Sunday 19 October 2008
In 2000 we made a commitment to the poor amongst us. World leaders signed up to the Millennium Development Goals – 8 goals to halve global poverty by 2015. Those same leaders are making decisions right now which determine whether these goals will be met.
Now is the time to act to make sure that the firm commitments we’ve made won’t become broken promises.
Momentum has been growing with Christians across the country and across the world uniting to say that the opportunity this world has to end extreme poverty should be grasped.
Last month 650 Anglican bishops, their spouses and prominent faith leaders walked in unity through Westminster to call on governments to take action. The march, organised by Micah Challenge and The Lambeth Conference, was described by Gordon Brown as `one of the greatest public demonstrations of faith that this great city has ever seen'.
In June the status of some of Britain’s most powerful people was determined by a roll of the dice at a Micah Challenge event held in Westminster.
Lords, MPs and church leaders were among the people who rolled the dice to determine whether they would be `rich' or `poor', with the `rich' guests dining on sumptuous canapés while the `poor' were limited to bread and water.
It was a challenge to respond to the glaring injustice in our world; a challenge to which many responded.
Now add your voice by marking Micah Sunday at your church.
The official date is 19 October, but you can hold a Micah Sunday any time this autumn.
We will provide resources for anything from a 5 minute slot through to a whole service. You can also be a part of the world wide ‘Stand Up’ campaign, which last year saw a record 43.7 million people standing up against poverty.
Stand together this autumn with thousands of churches worldwide to say that our promises must not be broken.
Go to www.micahchallenge.org.uk/micahsunday and be a part of Micah Sunday.