Christian Concern for One World - What can I do?

Pathways to Prayer on Global Issues

Maranda — Thu, 27 May 2010 15:18:13 +0100

Interested in praying about global issues, but unsure where to begin?

On Saturday 17 July (9:30 for 10:00 am to 1:15 pm) at St Michael the Archangel Church in Warfield (Bracknell), Christian Concern for One World is presenting a free half-day event to explore different ways of praying on the topics that most concern you. We'll be looking at different types of private prayer -- from contemplative prayer to prayer walks to praying with objects or through art. And we'll also be sharing ideas about how to pray with groups, whether that's in a formal service or house group or just a group of friends.

The day will start with a brief introduction to the subject and then most of the remaining time will be spent in workshops -- you'll be able to think about new ways of prayer and then immediately start to apply what you're learning to the topics that interest you.

Want to join in? Email us for further information!

The Wave

Maranda — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:26:21 +0000

Join the Wave for climate justice

On 5 December, Christians from around the UK will come together in London to pray and march for climate justice.

The day begins with an ecumenical service at Westminster Central Hall, at which the Archbishop of Canterbury will deliver an address, and the Archbishop of Westminster, the President of the Methodist Conference, and the General Director of the Evangelical Alliance will lead worship. Agency partners from other countries will provide information about climate change's impacts and local activity on climate change in other parts of the world. There will also be activities for children, which are being provided by CAFOD.

After the service, participants are invited to join the Stop Climate Chaos march from Grosvenor Square to Westminster, which will culminate in a human "wave" encircling the Houses of Parliament at 3:00 pm.

CCOW supporters are then invited to join supporters from other agencies for "tea and cakes" at the Mothers' Union building (Mary Sumner House) on Tufton Street.

Large numbers of people from our area are attending "The Wave." CAFOD has organised coaches from Reading/Woodley/Maidenhead and Northampton/Milton Keynes/Luton, and the Coop/Oxfam have organised coaches from Oxford. There are also groups going together on the train. For full details, see the attached "Wave Q and A" sheet or contact CCOW.

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DfID Consultations

Maranda — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 15:00:46 +0100

DfID is putting together a new White Paper on International Development, and is holding a consultation as part of the process.

The consultation document is available online at http://consultation.dfid.gov.uk and is open for comment until 27 May. There are also regional consultation events, including one in Southampton on 7 May and one in Leicester on 13 May. Click here for more information about these.

The document has an ambitious title: Eliminating World Poverty. It has five main sections:

Building our common future
Global economic growth
Climate change
Fragile and conflict-affected countries
International institutional reform

"Building our common future" is the introduction; each of the remaining sections includes a brief outline of DfID's thinking on the challenges involved in one key area, together with questions about DfID's response to which those taking part in the consultation can add their thoughts.

Downloadable notes on the main presentations at the DfID Consultation in Bristol on 8 April are at the bottom of this post.

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Prayer, Action and Information around the G20

Maranda — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 10:32:41 +0000

As the G20 "comes to town" next week, how can we make sense of the maelstrom of opinions, hopes and fears around the meeting? And what can we do to pray and express our hopes that any outcomes of the meeting will be ones that move the world towards the vision of God's Kingdom, a vision of love and justice?

Praying and Acting

Within a UK context, there are two major opportunities for prayer and action.

"Put People First" is holding a service, march and rally on Saturday, 28 March. The service , which begins at 10:30 for 11:00 features the Bishop of London; Joel Edwards, International Director of Micah Challenge; Christine Allen, Executive Director of Progressio; and Fr Joe Komakoma, General Secretary of the Episcopal Conference, Zambia. Many other church and agency leaders will also be speaking and reading, and there will be worship music by Andy Flannagan. A tremendous opportunity to gather and pray for wisdom and discernment for those meeting . . . but also more broadly for God's justice, mercy and peace to flow through all deliberations and our own lives.
Micah Challenge , the international coalition of Christian organisations campaigning on the Millennium Development Goals and seeking to engage the churches in issues of poverty and justice, has prepared the Rise Up resource to help us pray for the G20 meeting and more generally for a better world. This resource will be used by Christians in countries around the globe -- from Australia to Zambia. Join in! There's a special prayer for use this Sunday, 29 March, in churches. Can you see if your church could use it?

Information and Opinion

Is the G20 legitimate? Or not? Should it be trying to reform the world's financial architecture? Or standing by to allow a more representative UN-based system to do the job? Should it try to relaunch the Doha round of trade talks to fight protectionism? Or would doing so imperil the economies of some of the world's poorest countries?

If you're trying to find out more about the issues surrounding the G20, here are some places to begin:

The official website of the London Summit
Gives the official aims, press releases, etc.
G20 voice
One of the most interesting developments in coverage of a major international meeting (and praise to Oxfam for coordinating it!). The G20 voice project means that 50 civil society bloggers will actually be in the G20 Excel Centre, with the same access as traditional journalists, blogging away in real time. They've come from all over the world . . . go to the site to hear their perspectives.
The newspapers.
As ever, the broadsheets will have ample coverage and opinions. Two the best places to look? The Guardian which, for example, has just printed this entry from Joseph Stiglitz. And the Financial Times, which has an "in-depth" section on the G20 which brings together related articles and commentary.
The policy statements.
One of the broadest coalitions of organisations ever assembled in the UK is Put People First , which counts among its members development agencies, environment agencies, faith groups, unions, student groups and other civil society organisations. Major Christian charities, such as CAFOD, Christian Aid, Micah Challenge UK, Progressio, Tearfund and World Vision are among its key members. Put People First has a policy platform which addresses the need for a more just financial architecture, secure jobs and public services for all, and progress towards a low-carbon future. You can download the full report , or go to the website for the main recommendations.
ODI, the Oversea Development Institute, has put together a "Development Charter for the G20 ," a series of short reports that address the potential areas where the G20's decisions could affect, positively or negatively, developing countries. This is a slightly more technical document, but worth reading.

Choike , the online portal on southern civil societies, will print news and press releases about the G20 from various northern and southern civil society organisation.

Some Christmas and New Year's Reminders

Maranda — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:32:46 +0000

I was in prison . . .

It's not too late to send a message of hope and encouragement to someone who is suffering from political or religious persecution this Christmas season.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Open Doors, and Amnesty International all have lists of people who would be grateful for letters and cards. Your writing helps to remind the prisoners themselves -- and those holding them -- that those who suffer persecution are not forgotten, and are not alone.

To download Christian Solidarity Worldwide's letter-writing guide, click here .

To download Open Doors letter-writing guide, click here .

To go to the webpage for Amnesty's Greeting Card Campaign 2008, click here .

Don't forget to register!

Two events coming up early in 2009:

The Big Brew takes place during Fairtrade Fortnight, but the registration deadline is 16 January. Click here for information and a registration form.
A "Green Faith Day" on 17 January in Tilehurst will help us think about how we as Christians can fulfill our calling as stewards of creation. It's particularly aimed at any churches that may be involved in -- or considering being involved in -- the Eco-Congregations programme. Click here for more information, and to register.

Taking Action on AIDS

Maranda — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 08:39:04 +0000

World AIDS Day was marked in a variety of ways around the three counties.
St Mary's, Thatcham, posted prayers and a red ribbon on their altar and Hope Tshenkeng, diocesan president of the Mothers' Union in Kimberley and Kuruman, shared in prayer and reflection with local Mothers' Union members. Many churches used material from the prayer resources available for World AIDS Day.

A few weeks earlier, on November 22nd, local AIDS charity ACHIVA held a conference entitled "Restoring Hope: Practical Responses to HIV and AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa." Keynote speakers were South African AIDS activist Masi Cowper, who spoke of her own work empowering women living with HIV and AIDS; and Basil Eastwood, chair of Cecily's Fund , who shared lessons learned from that charity's work educating orphans and vulnerable children in Zambia. The keynote panel was chaired by the Bishop of Oxford.

Workshops offered further perspectives on particular projects -- among others Charlotte Bannister Parker and Hope Tshenkeng spoke of work in the Diocese of Kimberley and Kuruman; Glen Williams from Strategies for Hope asked participants to share in an AIDS education activity from one of the charity's Called to Care books; and Paula Clifford from Christian Aid shared reflections on the extent to which understanding the cultural context is key to successfully working on prevention and care . . . and asked what it means to HIV+ in a rapidly changing global situation.

What did you do for World AIDS Day? Please let us know -- the more we share, the stronger our response becomes.

"Sharing the Journey"

Maranda — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 23:47:58 +0100

In this section, we'll post articles by and about people who are seeking to "live the Gospel in a global context" through different forms of community.

Daniel Rutland: Following the "Servants" Model in Southall

Praying and Acting for Zimbabwe (click here for more)

Maranda — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 12:12:45 +0100

"Compelling evidence of violence, intimidation and outright terror; the studied harassment of the leadership of the MDC, including its Presidential candidate, by the security organs of the Zimbabwean government; the arrest and detention of the Secretary-General of the MDC; the banning of MDC public meetings; and denial of access to the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, all have convinced us that free and fair elections are not possible in the political environment prevalent in Zimbabwe today." (ANC Statement on Zimbabwe, 23 June 2008)

"'You shall love your neighbour as yourself" (Mt.22:39). Electoral processes and outcomes are not an excuse for breaching God's commandments. The sun will still rise on June 28, 2008, well after the elections. May our present conduct help Zimbabwe rise too to assume its rightful place among the nations of the world." (Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference statement, June 2008)

The deteriorating situation in Zimbabwe over the past few weeks has been the subject of immense concern for many. Aware of violent attacks like those described in this article from the New York Times and this video, how can we respond as Christians?

In recent statements, the Zimbabwe Council of Churches and the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops' Conference have requested our prayers.

The Catholic bishops noted: "We renew the call to prayer for all our needs, which include a credible electoral process, food and provisions for our families, education for our children, medicines for the sick and respect for every human life and dignity."

The Church leaders have also requested that the SADC (Southern African Development Community) and African Union "work towards arresting the deteriorating political and security situation in Zimbabwe. " Prayers for the leadership of the SADC. in particular, would be welcome. A security troika of SADC leaders met yesterday in Swaziland to discuss the crisis. They have urged that the elections scheduled for Friday be postponed. The official SADC mediator for the situation, President Mbeki of South Africa, whose "soft" approach to Mugabe has been widely criticised as ineffective (as per this cartoon), was not invited.

Christian Aid partner the Habakkuk Trust have also requested prayers for strength, hope and the "walk to freedom" "I sense a great feeling of helplessness," their director writes, requesting the prayers for hope.

That same feeling of helplessness has been echoed by many here. But for local Church of England vicar Nigel Hawkes, it is precisely that sense that makes prayer so vital. "We have no physical means of influencing events, and what we are left with is prayer. As a Christian, I believe [praying] is a very powerful thing that we can do." We find, he adds, any power we have "in God's power."

Hawkes has been reminding himself and others to pray by wearing a black dog collar. He was inspired by Archbishop of York John Sentamu's cutting up his dog collar, and by a parishioner who came to prayer wearing a black armband on the day after the Archbishop's action. The black -- which serves, he says, "as a visible sign of our concern," is a constant reminder to "offer to God the troubles of the people in Zimbabwe and pray that there will be a resolution."

Hawkes is encouraging others to join in both the symbolic action and prayer. His hope is that if enough people join in, it will "get the whole dea of prayer for Zimbabwe into the common psyche." And, reflecting on he ways in which some previously intractable-looking problems, such as partheid in South Africa, have been relved, he adds: [sometimes there is] o human answer . . . and [after prayer] suddenly a change came about."

Some suggestions:

Find out more, and pray on what you find out. The Guardian has a good section devoted to Zimbabwe, including a blog with links to Zimbabwean activist websites. Or try following the situation -- and the changing Southern African approach to it -- through Southern African media: From South Africa, for example, the official SABC news, the Independent Online (including this reader poll), Mail and Guardian, Sunday Times and Cape Argus all have extensive coverage of Zimbabwe. Pray for the situations and people mentioned. From inside Zimbabwe itself, there are papers (for example, The Herald), which give a sense of the officially sanctioned press; The Zimbabwean is an independent paper printed outside Zimbabwe but for Zimbabweans. Go here for a discussion of the difficulties involved in reporting from Zimbabwe.

CAFOD, Christian Aid and Tearfund all have sections dedicated to the crisis in Zimbabwe, offering news, prayer points/requests, and opportunities to donate for future work. Read . . . pray . . .give . . . .

The DEC and Burma

Maranda — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:14:08 +0100

Just a quick note on the situation with the DEC Appeal and Burma. The high-profile difficulties regarding aid for Burma following Cyclone Nargis have discouraged many from giving to the DEC appeal. We have heard from one of the DEC agencies, however, that their aid is getting through. Due to the sensitive nature of work in Burma, the agencies are not able to name their partners on the ground, nor can they offer stories, but they say we can be confident that the aid is being effective.

What Can I Do?

Maranda — Tue, 08 May 2007 14:18:25 +0100

This Month's Action

It's still important to campaign on EPAs. Visit Tearfund's website to read a new report ("Partners under Pressure") which details some of the problems raised by the EU's negotiation strategy . . . or read the summary on Traidcraft's website. Then email your MP to raise questions about the material in the report . . . . .

General Suggestions

1. Pray for justice in international trade. Some suggestions for prayer are on our praying and preaching page . . . or send us your own!

2. Study the Scriptures on trade; you might want to look at the theological papers on the praying and preaching page to guide you.

3. We tend to know where our coffee, tea and chocolate come from . . . but what about our computers, curtains and jewelry? Look at the different ways in which you depend on international trade over the course of a single day/week/month. Then try to find out more about the people and patterns behind that trade. CAFOD has run campaigns on the working conditions behind both computers and gold; go to their website to find out more.

4. If you work for a company that has an international supply chain, try to find out more about it.

5. Visit the TJM website and see what the latest joint campaign actions are. Send an email and/or join in a particular action. Or follow the lead of whichever particular agency you support.

6. To become a more effective campaigner, try to go "wide" and "deep." Stay apprised of trade issues in general by scanning the papers (Larry Elliott in The Guardian and Alan Beattie in the Financial Times are two reporters to look for) or, if you want some more depth, reading the weekly Bridges digest from ICTSD.

Then pick a country and try to find out all you can about its particular trade situation over a period of time. You can

search for studies about that country on ELDIS
check out statistics from UNCTAD and the World Bank
read documents relating to it on the WTO website
search the TJM database for agency documents that are helpful
search the newspapers for stories

Links to all of the above are in our "further information" section. If you have connections with a country through a church link, consider doing this work in conjunction with your link partners -- and then joining together in advocacy. Bringing in specific information and examples helps to ensure that conversations about trade stay "real" and "rooted."

Once you feel comfortable with the issues, don't hesitate to write to your MP when matters related to your country's trading situation arise. Write to the newspaper, too, if that's an option.