Church of God Partnering in ‘Micah Challenge’
Micah Challenge is calling millions of Christians to a day of prayer and action against extreme poverty as part of a global event. The international Christian response on October 10 will remind political leaders of 189 nations about crucial promises made to halve extreme poverty by 2015.
This global movement was launched at the United Nations in 2004, and holds 40 national campaigns each reflecting a wide range of participants. It is recognized by political leaders and governments all over the globe, including the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Kimoon, the former Prime Minister of Australia, Kevin Rudd, and the former British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. The Micah 2010 campaign is also being backed by key church movements such as the Assemblies of God, Church of God, Salvation Army, Hillsong, Youth With A Missions, Scripture Union, and YFC Europe. Micah Challenge also works closely with the Anglican Communion at the United Nations. Development agencies pledging to partner with Micah Challenge include Tearfund, World Vision, Christian Aid, and Compassion.
On October 10, 2010, 100 million Christians will be praying the same words of a prayer and making as many as 10 million promises to remember the poor. They will remind up to 1000 political leaders to take action on poverty commitments made through the Millennium Development Goals. Five signature events are being planned to highlight the day in Australia, India, South Africa, the UK, and Ecuador.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, supports the movement: “If we start acting now and if we as believers can pull together in supporting these goals, we can hold our governments to account and we can make a difference in the world, the kind of difference God asks us to make.”
Micah Challenge’s International Director, Joel Edwards, a New Testament Church of God minister, said: “The campaign in October will come three weeks after a crucial review of our performance so far at a United Nations Leaders Summit in New York. The world will be assessing how we are doing in fulfilling our promises. October 10 offers us an opportunity for robust and prophetic engagement around the promises made to the poor, as well as to offer critical evaluations of world government responses. This is why our prayer, promise, and action are both timely and potentially transformational.”
As momentum continues to grow across the globe, student campuses in the US are showing their support for the Micah Challenge, while in Zambia plans are afoot for regional meetings and interdenominational church services. Australian partners are preparing to highlight October 10 at Voice for Justice, where they will meet political leaders. Partners in Malaysia, Portugal, and many other nations are continuing to mobilize critical support for the October 10 campaign.
© 2010 Church of God World Missions
