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Australian Lutheran World Service

REAL Development

Country Focus: Papua New Guinea

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Web: www.lca.org.au/alws

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We love because God first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Prayers We pray today for God's world. We pray for a

world divided unequally between the prosperous and the desperate, between the privileged and

the powerless, between the wealthy and the poor.

God of life, into this divided human community you come. You sit amongst the poor, you walk

with the lonely and the abandoned, you stand among the hungry crowds, you live among the

powerless, the frightened and the weak.

Grant us the energy to serve others in your name. Grant us the love to heal despair.

Grant us the strength to continue in your service. Grant us the power to overcome evil.

Help us to walk humbly where you walk so that in your name, we become the answer to the prayers

of the silent, suffering, struggling ones.

Amen. (Prayer from Australia from a Micah Challenge service for the meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers in Melbourne.)

A Franciscan Benediction

May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that we may live deep

within our hearts. May God bless us with anger at

injustice, oppression, and ex-

ploitation of people, so that we may work for justice, freedom,

and peace. May God bless us with tears to

shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation and

war so that we may reach out

hands to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe

that we can make a difference

in this world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be

done. Amen.

• Have a blank exercise book and cover it. Invite each class to write their prayers about development or the people of PNG

on different pages. During chapel, read from it and then place it on the alter presenting your prayers to God.

• On a large cross attach the photos from PNG mixed with photos of people from your school and display in a prominent spot. Write on a banner—We love because God first loved us (1 John 4:19).

• Work out 80% of the school—have them sit to one side of the worship area show everyone how many

children around the world live in poverty. Let the remaining 20% sit on chairs—they represent the rest of the people in the world. Talk to the students about their situations. Give the ’wealthy’ a treat. How do they feel?

Talk about how Jesus died for us all, and loves us all. There is no separation in heaven. • Look around your community to find someone from PNG who would be willing to talk to the students. • Bring the money you have raised for PNG into chapel to be placed in a special jar on the alter with a plaque saying —’Jesus, this money is yours. May we be your hands and feet’.

• Show PowerPoint of photos from PNG. Get students thinking about life for other children around the world. Pray for the people of PNG. Pray for the work of ALWS in PNG. Pray for the staff who work in some difficult

circumstances in the field. • Show PowerPoint of the Millennium Development Goals. Spend time in prayer for each of the goals. Use the prayers and activities following to help.

• Bible Readings—see separat

e page.

• Bible Studies—see following p

ages.

• Prayers and activities—see

following pages.

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1. The Point In this first study, we examine the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament on what is called the Greatest Commandment, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27 NRSV). Sometimes we can treat this as two commandments: love of God and then love of neighbour. However, as we will see, love of God and love of one’s neighbour are not just parallel streams in the Christian life, or two sides to the one coin. They are in fact so interwoven in the teachings of scripture that perhaps no metaphor will do them justice. 2. Illustrating the Point Movie: Molokai – (David Wenham) Video Clip/DVD: 0:23:16 – 0:32:07 (Available at larger DVD hire shops). For hundreds of Hawaiians infected with leprosy during the 19th Century, Molokai island became a place of exile. Leprosy at that time was still comparatively misunder-stood and largely untreatable. The film is based on the true story of Belgian priest Father Damien (David Wenham) who saw his ultimate calling as living with and caring for these lepers. In appalling conditions he devoted himself to improving their way of life. The clergy and government ignore both the lepers’ degraded conditions and Father Damien’s pleas for beds, shelter, medical assistance and practical help. After all, he was sent there to “tend their poor souls”, not their bodily needs. The clip begins with a rag-tag worship service in a ramshackle church building attended by a growing bunch of lep-ers. Some are brought in by stretcher; others are too ashamed to even enter the building. This scene is contrasted with the relative opulence of the bishop who lives comfortably in Honolulu largely untouched by the needi-ness of the situation, but who nevertheless grants some of Father Damien’s requests.

The final scene shows Father Damien’s concern for those who cannot defend them-selves – in this case a young boy living with an abusive guardian. Father Damien’s experiences introduce us to love and worship in the context of extreme neediness as well as love expressed in ways that are concrete and make a tangible difference in people’s lives. 3. Bible Readings: Luke 10:25-37, 1 John 4:7-24 3.1 Summary – Luke 10:25-37 Jesus is being tested by experts in the Law, the religious scholars of the day. But beyond the great commandment, which all students of the Law knew, was the difficult end of the teaching: who is my neighbour? Some scholars at the time said one was only required to love fellow Jews, others only those who held to the correct teachings, while others said it was all of humanity, and some said all but your enemies. But Jesus compared the behaviour of those who thought they had the right religion with the one who showed compassion, a Samaritan. Samaritans were both spiritual and cultural enemies of the Jews at the time. 3.2 Your Turn • Would Jesus’ answer have seemed controversial at the time? Why? • Are there any equivalents today of the Samaritans? Those whose nation or culture, or spirituality, is looked down upon? • The man robbed and beaten by thieves required compassion and healing. Which groups at home and overseas are in a similar position of need? 3.3 Summary – 1 John 4:7-24 The author of this book of the New Testament was understood by the early church to be the apostle John, the disciple “whom Jesus loved”. This epistle seems to have been a circular letter to Christians in Asia Minor who had been influenced by Gnostic teachings which said that one’s

behaviour didn’t matter, only one’s beliefs. But the author makes the point that “those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen”. 3.4 Your Turn • Is the author saying it is easier to love those who are physically present with us now than God who is with us spiritually? • When the author writes, “whoever does not love does not know God” (verse 8), what sort of behaviour might he be referring to? What kinds of behaviour do you see today that the author of this book would find offensive? • The author compares loving those whom we can see with loving God whom we cannot see. But what about those people who are not in our immediate neighbourhood? How do we love those who are in another city or country? 4. Prayer Thoughts • Think again of those groups at home or overseas who are in need of a Good Samari-tan. Pray for ways you might become involved in showing God’s love to such groups. • If you find it easier to love the God you cannot see than those who are suffering whom you can see, ask God why that might be the case. • Are there those who are suffering just beyond your view, whom you cannot or do not want to see? Examine your heart to see if there are those you could help to whom you have turned a blind eye. 5. Prayer O God, Open our eyes that we may see the needs of others; Open our ears that we may hear their cries; Open our hearts that we may feel their anguish and their joy. Let us not be afraid to defend the oppressed, the poor, the powerless, because of the anger and might of the powerful. Amen

Bible Study 1 : Who is my Neighbour? “When the evening of this life comes, we shall be judged on Love.” – St John of the Cross

“I never knew how to worship until I knew how to love.” – Henry Ward Beecher

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1. The Point The use of the term neighbour in the Christian scriptures encompasses all of humanity. But only in this age of the global village is it possible to have a camera almost anywhere and to see and hear stories of humanity from across the globe. Christians now have a much clearer awareness of the world God loves than at any time in the past. Christians are called to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and to share in God’s love and care for all of humanity, but how can we find a balance for care within our own community and care and responsibility within the global community? 2. Illustrating the Point Movie: Collateral – Tom Cruise Video Clip/DVD: 0:23:25 -- 0:26.00 (Note: The movie carries an M 15+ rating, though there are no scenes of violence in this section.) (Available at most DVD hire shops) In the movie ‘Collateral’, Tom Cruise plays Vincent, a hit man visiting Los Angeles who has five people to kill in a night. He forces Max, a taxi driver played by Jamie Fox, to drive him to each of his destinations. Max starts to freak out after the first man is killed, and the dialogue is particularly caustic. Max: Well, who was he? Vincent: What do you care? Have you ever heard of Rwanda? Max: Yes, I know Rwanda. Vincent: Well, tens of thousands killed before sundown. Nobody’s killed people that fast since Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Did you bat an eye, Max? Max: What? Vincent: Did you join Amnesty International, Oxfam, Save the Whales, Greenpeace, or something? No! But I [shoot] one fat Angelino and you throw a hissy fit. Max: Man, I don’t know any Rwandans. Vincent: You don’t know the guy in the trunk,

either. 2.2 Your Turn • How does this exchange of dialogue make you feel? • What is the relationship between actually seeing atrocities and only knowing something about them? 3. Bible Readings: Micah 6: 6-8, Luke 16 3.1 Summary – Micah 6: 6-8 Not much is known of the prophet Micah. He was a contemporary of Isaiah sometime between 750 and 686 BC, and Jeremiah (26:18) recounts one of his prophecies. Micah’s prediction of the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem was well remembered in Herod’s time, when the priests and scribes cited this town as the place where the “king of the Jews” could be found. Micah, like the prophet Amos, appears to have come from a village, Moresheth-Gath. Micah warned Israel against coming judgement, through the armies of the Assyrians, for its idolatry and for it mistreatment of the poor. Micah castigateed the country for storing up “treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked” (verse 10), and for tolerating “wicked scales and… dishonest weights”. Micah was criticising the white collar criminals of his day, the wealthy who “speak lies, with tongues of deceit in their mouths” (verse 11). In perhaps Micah’s most memorable verse, he described what his listeners should already know: “and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (verse 8). There are numerous commands in the Old Testament to do what is right (tzedakah) and just (mishpat). And while the Hebrew word mishpat refers to the rule of law, tzedakah conveys a sense of both love and justice. This is sometimes termed distributive justice or social justice, though neither captures the sense of peace or shalom that is conveyed

fully in the Hebrew language. The Israelites, however wealthy they became, never owned anything ultimately, but were stewards or guardians on God’s behalf. Those who were wealthier than their neighbours had a respon-sibility. Consequently, the God of Israel was concerned with the economic and political sphere, because their repercussions were personal. 3.2 Your Turn • As we have seen, the command to do what is right has both a personal and social dimen-sion. But is there a strict line between the two? Make a list of what you think are your personal and social obligations to do what is right. God’s call to tzedakah requires a love that seeks justice. What are the big justice issues that should concern you at home and overseas? • Now, what could you do by yourself and what could you do with others that would play a role in addressing some of the issues you have just listed? There isn’t a social concern that one or other group is not involved in. What more information would you need to become one of those who is part of the solu-tion to the issues you listed? 3.3 Summary – Luke 16:19-31 Jesus’ story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16 only appears in the Gospel of Luke. It appears to be a parable, though in no other parable did he give a name to a character. Either way, the story would have been ex-tremely confrontational to some in his audi-ence, and wonderfully comforting to others. In order to appreciate this and therefore better understand the significance of the story, we need to know his audience. Some of them we met in Luke 16:10-13. Read this passage now, and note Jesus’ response to them in verses 14-15. (Perhaps read Mat-thew 4:23-25. It gives us a picture of the kind

Bible Study 2 : Neighbours Local and Global “Love takes justice beyond common sense.” – Lewis Smedes

“Human beings are so made that the ones who do the crushing feel nothing; it is the person crushed who feels what is happening. Unless one has placed oneself on the side of the oppressed, to feel with them, one cannot understand.” – Simone Weil

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of crowds that "flocked to see and hear Jesus.) Now read Jesus’ story in Luke 16:19-31. As you do this, try to imagine yourself as part of the audience. Alongside you will be Pharisees and other wealthy individuals, but there will also be the sick and the poor, perhaps even people who begged for a living. Eugene Peterson’s translation of verse 19 reads, “There once was a rich man, expen-sively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption.” According to William Barclay, the rich man’s clothes cost at least 800 times the daily income of a labourer. It’s hard to imagine any item of clothing that would cost 800 times the average daily earnings of an Australian labourer. But what if we broaden the horizon and consider the fact that 1.5 billion people in today’s world have to manage on less than $1.40 ($US1) a day. 3.4 Your Turn • What item of clothing could you buy for $1120? What other personal extravagance would cost about that?

• What effect do you think the story would have had on the wealthier people in the crowd? • What about those in the crowd who were poor, those who were used to being ignored by the rich and powerful, how do you think they would have felt as they listened to this story? • Considering that the people in Jesus’ audience were Jewish, and the rich man in his story was also Jewish: How do you think the audience might have reacted to the suggestion that, despite his Jewishness, the rich man was separated from Abraham by a great chasm? • What does this tell us about real faith and true religion? • Why do you think Jesus told this story? • What was he hoping to achieve? • What message does it have for you? 4. Going Deeper Read Matthew 25:31-45. As Jesus was de-scribing his return in judgement, he said “Come, you that are blessed by my Father,

inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the founda-tion of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” (verses 34-36). Jesus suggested that he is especially present with those who hunger, thirst, are in poverty (naked) or imprisoned, and that to meet the needs of such people is to minister to Jesus himself. These categories Jesus mentioned may well include at any time a large proportion of the world’s population. 5. Prayer Thoughts • Think about those justice concerns you listed earlier. • Ask God how you might begin to act on those concerns you felt most strongly about. • Pray for the right resources that will help you pray and/or act more clearly. 6. Prayers God of Justice, manifest in a carpenter’s son, we pray for all who labour and toil and for those charged with protecting the conditions of their work. Grant to these stewards of economic justice an abiding and untiring commitment to the rights of all workers and to the protection of international labour standards throughout the world. Amen. (Source unknown, pp. 119 Harvest for the World compiled by Geoffrey Duncan © Canterbury Press 2002, 2004)

God of the just weight and the fair measure, let me remember the hands that harvested my food, my drink, not only in my prayers but in the market place. Let me not seek a bargain that leaves another hungry. Amen (Janet Morley, Christian Aid; pp. 149 Harvest for the World compiled by Geo!rey Duncan © Canterbury Press 2002, 2004)

Bible Study 2 : Neighbours Local and Global Continued “I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and that it is best to disregard their talk and

judge only their actions.” – Dorothy Day

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1. The Point It’s impossible to be unaware of the persis-tence of poverty in the world. Haunting images of poverty are brought to our atten-tion on a regular basis. It might be the news-paper or TV bringing news of famine in Africa, or an overseas aid organisation trying to squeeze more dollars out of a reluctant public. Most of us go through an entire gamut of reactions when confronted by such images and information. Pity, annoyance, resistance, despair and frustration are just some of them. The problems can seem too huge to grasp – poverty, corruption, disease, and unfair trade. But each of us has our own role, small but important, to play. And when we can join with a global movement of Christians all seeking to address these issues, our small voice becomes much louder, and each individual action is multiplied around the globe by millions who share our concern and a vision for a better world. 2. Illustrating the Point “If I could ask you to think a hundred years ahead, to imagine what we, and our times, will be remembered for, I would venture three things: the Internet, the war on terror, and the fate of the continent of Africa. We are the first generation that can look extreme and stupid poverty in the eye, look across the water to Africa and elsewhere and say this and mean it: we have the cash, we have the drugs, we have the science – but do we have the will? Do we have the will to make poverty history? Some say we can’t afford to. I say we can’t afford not to.” (Bono, lead singer U2, to the British Labour Party conference, September 2004) 3. Bible Study – being God’s advocates 3.1 Advocacy Advocacy means speaking up in support of someone in need. Around the world, millions of Christians are joining with Micah Challenge, part of the Make Poverty History

campaign, to advocate on behalf of the poor and disadvantaged across the world. This role of advocacy seeks to follow the work of God in the world. There is no word in the Bible that exactly matches the English term – the nearest is the Greek word parakletos, which literally means ‘called to one’s side’. Look at how parakletos is translated: in John 14:16: counsellor, counsel for the defence, helper, comforter, advocate; in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4: comfort, consolation, help; in Romans 15:4: encouragement, counsel. 3.2 Your Turn Now attempt the following questions. Try to look up the verse after you have attempted to answer the question:

• For whom does Jesus act as an advo-cate? (1 John 2:1) • Why do they need an advocate? (Romans 6:23) • What qualifies him to be our advocate? (1 John 2:2) • What are the characteristics of his advo-cacy? (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:34) • What is the effect of his advocacy? (1 John 2:2; Romans 8:1)

In 1 John 1:5–2:6, Jesus is described as our parakletos. What conditions are set out for us in order to enjoy fellowship with God? Condition 1 (1 John 1:5- 7) We must “walk the talk”. This includes walk-ing in fellowship with one another. Condition 2 (1 John 1:8-9) We must recognise our sin and failure, and confess – notice that it is because of God’s faithfulness and justice that we can be confi-dent that we are forgiven. Condition 3 (1 John 1:10 – 2:2) What Jesus has done and continues to do – he died for our sins and now pleads our cause. Jesus speaks up for us in a unique way because he paid such a high price to redeem us. Advocacy is at the heart of Jesus’ continuing love and care for us. He earned

the right to be an advocate because he laid down his life for us. His advocacy is linked to his cross. Condition 4 (1 John 2:3-6) We are back to the beginning – we cannot know God without doing what he wants. Because if we know God, his Holy Spirit is making us more like him, and encouraging and enabling us to live as Jesus did. Parakletos describes both Jesus and the Holy Spirit and points to advocacy as a char-acteristic of God. God’s aim is that humans should ‘participate in the divine nature’ (2 Peter 1:4). If advocacy is a characteristic of God, then it must also be a characteristic of God’s children. Prayer and Campaigning. There is a very close relationship between prayer and campaigning or advocating for the poor. We tend to think of them as very differ-ent activities, but this study indicates that speaking up is the same as intercession. One way of linking them is to define advocacy as “speaking to the powerful on behalf of the powerless”. Sometimes we can intercede for others with God, and become aware that we can also intercede with those with human power. The linking of prayer and action is essential – if we write letters or send our postcards to the Prime Minister, and forget to pray, we are denying an essential part of the faith equation. 4. Going Deeper 4.1 Justice Alert In Australia, our wealth has doubled in the last generation but in the same period, the proportion of our Government’s contribution to the world’s poor (in overseas aid) has halved. One billion people in our world do not get enough to eat; yet there is more than enough food for everyone. God calls us to live justly and to be bringers of hope in a world of inequality and need. How can we stand up for God’s economic values in the

Bible Study 3 : The Church, Pop Stars and Politics “Evil is present not only in human hearts, but also in human structures. And in those structures it can acquire an almost independent power of its own, so that good individuals with the best of intentions can be party to great corporate evil.”

– Robert MacAfee Brown

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way we live our lives? Come up with some practical ideas. 4.2 The Way of the World Due to the HIV/AIDS crisis, life expectancy in Zambia has dropped from 43 to 37 and is still falling. Over half a million primary age children are out of school. Yet Zambia spends more on servicing its debt than on health and education combined. UN develop-ment research suggests that if Zambia had been allowed to spend their debt repayments on health and education, child mortality would now be at the same level as the USA. The good news is that we can transform such statistics of despair and be God’s agents of hope. Churches in Zambia are working to cut poverty and so can we. By supporting Micah Challenge, we can tackle the basic issues of poverty and also campaign for justice for the poor. In June, the world’s richest countries agreed on an historic deal to write off more than $40 billion of debt owed by the poorest nations. This debt relief package is part of a British-led effort to lift Africa out of poverty, and will benefit many in countries in sub-Saharan Africa, such as Zambia. In 2001, Tanzania, was granted debt relief which enabled the government to build over 30,000 new classrooms and recruit over 1,700 new teachers. 4.3 Micah Challenge Many Christians are involved in work around the world that tackles poverty and lack of opportunity. Micah Challenge is concerned to address the effects of poverty and to turn lives around because we believe God loves all people and wants them to have abundant life. We also need to address the causes of poverty – to look at global structures that deny poor people the chance to fulfill their potential. That is what Micah Challenge is all about. The campaign takes its name from the prophet Micah, who wrote, “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love

kindness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Get involved by: a. Signing the Micah Call. You can sign online at micahchallenge.org.au or by post or fax using the form in the Micah Church Kit. b. Wear a White Band on October 17, global Anti Poverty Day. Wear a White Band and join millions world-wide to show your support for the fight against poverty. c. Stay involved. Check the website and calendar of events! Micah Challenge’s website has weekly prayer updates and campaign news: micahchallenge.org.au d. Donate to your favourite aid agency—Australian Lutheran World Service. Join the good work that’s already happening. ALWS is helping change the lives of people living in the poorest communities around the world. Involve your whole school. e. Spread the word. Tell your friends, family, school and colleagues about Micah Challenge and the Make Poverty History campaign. 5. Prayer Thoughts • For trouble spots around the world. • For the Federal Government, that it would

act with compassion and justice. • For any friends who work in areas of

poverty and great need – that God would continue to inspire and sustain them.

• For Micah Challenge – that it would be a powerful voice, reminding governments to act for the poor.

• For ALWS and the life-changing work that it is involved in around the world.

• For churches in Australia to be caring, faithful models of God’s love.

6. Prayers Loving God, you have led us to this place, not to shield us from heartaches and the pain of human life, but to heal us and inspire us, to gently redirect us, till we see the world as you do and love it with your love. Amen Forgiving God, your Son once said that his brother, sister, mother were all who did your will. Yet even when we fail to do your will you welcome and accept us as your children. Teach us to include others as readily as you include us; for to do so is your heavenly will. Amen Eternal God, out of your great generosity you brought the world into being and gave it life. Then you gave it yourself, on the cross of human suffering. Such priceless, painful giving! Did you invite us here to show us that? Then show it to us once more, O God! Show us a different kind of world, a different cost of living, where the pain will not be eased by the money we spend on ourselves, but by the way we spend ourselves for others, and the way we value life. Eternal God, out of your great generosity, make us generous; bring us into being. Amen

Bible Study 3 : The Church, Pop Stars and Politics Continued “The world of food and work, of health and housing, the world of education – this is God’s world. Poverty and desolation is a

denial of God’s will; a perverted creation in which God’s glory is mocked and scorned.” – Oscar Romero

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Introduction This interactive prayer activity is designed to allow people to take time to reflect and be engaged with the issues of global poverty in a physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual way, bringing them to God in prayer. They are based around the eight Millennium Development Goals, as set by the Untied Nations. Students may reflect at their own pace and have the freedom to interact with as many activities as they wish. It is helpful to play some appropriate music from another culture to set the mood for people to reflect. Set up each prayer activity around the edges of the room.

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

One billion people live on less than $1 a day. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, a boy spends every day chipping through stones in search of minerals to sell. For a flour bag of mineral-rich stones he is paid as little as 25 cents. His family and community are dependent on this industry. Activity 1 Break a piece off the rubble with the hammer as a prayer to bring daily bread to this community. You’ll need: Hammer, Bricks/rubble/rocks. Target 1: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than US$1 a day. Target 2: Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger. Pray

• For justice for Africa, the world’s poorest continent, where one in three people are malnourished. About half of its nearly 700 million people live on less than US$1 a day; most (80 percent) live on less than US$2 a day. • For the leaders of the world’s richest countries, that the aid they have promised developing countries will be delivered and that the crip-pling debts still owed by these same countries will be forgiven. • For aid and development agencies, that the delivery of food aid and development assistance will feed the hungry and lift them from extreme poverty.

Bible verses “Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed”, but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:15-17

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education

Rowena was three when she started work in the Philippines, digging through a garbage dump to collect recyclable materials. She's never been to school at all. Activity 2 Think about how education has empowered you. On one page, write or draw something you've learnt in the past year. On another page, write or draw a prayer for children like Rowena who have not had the opportunity to finish, or even begin, primary school. You’ll need: Notebook (or two if there are a lot of people), pens, textas, pencils. Target 3: Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling. Pray

• That parents in developing countries will not be forced to choose between sending their children to work or sending them to school to enable the family to survive. • That, across the globe, girls’ education will be valued equally with boys’ education. • That poorer countries will not have to choose between servicing debts to rich countries or educating their children.

Bible verse “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in divine and human favour.” Luke 2:52

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Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

At fourteen, Phally was working two jobs while her brothers went to school. Now, with the help of a small loan and some training, she runs a successful grocery business in Cambodia, employs her broth-ers, and can send her own daughter to school. Activity 3 Lift up a woman from her labour (red) and make her stand equal with the men (blue) as a prayer for the empowerment of women around the world. You’ll need: Sticks (go scavenging in your neighbourhood!) A large tray of sand or dirt to bury the sticks in. Wet the sand a little so the sticks stand up better. Tie red ribbon around half the sticks, blue around the other half. Stand the blue sticks upright in the sand and bury the red sticks. Target 4: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary edu-cation, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015. Pray

• That girls will be able to choose the time of their own marriage and that it will not necessitate sacrificing their schooling.

• For women across the world to be listened to as equals in their community and valued for their contribution to society. • For more female teachers to be trained in countries where there are cultural constraints against women’s education.

Bible verses “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were say-ing indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them anytime you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Mark 14:3-9

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality In Afghanistan each year, 283,000 children under the age of 5 die. Bismillah is one of the lucky ones. Suffering malnourishment and pneumonia, she was brought in time to a clinic where she's on her way to recovery. Activity 4 Take a clay baby and mould it into a grown person as a prayer to reduce the mortality rate among children under five. You’ll need: Modelling clay/play-doh (available from your closest $2 shop or make your own play doh). Have them molded into babies, ready for people to use. Reflecting on Jesus: Paper and pens/textas for people to write down reflec-tions. A candle and images of Jesus from different cultural perspectives. Target 5: Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate. Pray

• For the provision of simple rehydra-tion solutions to treat diarrhoea, which accounts for one in six of the 10.6 million child deaths worldwide each year. • For the success of World Food

Program’s activities to prevent under-nutrition, which is an underlying cause in more than half of all the above deaths before age 5. • For the provision of mosquito nets in Africa, where 94 percent of all child deaths attributed to malaria occur.

Bible verses “He took a little child and had him stand among them. Taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not

welcome me but the one who sent me.” Mark 9:36-37 “For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusa-lem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weep-ing be heard in it or the cry of distress. No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime.” Isaiah 65:17-20

With special

thanks to

Micah Challen

ge

Australia



REAL Development




Ph: 0407117401


Goal 5: Improve maternal health

Around 529,000 women die each year giving birth. 99% are from developing countries and 80% are preventable. As a traditional birth attendant, Emily is fighting to reverse these statistics, helping with safer deliveries for hundreds of women in rural Malawi. Activity 5 Draw a picture of a mother, and another of child. Reunite them as a prayer for improved maternal health. You’ll need: Coloured A4 Paper and pens. Pray For the training of more traditional birthing attendants where there is a shortage of trained midwives. For the decrease of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), which can contribute to prolonged or obstructed labour. Especially for women in sub-Saharan Africa, who face a one-in-13 chance of dying during pregnancy and childbirth, while for women in the industrialised world the risk is only one-in-4,085. Bible verses In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do

not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Je-sus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.” “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so fa-vored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!” Luke 1:26-45

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

Pedro, Rose and Chembe visit the grave of their mother who died from an HIV/AIDS illness. Their grandfather, 75, now takes care of them. Over 14 million children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS worldwide. Activity 6 Remove a marble from the red liquid and place it on the blue cloth as a prayer to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS. You’ll need: A large bowl, water, red food colouring, marbles (from your $2 shop if you don’t have any), a piece of coloured cloth. Target 7: Have halted and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by 2015. Target 8: Have halted and begun to reverse the incidence of ma-laria and other major diseases by 2015. Pray

• For the empowerment of women in developing countries, who often have no choice over the timing or manner of sex. • For Western governments and pharmaceutical companies to show compassion in allowing inexpensive anti-retroviral drugs to be made available in poorer countries. • For the rescue of trafficked women and children, who are often forced into sexual slavery and thus exposed to the HIV virus.

Bible verses Heal the sick who are there and tell them, “The kingdom of God is near you.” Luke 10:9 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. Matthew 4:23 As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Matthew 10:7-8 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Matthew 25:36 Mosquito Game An educational game to help you understand more about Malaria, one of the world’s most common diseases http://nobelprize.org/medicine/educational/malaria/index.html.

With special

thanks to

Micah Challen

ge

Australia



REAL Development




Ph: 0407117401


Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

Every day Mame collects water for her family in Senegal. She's lucky enough to live near a borehole. The average distance to travel for water in Africa is 6km, and some children spend up to six hours per day on this task. Activity 7 Take away a stone from their road to make the distance shorter, and use it to begin building a well for the 1.2 billion people worldwide who have no access to clean water. You’ll need: String to outline the base of the well. Stones/rocks (from wherever you can find them, or you can get smooth stones from the $2 shop). Target 9: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs, and reverse the loss of environ-mental resources. Target 10: Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustain-able access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Target 11: Have achieved, by 2020, a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers. Pray

• For development agencies achieving further success in imple-

menting sustainable agriculture and industry policies. • That poorer countries will not be forced into privatising water supplies which are provided for profit rather than as a public ser-vice. • For governments and international organisations to make rural infrastructure a priority, so that millions more are not forced into city slums simply to feed themselves.

Bible verses “The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of waters, and the parched ground into springs…” Isaiah 41:17-18 “They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat.” Isaiah 65:21-22 “You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills, giving drink to every wild animal; the wild asses quench their thirst… You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth.” Psalm 104:10-14

Goal 8: Develop a global partnership for development

In Uganda, Simon sells the harvest from a few parched coffee plants that his parents planted before their death. He has no access to global markets or opportunity for a fair price. For every $1 paid for tea at a supermarket, less than 15 cents goes to people in the country where the tea was grown. Activity 8 Take a Fair Trade teabag to give producers, blenders and packers in poorer countries a fair deal… and as you drink, pray for rich countries to recognise their responsibility to work for justice for the poor. You’ll need: Fair Trade tea bags from www.tradewinds.org.au, cups, hot water, sugar, milk. Target 12: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system. Target 13: Address the special needs of the least developed coun-tries (includes tariff-and quota-free access for exports, enhanced program of debt relief for Heavily Indebted Poor Countries and can-cellation of official bilateral debt, and more generous Overseas Development Assis-tance for countries committed to poverty reduction). Target 14: Address the special needs of landlocked countries and small island developing states. Target 15: Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of devel-oping countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term. Target 16: In cooperation with developing countries, develop and

implement strategies for decent and productive work for youth. Target 17: In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable, essential drugs in developing countries. Target 18: In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communi-cations. Pray

• For those involved in reforming international trade systems, that poorer producers will have fair access and a reasonable price for their goods in richer countries. • For rich governments and global banks to forgive even more of the unsustainable and crippling debts of poorer countries. • For countries such as Australia, which have promised to lift their Overseas Development Assistance to 0.7 per cent of Gross Na-tional Income but have either failed to reach or even move toward this figure. • For our Government to act with compassion and justice towards the poor in Australia and overseas. • For those all around the world who are working with the poor, that they may know God’s power as they bring change and hope in culturally appropriate ways. Bible verses “….Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarrelling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.…” Isaiah 58:3-4

With special

thanks to

Micah Challeng

e

Australia

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