unemployment expected to rise next year, the services most immediately affected by the deteriorating economic conditions include: employment, housing, financial and general counselling and emergency relief.
And so this Christmas, a general feeling of uncertainty prevails. Perhaps more than ever, we are all seeking the traditional blessings of the Christmas season – joy, peace and goodwill to all people. Much of the anxiety we might feel about the global economic crisis comes about because we know we cannot control it. The decisions that will be made to deal with this global situation will be made by others, but they will affect our lives. This Christmas, Christians all over the world will draw strength from knowing that far from being an anonymous cog in the economic machinery, each human being is precious beyond understanding, having been individually created, known, and loved by God. Indeed, God loves us so much that he became human. And when God became human he was not born into a situation of wealth or prestige. He didn’t earn multi-million dollar bonuses in the sub-prime mortgage or hedge fund industry of his day. Jesus Christ was born of a lowly maiden in a stable and raised by a carpenter. And yet despite these humble beginnings, Jesus Christ had a profound impact on the world and continues to be present in people’s lives today.
This Christmas, I pray that all people of goodwill will take a fresh look at the face of the Christ-child. When we welcome Jesus into our hearts and into our lives, we begin to make sense of the things happening around us. Hope, joy and peace begin to take the edges off our anxiety and fear, and goodwill and generosity to our neighbour in need will surely flow.
May the hope, peace and joy of Christmas be with you all.
Archbishop Philip Wilson, President, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
Catholic Church
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Churches of Christ in Australia
Over many years, many Christmas sermons and homilies have focused on the need to "put Christ back into Christmas". And, as we have listened to such sermons, we mark the tide of materialism that reaches a flood at Christmas. There is an overwhelming sense that we, as disciples of Jesus, are fighting an "Empire of materialism". Against such an Empire, our attitude is often one of resignation.
We need to look back in order to have hope for the future.
During the 1st century, as the Roman Empire reached dizzying heights of power and prestige, there came into the world a child born of a virgin in a small village named Bethlehem. Long foretold but still unlooked for, the world seemed to spin unmoved by His birth. Empires appeared to be intact. Yet the child grew. A man developed. The Messiah, the incarnation of God, walked amongst us. Life by life he replaced a transitory Empire with an unshakeable Kingdom. Then, through His death and resurrection, He opened the door for all to have eternal citizenship in His Kingdom.
When we ponder the Empires we find ourselves in at Christmas, let us remember Jesus. His presence is sometimes only birthed in small, unnoticed actions. It is our part as citizens of His Kingdom to perform such actions, His to transform Empires with them.
Craig Brown, Federal Coordinator
Churches of Christ in Australia
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Coptic Orthodox Church
The Feast of the Nativity 2008
It is my pleasure to wish all of you a blessed Feast of the Nativity in which we celebrate the Incarnation of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Today we rejoice because of the birth of Emmanuel our God. St. Matthew the Evangelist wrote that the name Emmanuel means God is with us, as a fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which is translated, God with us.” (Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14). Today, we rejoice because God is with us.
God wishes to be with man, because He loves him and said, “My delight was with the sons of men.” (Proverbs 8:31). In His love for man God created him out of nothing and gave him the grace of being. Furthermore, He created man in His image and likeness.
The entire history of humanity revolves around God’s presence with man; it is the story of God’s love for man, as well as the story of eternal life, as it is written in the Holy Bible regarding the Heavenly Jerusalem, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” (Revelation 21:3).
Our feeling that Emmanuel is with us, that is to say God is with us, is what gives us courage, so we can say with the Psalmist, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6).
Let us rejoice today, because our God Emmanuel is with us. Our joy will be even greater when we are with Him.
Let us joyfully present to God repentant hearts, so He can dwell within us and we can be confirmed in Him and He in us.
Let us pray that the Lord may grant us to feel that we are always in His presence, leading us to a life of holiness and righteousness.
May God bless Australia, its government and its people. Wishing you and your families a blessed Christmas and a joyful 2009.
Bishop Daniel
Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of NSW, QLD & NT
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Lutheran Church of Australia
Among the things being said to us this Christmas, for many, the financial market crash across the globe may well be telling us not to take our many blessings for granted. Even more than that. Our blessings only reach their potential when they are used to benefit those around us and those who need us.
It is a scriptural principal that ‘moth and rust’ can quickly erode earthly investment and security.
Our current financial crisis is a reminder we do not live in isolation. We are all members of the human family with one economy.
It is significant that God’s gift of his son Jesus the Christ at Christmas is to be offered to all.
When fear takes over and blame is directed at big business, governments and banks, what the world needs is for all of us to admit to our own part in this financial dilemma in which we too have been idolaters placing earthly gifts in front of the heavenly gifts.
God’s gift of his son in the child of Bethlehem is the treasure that is eternal.
Let Christmas be for all of us a celebration that God is not abandoning us, but giving us new starts and a new hope with a Saviour who is Christ the Lord.
Revd Dr Mike Semmler, President
Lutheran Church of Australia
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Presbyterian Church of Australia
Our youngest daughter has just had her first child. Tiny. Helpless. Utterly dependent. Profoundly loved. They called him Sebastian, because they liked the name.
2000 years ago, another little one was born. In Bethlehem. They certainly didn’t have the facilities our daughter enjoyed. Did they even have a midwife?
They called him Jesus. They knew why too. Not just because they liked the name. His name means “The LORD God saves!” They actually called him that. Jesus.
They also knew their own Scriptures. How a Messiah would come. A Deliverer. They knew that his other names were Wonderful. Counsellor. Almighty God.
And there he lay. Being nurtured at his mother’s breast. Jesus. God!
The apostle Paul would later say of Him, “He is before all things. All things were created by Him and for Him. God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through Him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross!”
Amazing. Then a tiny human being. Jesus. Now, exalted above all.
If we are not amazed, frankly we’re not thinking!!
We’ve been asked to contribute to a CHRISTMAS MESSAGE and GREETING.
What’s best? Merry Christmas? Seasons Greetings?
I’d rather say, give Jesus the honour that is his due. Thank Him for Who He is. Worship Him. Ask Him for all you need for life and godliness.
THEN, you’ll have a HAPPY CHRISTMAS.
Robert Benn, Moderator General
Presbyterian Church of Australia
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Seventh-day Adventist Church
GOD’S WAYS ARE DIFFERENT FROM OUR WAYS! CHRISTMAS is just the time to come to terms with that.
CHRISTMAS reveals the way God fights against sin. God could have wiped out sin by wiping out humanity when we rebelled. But instead He chose to put Himself at ultimate risk so that He could take our place and die for our sins. That all began when God chose to become one with His own creation – and did so beginning at the most vulnerable stage of human existence, a baby.
Yes, Christmas is a time to remember God’s extraordinary act of becoming a vulnerable human so that He could save us. He is a real person in history. It is worth remembering that this Jesus who came in such a humble manner is, in fact, the King of kings. Yet He is much more than that. He is the Creator. Our Creator came in humility as one of us and then died for our sins. Amazing! And the result is that we can find forgiveness through Him.
Let us, this Christmas, humble ourselves before such a wonderfully gracious God and seek forgiveness. He is so eager to forgive and is able to do so because, as a human, He died in our place. In forgiveness you will receive a peace that passes all understanding!
God’s ways are so different from our ways! And aren’t we glad they are!
Pastor Ken Vogel, General Secretary
Seventh-day Adventist Church
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Uniting Church in Australia
How different Christmas feels this year! Twelve months ago the economy was steaming along, it felt like the new government was doing all the right things, our prosperity and security seemed assured.
But since the middle of this year it’s all changed. Now we feel vulnerable. Unemployment is on the rise, a recession may hit, the Aussie dollar has plummeted, living standards may drop. Terrorism is in the news again, the war in Afghanistan goes badly, ice caps are melting, and Africans are still dying from disease and poverty.
Wars, disasters, poverty and vulnerability were part of Jesus’ world too. The Roman Empire had a firm grip on Jesus’ world - they taxed heavily, they ruled with brutality, and they dealt ruthlessly with every insurgency.
Jesus came into this world, teaching God’s love and modelling a life of self-giving service and peace.
True security lies in knowing you’re loved, no matter what. That’s what the birth of Jesus means for us. No matter who we are or what our circumstances, God’s love and God’s guidance are there for us.
Receive God’s love afresh this Christmas, and thus find true security in life.
Revd Gregor Henderson, President
Uniting Church in Australia
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Christmas Bowl Media Release: What Can We Do for Zimbabwe this Christmas?
Written byfrom act for peace, the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia
To download the high resolution photo that aligns with this release, please go to: http://www.ncca.org.au/actforpeace/zimbabwe_media_release.
Australian households are beginning to feel the financial strain of a global economic crisis. The spirit of giving and sharing at Christmas time will be a true test of people’s generosity this year. However, while we face a difficult and uncertain period, Zimbabwe is in crisis.
More than 5.1 million Zimbabweans need food aid urgently, as the country is crippled by a collapsed economy, severe food insecurity, a lack of basic service delivery, a political stalemate and a devastating Cholera outbreak. In the past few weeks, aid channels have been opened again and it is time to help.
The Christmas Bowl supports several partners in Zimbabwe including Christian Care Zimbabwe, which delivers food aid and agricultural assistance to more than 720,000 people.
Christian Care Director, Reverend Forbes Matonga said, “As a nation, we are confronted with the greatest humanitarian challenges of our time. The near collapse of the financial system, near destitution of close to five million members of our population who are now reliant on food aid, a run away cholera epidemic already spinning out of control and spilling beyond our borders and the HIV/AIDS scourge.”
The Christmas Bowl has been a source of resilience and hope during the protracted 10 year food crisis in Zimbabwe. During this time, Australian churches have demonstrated a significant kinship through the Christmas Bowl by standing in solidarity with the people during the country’s immense struggles.
Rev. Matonga said, “We express our profound gratitude to the goodwill of the Australian people for standing by us during our darkest hour.”
78 lives have been lost to Cholera in Beitbridge where Christmas Bowl helps provide rainwater tanks. The outbreak has spread to all of the nation’s eight provinces, killing more than 1000 people. Cholera is spreading because of Zimbabwe's collapsing infrastructure. The Australian church community needs to engage and contribute meaningfully to combat this horrendous loss of life.
Despite Zimbabwe’s immense challenges, the people are resilient, and are still full of optimism and hope.
Rev. Matonga said, “As a people of faith we remain hopeful and confident that God will remember us and heal our land. May the Good Lord honour your service and assistance to the people of Zimbabwe.”
Christian Care Zimbabwe is calling the Australian church community to support the Christmas Bowl and ensure that it can continue to:
• Improve household food security through environmentally friendly, low cost methods of crop production.
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• Fight the root causes of poverty by positively empowering communities at the grassroots level.
Alistair Gee, Executive Director of act for peace said, “The crisis in Zimbabwe is staggering and we must do our part to assist Zimbabweans. A gift of $35 to this year’s Christmas Bowl can provide a farmer with a supply of high yield maize, millet and cowpea seeds and $94 can educate farmers in efficient farming methods. act for peace aims to send at least $160,000 to help Zimbabweans in the coming months, so we need your support. Despite our personal hardships and the crisis we face in Australia, we should consider Zimbabwe’s people as we share Christmas with our loved ones.”
The Christmas Bowl is a program of act for peace, the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia.
For further comment from the Executive Director, please contact Edwyn Shiell, Marketing & Communication Coordinator, on 0402 254 968.
www.actforpeace.org.au
To download the high resolution photo that aligns with this release, please go to: http://www.ncca.org.au/actforpeace/thailand-burma_border_christmas_bowl_press_release
For twenty one years, the Christmas Bowl has supported hundreds of thousands of Burmese refugees who have fled to camps on the Thailand-Burma border in an effort to escape the horror of the persecution imposed by a brutal and violent military Junta.
The suffering of the people of Burma became even greater in 2008, when Cyclone Nargis devastated the lives of those living in the Irrawaddy Delta, the main rice production region of the country.
Saw Ler Lah is a survivor who sought refuge in the already under-resourced border camps following the Cyclone. He recalls, “I said to the people in my village to take shelter in the church. We stayed there throughout the night and listened to the cyclone. When we came out in the morning, everything was gone.”
In addition to this disaster, the global food price crisis brought further suffering to the already impoverished people of Burma.
Sally Thompson, Deputy Director of the Thailand Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) said “we are in a critical time because of the global food crisis and the cyclone in Burma.” These problems cannot be ignored as the health and well being of 140,000 refugees is at stake.
Thompson said of Cyclone Nargis, “It has brought many issues to a head at the same time. We have to be flexible to deal with the emergency inside the country; at the same time we have to remain open to the fact that Burma is still generating new arrivals of refugees…If we do not get a certain amount of dollars, we will have no choice but to cut the ration.”
Australians have been drawn into Burma’s tragic narrative as more of us have come to recognise the inhumane situation in which our close neighbours live. During a period of such uncertainty, it is critical that the Christmas Bowl assists the TBBC in maintaining stability in the conflict-ridden border area.
This year, the Christmas Bowl hopes to provide food, shelter and income generating activities to more than 5000 Burmese refugees. As the price of rice has more than doubled in the wake of Cyclone Nargis and the global food crisis in Burma, assistance for Burmese refugees should be on everyone’s agenda this Christmas. By giving just $76 to this year’s Christmas Bowl, you can provide food for a family of four refugees for one month.
The Christmas Bowl is a program of act for peace, the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia.
For further comment from the Executive Director,
please contact Edwyn Shiell, Marketing & Communication Coordinator, on 0402 254 968.
www.actforpeace.org.au
Indigenous Peoples Also Have the Right to Dignity and Justice
Written bya statement from the National Council of Churches in Australia
The following statement was endorsed by the Executive of the National Council of Churches in Australia at its meeting on 6 November 2008.
In recognition of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on December 10th 2008, the member Churches of the NCCA affirm their commitment to dignity and justice for all, and in particular for our Indigenous brothers and sisters.
With great vision the creators of the UDHR enshrined the knowledge that we are all born with inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights. The theme for this year’s commemoration reminds us of this great truth and calls us to take action where we see injustice and to treat each other with the dignity and respect inherent in our humanity.
We are reminded however that 60 years after creating this potent statement of human rights, Indigenous Australians have cause to question whether dignity and justice has really been for all. The Churches have always believed that humankind is created in God’s image and that we must respect and love each other no matter who we are or where we are from. We acknowledge that we too have had to examine our own past relationships with Indigenous peoples and understand where we have failed to recognize and respect God’s likeness in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
We look to the future with hope and believe that this moment in time represents a critical juncture in how we, as a nation, relate to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. We recognize the high level of political and popular will to create real and lasting change. We recognize and congratulate the Federal Government on their stated commitment to addressing Indigenous disadvantage, one aspect of achieving dignity and justice. We believe that the Federal Government has voiced a sincere commitment to a new and reinvigorated approach to ending Indigenous poverty.
However, we are concerned that without a meaningful and far reaching re-visioning of our relationship with Indigenous peoples and an overt commitment to a human rights led development agenda that we are doomed to repeat past mistakes and wrongs.
We urge the Government to ensure that the human rights of Indigenous Australians are safeguarded and their citizen rights upheld. Policy solutions must ensure that individual rights are protected. We therefore ask the Government to ensure that all policy measures, including the Northern Territory Emergency Response, adhere to the Racial Discrimination Act. Further, we urge the Government to explicitly show their support for Indigenous rights by signing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Then we can be sure we are moving towards Dignity and Justice for all.
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For further comment contact: Mr Graeme Mundine 0419 238 788
a statement from the National Council of Churches in Australia
Violence and persecution against minority groups in Iraq continues, including communities of Christians which have been in existence for over 1500 years. The Assyrian Church of the East, as one of the Churches most affected, has mobilised itself worldwide to call attention to the crisis, and seek help where help can be found. Other Churches under extreme duress are the Syrian Orthodox, Coptic Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic, and Chaldean.
Prior to 2003, 4% of Iraq’s population was Christian. Yet 40% of Iraq’s 2.2 million refugees are Christian, which indicates the seriousness and disproportionate degree of violence and persecution to which Iraqi Christians are being exposed. “No one has been untouched by grief either by personal loss or to see their country torn apart by violence,” said Bishop Mar Meelis Zaia, Australian head of the Assyrian Church of the East. According to Church sources this exodus is the result of a campaign of violence, murder, terrorism, threats, and intimidation targeted at the Christian minority.
Attacks have escalated since September, when the electoral law was changed to remove the system of quotas that ensured minority groups representation on provincial councils. The result of government investigations and the arrest of about 12 people in relation to the latest wave of attacks are being awaited.
The international Assyrian Christian community is raising money to help. Local parishes are collecting money to help the Assyrian Church of the East Relief Organisation (ACERO) provide aid for people in the city of Mosul, where the recent escalation of attacks has been most severe. In the long run the hope of those fleeing the country is for a self-governing administrative region within Iraq.
The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) stands in solidarity with Iraqi Christians, and the Assyrian Church of the East which has been a member Church of the Council for many years. “We are distressed to hear of the suffering of Christians in Iraq, and the deliberate and targeted attacks which they are experiencing,” said the Revd John Henderson, the General Secretary of the NCCA. “We continue to ask the Australian government to take this situation into account in its consideration of support for Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan, resettlement plans for Iraqi refugees once the country finds peace, and support for repatriation when it is safe to return.”
We urge the Australian Government to:
• Increase the level of aid to Iraq’s internally displaced people and Iraqi refugees in Jordan and Syria, and;
• Increase Australian refugee intake levels for the affected population.
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For further information contact: The Revd John Henderson 0419 224 935
Recalibrate our Relationship to Eradicate Indigenous Poverty
Written byThe National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC) is marking the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty by urging all Australians to examine and put right their relationship with Indigenous Australians.
Executive Secretary of NATSIEC, Mr Graeme Mundine said, “Indigenous Australians should not be living in poverty. Australia has the resources, but we have always lacked the will from the mainstream community to raise our Aboriginal brothers and sisters to the same standard of living that other Australians enjoy.”
“On Monday, the Federal Government released its report into the Northern Territory Intervention and said they needed to “recalibrate” their relationship to Aboriginal people who are affected by the Intervention.”
“No truer word was said. The past eighteen months have brought some significant changes in Indigenous affairs such as the rollout of the Northern Territory Intervention, the new Federal Government, and the Apology in February. While all these things are signals that things can improve, my fear is that too much has stayed the same. The fundamental relationship and attitude to Indigenous people has not changed,” Mr Mundine continued.
“I particularly urge people not to be complacent, and think these positive signals mean all has been rectified. Don’t think for a minute that the Intervention, especially in its current form, will end poverty. Don’t forget for a minute that not all Aborigines live in the Northern Territory. Indigenous poverty is experienced right around Australia.”
“The International Day for the Eradication of Poverty draws our attention to the needs of the poor and stirs our hearts to take action and mobilizes our voices to speak out against injustice. This year it is more pertinent than ever before as we watch the world financial system melt down. Rather than panic and worry about how we will personally be affected by the financial upheaval, could we not take this opportunity to question the system that gives wealth to 5% of humanity and leaves the other 95% floundering in the wake?”
“On this significant day I urge people to question the systems that cause poverty, to enlarge their understanding of Indigenous poverty, and to make a personal commitment to Making Indigenous Poverty History,” Mr Mundine concluded.
For further comment: Graeme Mundine 0419 238 788
For further information on the Make Indigenous Poverty History Campaign www.makeindigenouspovertyhistory.org
from act for peace, the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia
To download the high resolution photo that aligns with this release, please go to: http://www.ncca.org.au/actforpeace/sudan_christmas_bowl_press_release
This year marks the 60th year of Australians giving and sharing through the Christmas Bowl. Over the past 60 years, it has delivered critical assistance to people around the world affected by poverty and ongoing conflict. The Christmas Bowl has become an important symbol of people helping people.
After the end of World War 2, the Christmas Bowl began as a unique way for churches to work together, uniting and inspiring others to bring hope in a volatile and unstable world. On the 50th anniversary of the Christmas Bowl, vital humanitarian relief work was carried out in Papua New Guinea, Kosovo and East Timor. In the Christmas Bowl’s 60th year, the priority remains assisting people who suffer from extreme poverty and ongoing conflict, such as in Burma, Sudan, Zimbabwe and more than a dozen other countries.
The photograph on this year’s Christmas Bowl materials depicts six South-Sudanese girls who live in the Dereig camp for Internally Displaced People. They are hurrying to attend a school established by the church-based Darfur Emergency Response Operation, which the Christmas Bowl supports. This Operation assists children and families like these girls by providing essential services such as food, shelter, education, health, psychological counselling, and community empowerment to overcome one of the most horrific civil wars of all time.
Khayida, a member of the Dereig camp community centre who fled her home village and now lives in Dereig camp, expresses a sense of joy about the new community centres and opportunities that are becoming a reality. She says, “I’m very happy with the opening of the new centre, which has been built for us…We, the old women, are like the trunk of a tree, the others are like the branches. Here we as old people are allowed to provide the youngsters with knowledge.”
Sudan is just one of the places in which the Christmas Bowl provides assistance. With partnerships around the world, it seeks to encourage a spirit of giving and togetherness so that we as Australian’s can realise that even sharing a small gift can make a significant difference.
As Amina from the Dereig camp considers the last several years of hard times, she says “much has changed and I now thank God that I have learnt all these things.” We thank you for allowing the Christmas Bowl to continue this work overseas and in Australia and celebrate the lives it has improved over the last 60 years.
For further comment from the Executive Director, please contact Edwyn Shiell, Marketing & Communication Coordinator, on 0402 254 968.
For more information about act for peace and the Christmas Bowl, please go to www.actforpeace.org.au.
Intervention Review Provides Template for Genuine Partnership with Aboriginal People
Written byfrom the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission
The recommendations contained in the Northern Territory Emergency Intervention Review Report were welcomed today by the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC) of the National Council of Churches in Australia.
The Executive Secretary of the NATSIEC, Mr Graeme Mundine said, “We affirm the recommendations of the review and welcome the guidance it provides governments to work in genuine partnership with Aboriginal people”.
Mr Mundine is in Canberra with Bishop Greg Thompson, the Anglican Bishop of the Northern Territory. Together they are visiting politicians to talk about the Make Indigenous Poverty History campaign and how the Millennium Development Goals should be adapted to alleviate Indigenous Poverty in Australia.
Bishop Greg Thompson said, “I welcome the findings of the report which provide a strong guide to steering appropriate long term support to Indigenous people. This review provides a template for genuine partnership for sustained cultural and economic development as well as for the care of children and families”.
Bishop Greg and Mr Mundine particularly welcomed the report’s emphasis on the need to work in genuine partnership with Aboriginal people and the acknowledgment that the success of the NTER, Northern Territory Emergency Response, has been hampered by the failure to consult and engage with those people for whose benefit it was developed.
Mr Mundine also commented that the release of the report in the midst of uncertain economic times is a reminder of the need to provide relief for the poor. “It is important that we do not lose momentum for continued social, economic and cultural development. We know that when times are tough, it’s the poor who suffer most. While it’s great to give surety to the financial system, we also need to address underlying structural weaknesses in our economic system and pay more attention to ending poverty, in particular for Indigenous people”.
Bishop Greg agreed and said, “We need to attend to the anxiety of the time but also give support to those who need it most”.
“Implementing these recommendations will go a long way to ensuring that the hopes, dreams and aspirations of Indigenous people are listened to. We urge the Federal and Northern Territory Governments to work together to develop a proper and just implementation of the intervention measures,” Mr Mundine concluded.
For further comment: Mr Graeme Mundine 0419238788
Bishop Greg Thompson 0407 285 701
For more information on Make Indigenous Poverty History www.makeindigenouspovertyhistory.org
from the National Aborignal & Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission
Several hundred people converged today in Alice Springs to demand the roll back of the Northern Territory Intervention. Speakers at the convergence had a clear message - the Intervention has brought shame and humiliation to Aboriginal people across the Territory and has done little or nothing to protect children as it was supposed to do.
Executive Secretary of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC), Graeme Mundine, who attended the convergence said “we have known all along that this Intervention has serious problems. Any legislation that can only exist if the Racial Discrimination Act is amended has fundamental flaws.”
“Today we have heard the same message from Elders from all over the Northern Territory: the Intervention is causing severe hardship and is curtailing people’s rights.
Some of the impacts on every day life that people spoke about include:
People are feeling humiliated by the income management system. The system is discriminatory and everybody is subject to it, even if they have no children, or have no reason to be included.
An inordinate amount of time is spent trying to get the system sorted out. People have to drive long distances into a town just to spend three hours in a Centrecare queue.
Families are struggling to meet their commitments such as burying their dead as their quarantined income does not leave enough to deal with emergencies or other needs such as petrol. Freedom of movement is also therefore curtailed.
The alcohol bans are causing social dislocation as people head to towns to avoid the bans. This is placing unreasonable pressure on town camps, which are not being supported to deal with these extra people and the issues they bring with them.”
Mr Mundine said “It is heartbreaking to hear people say they have been discarded by Government, yet again. Aborigines feel their rights have been taken away and that gains won through many hard fought battles over the years have been undermined or removed”.
“The Federal Government must stop throwing more money at bad policy”, said Mr Mundine. “It’s time to stop spending millions of dollars on administering flawed policy that does not deliver adequate services where they are needed. Stop flying in Bureaucrats from the South, stop experimenting with Aboriginal people and start listening. Start treating people with the dignity and respect they are entitled to and then maybe we can develop some good policies and programs.”
“NATSIEC is calling for urgent action by the Federal Government to:
Reinstate the Racial Discrimination Act;
Ratify the United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People;
Rollback and rethink the NT Intervention;
Implement the recommendations from the Little Children are Sacred Report.
“The honey moon is over for the Federal Government, Aboriginal people need action and they need it now,” Mr Mundine concluded.
For further comment: Graeme Mundine 0419 238 788
from the National Aborignal & Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission
The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission (NATSIEC) today called on the Federal Government to unequivocally declare its support for the United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous people.
“In February this year, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were impressed with the leadership shown by Prime Minister Rudd in making the longed for Apology. Now though we are questioning why the Government has yet to formally ratify the Declaration despite their rhetoric about Indigenous Rights” said Mr Graeme Mundine, Executive Secretary of NATSIEC.
“Supporting the Declaration is not a symbolic act; it provides a framework for establishing meaningful partnerships and ensuring equality and non-discrimination. The Declaration affirms the unique contribution the diverse cultures of Indigenous peoples bring to the world and ensures that justice, respect and democracy are enjoyed by Indigenous peoples” said Mr Mundine.
“The Government should not hesitate to support this Declaration as it contains no new rights. It simply elaborates on existing International human rights and applies them specifically to Indigenous peoples”.
“Mr Rudd has shown he is committed to addressing the injustice, marginalization, poverty and exclusion experienced by Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders and signing this Declaration would be a significant and tangible sign of that commitment which would result in practical outcomes for Indigenous peoples.”
NATSIEC urges the Federal Government to explicitly show its support for the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and to ensure that its principles are entrenched within our domestic law and the policies and procedures of Governments.
For further comment: Graeme Mundine 0419 238 788
More...
from the National Aborignal & Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission
Chair of NATSIEC and Anglican Bishop of the Torres Strait Islands, Bishop Saibo Mabo, and his wife Sanya, together with NATSIEC Commissioner and Aboriginal Bishop James Leftwich and his wife Lala, celebrated the ‘Coming of the Light’ with the Council for World Missions (CWM) on the 1st July, in London.
The ‘Coming of the Light’ celebrates the day in 1871 when Missionaries from the London Missionary Society (LMS) arrived on the shores of the Torres Strait bringing Christianity with them. Every year this day is celebrated by re-enacting the arrival. The London Missionary Society is now known as CWM.
Bishop Saibo Mabo said, “It is a special day for us to remember the coming of the word of the Lord into our lives. We were reborn. This day is like Christmas Day for us, a time of great celebration, of song, dance and feasting”.
“We are very happy to celebrate here with the old London Missionary Society, and to talk about how Christianity is very much alive in the Torres Strait. It is also good to hear what has happened to the LMS because we never knew they still worked to bring the word of the Lord to many people in the world”.
“We were interested to be told about the great work that CWM continues to do particularly their work with the poor and disadvantaged”, Bishop Saibo Mabo said.
Bishop James Leftwich also remarked on the significance of meeting with CWM, “we were once the mission field, but now we are the mission force. It is important for us to share our faith with those who once shared theirs with us”.
Both Bishops thanked CWM for their hospitality and the opportunity to share with them how the LCM sowed the seeds, but Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples now express and experience Christ through their own cultures.
For further comment contact: Graeme Mundine + 44 (0) 7900426161
Wednesday 2nd July - Bishops Mabo and Leftwich will meet British MPs at the House of Commons.
APRO Welcomes Australia’s Voice Against Religious Persecution
Written byfrom the Australian Partnership of Religious Organisations
The Australian Partnership of Religious Organisations (APRO) welcomes the Australian Government’s statement of concern about the recent arrest of Baha’i leaders in Iran and the continuing discrimination and harassment of the Iranian Baha'is on the grounds of their religion.
APRO’s Baha’i community representative, Natalie Mobini-Kesheh, said six of the seven members of the “Friends in Iran”, the national coordinating group for Baha’is in Iran, were arrested in early morning raids on 14 May 2008. The seventh member has been in detention since 5 March 2008.
“They do not have legal representation, have not been allowed to communicate with their families, and their whereabouts is presently unknown,” Dr Mobini-Kesheh said.
APRO Convenor, Professor Abd Malak said APRO shared the Government’s deep concern for these Baha’i leaders, made in a recent public statement.
“Freedom of religion and belief is a right guaranteed to all people under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Iran is a state party,” Prof Malak said.
“Their detention is in clear breach of the rights to which they are entitled under international law,” he said.
“They must be allowed to communicate with their lawyers and their families, and their place of detention and the exact charges brought against them must be made known,” he said.
“Members of APRO call on the Iranian authorities to release the Baha’i leaders, if they are not to be charged with a recognisable criminal offence and allowed a fair and prompt trial.”
The following members and organisations add their support for APRO’s statement and call the Iranian government to respect and protect the right of all Iranians, including Baha’is and other religious minorities, to profess and practise the religion of their choice:
Professor Emeritus Gary Bouma, UNESCO Chair, Inter-religious and Intercultural Relations - Asia Pacific.
Dilip Chirmuley AM, Hindu Society
Eugenia Tsoulis, National Council of Migrant Resource Centres and Migrant Service Agencies
Abeselom Nega, the Federation of African Communities Council
The Federation of Australian Buddhist Councils, Inc.
John Henderson, National Council of Churches in Australia
Jeremy Jones, Executive Council of Australian Jewry
Josie Lacey, The Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia - interfaith advisor
Kulbir Singh Malhotra, Sikh Association
Australian Baha'i community
Media comment:
Abd Malak, APRO Convenor: 0417 489 066
Natalie Mobini-Kesheh, Australian Baha’i community: 0414 603 145
Australian Church Leaders Commit to Pray and Urge Action on Deepening Zimbabwe Crisis
Written byfrom the National Council of Churches in Australia
The Anglican Church, Catholic Church, Uniting Church and National Council of Churches in Australia support the call by the religious leaders of Zimbabwe for immediate international action to prevent an imminent crisis in Zimbabwe. We express our deep concern over the deteriorating political, security, economic and human rights situation in Zimbabwe following the 29 March 2008 national elections and the failure of the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission to release the results of the Presidential election.
As religious leaders in Australia we support the appeal this week from religious leaders in Zimbabwe (attached) which:
- warns the world that if nothing is done to help the people of Zimbabwe from their predicament, we shall soon be witnessing atrocities similar to that experienced in Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi;
. - calls for the immediate end to political intimidation arising from the desire to influence how people will vote in the anticipated run-off in the presidential poll;
. - calls on the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to release the true results of the presidential poll of 29 March 2008 without further delay; and
. - commends the people of Zimbabwe for exercising their democratic right peacefully and urging them to maintain and protect their dignity and their vote.
We also:
- commit ourselves, and encourage all churches in Australia, to pray and increase our support for the people of Zimbabwe (the churches, with their considerable networks across Zimbabwe, are one of the vital networks in getting assistance to those most effected by the economic and political crisis).
. - call on the Australian Government to provide additional emergency assistance in response to the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the country.
Archbishop Philip Wilson, President, Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, Primate, Anglican Church of Australia
The Revd Gregor Henderson, President, Uniting Church in Australia
The Revd John Henderson, General Secretary, National Council of Churches in Australia
For Further Information:
Mr Alistair Gee, Executive Director, NCCA Christian World Service, 0417 672 650
Archbishop Philip Wilson, President, ACBC, 0417 284 831
Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, Primate, Anglican Church of Australia, 0420 970 606
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HEADS OF CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS IN ZIMBABWE
CONCERN OVER THE DETERIORATING SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE: MESSAGE FROM THE HEADS OF CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS IN ZIMBABWE
As the shepherds of the people, we, Church leaders of the Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ), the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC) and the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC), express our deep concern over the deteriorating political, security, economic and human rights situation in Zimbabwe following the March 29, 2008 national elections.
Before the elections, we issued statements urging Zimbabweans to conduct themselves peacefully and with tolerance towards those who held different views and political affiliation from one’s own. After the elections, we issued statements commending Zimbabweans for the generally peaceful and politically mature manner in which they conducted themselves before, during and soon after the elections.
Reports that are coming through to us from our Churches and members throughout the country indicate that the peaceful environment has, regrettably, changed.
Given the political uncertainty, anxiety and frustration created by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC’s) failure to release the results of the presidential poll 4 weeks after polling day:
- Organized violence perpetrated against individuals, families and communities who are accused of campaigning or voting for the “wrong” political party in the March 29, 2008 elections has been unleashed throughout the country, particularly in the countryside and in some high density urban areas. People are being abducted, tortured, humiliated by being asked to repeat slogans of the political party they are alleged not to support, ordered to attend mass meetings where they are told they voted for the “wrong” candidate and should never repeat it in the run-off election for President, and, in some cases, people are murdered.
. - The deterioration in the humanitarian situation is plummeting at a frightful pace. The cost of living has gone beyond the reach of the majority of our people. There is widespread famine in most parts of the countryside on account of poor harvests and delays in the process of importing maize from neighbouring countries. The shops are empty and basic foodstuffs are unavailable. Victims of organized torture who are ferried to hospital find little solace as the hospitals have no drugs or medicines to treat them.
As the shepherds of the people, we appeal:
- To the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU) and the United Nations (UN) to work towards arresting the deteriorating political and security situation in Zimbabwe. We warn the world that if nothing is done to help the people of Zimbabwe from their predicament, we shall soon be witnessing genocide similar to that experienced in Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi and other hot spots in Africa and elsewhere.
. - For the immediate end to political intimidation and retribution arising from how people are perceived to have voted in the March 29, 2008 elections and arising from the desire to influence how people will vote in the anticipated run-off in the presidential poll. Youth militia and war veteran/military base camps that have been set up in different parts of the country should be closed as a step towards restoring the peace and freedom of people’s movement that was witnessed before and during the March 29, 2008 elections.
. - To ZEC to release the true results of the presidential poll of March 29, 2008 without further delay. The unprecedented delay in the publication of these results has caused anxiety, frustration, depression, suspicion and in some cases illness among people of Zimbabwe both at home and abroad. A pall of despondency hangs over the nation which finds itself in a crisis of expectations and governance. The nation is in a crisis, in limbo and no real business is taking place anywhere as the nation waits.
. - To, finally, the people of Zimbabwe themselves. You played your part when you turned out to vote on 29 March 2008. We, again, commend you for exercising your democratic right peacefully. At this difficult time in our nation, we urge you to maintain and protect your dignity and your vote. We urge you to refuse to be used for a political party or other people’s selfish end especially where it concerns violence against other people, including those who hold different views from your own. It was the Lord Jesus who said, “Whatever you do to one of these little ones, you do it unto me (Matthew 25:45).
We call on all Zimbabweans and on all friends of Zimbabwe to continue to pray for our beautiful nation. As the shepherds of God’s flock, we shall continue to speak on behalf of Zimbabwe’s suffering masses and we pray that God’s will be done.
We remain God’s humble servants:
The Evangelical Fellowship of Zimbabwe (EFZ)
The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference (ZCBC)
The Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC)
From the National Council of Churches in Australia
Australian Celebration from May 4 to May 11
2008 marks 100 years of ecumenical prayer for Christian Unity following the example of Jesus when he prayed, ‘that they may all be one…so that the world may believe’ (John 17.21).
The 8 days before Pentecost – May 4 to May 11 - are a great opportunity to renew and deepen our unity in the one God which we share through Jesus Christ. The theme is ‘Pray without Ceasing’ (1 Thess 5.17).
As part of the worldwide historic celebration this year, the National Council of Churches in Australia has launched resources for the 2008 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Across the country a series of special occasions are being planned to mark the occasion.
This year's resources come from the Ecumenical Institute in Graymoor, USA, where the ‘Prayer Octave for Christian Unity’ began in 1908. Adapted for use in Australia, they offer a fresh opportunity to worship together locally, to witness to our unity in Christ, and to pray and act for a greater visible expression of that unity. All Australian Christians are encouraged to link them into daily and weekly prayers, and into other special occasions (such as the forthcoming World Day of Prayer and National Day of Thanksgiving).
Resources are available at www.churchestogetherinprayer.org.au and include orders of service (congregational and leaders’ versions and MSPowerPoint), the 8 Days prayer and reflection materials, and a range of background information and further links. Prayer cards and posters (for local advertising) are also available from the NCCA or state ecumenical council offices (contact information available at http://www.ncca.org.au/partnerships/state_councils).For more information, please contact:
the NCCA office, (02) 9299 2215 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
or the Revd Dr Jonathan Inkpin (02) 9299 2215
or your local state ecumenical council
