The Christmas Bowl has been busy at work in the world in 2003, supporting 53 projects – a project for each of the 53 years of the Christmas Bowl's existence.

The Christmas Bowl is a program of Christian World Service, a Commission of the National Council of Churches in Australia.  It invites Australians to look outwards to the worldwide family of Christ, offering an invaluable chance to show that we want to belong in the family.

Through its international programs with partners overseas, the Christmas Bowl helps to reduce poverty in sustainable ways through community-based development activities. It addresses the causes of poverty, and promotes justice and peace. Some funds are set aside for rapid response in times of emergency.

In 2003 the Christmas Bowl supported projects in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific and Australia.

Among Christmas Bowl projects in Africa, Australian Christians gave $50,000 to help the All Africa Council of Churches with development education, human rights advocacy and training in peace building.  Similar amounts supported water security programs run by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the Christian Council of Zambia, and the Christian Council of Mozambique's rehabilitation and reconstruction programs, including the peace program, Converting Weapons for War into Instruments for Peace.

Projects in Asia helped the Christian Conference of Asia's urban and rural ministry programs, the World Student Christian Federation's justice and development programs, and the Church World Service's Cambodia village development water, agriculture and leadership programs.  It contributed $80,000 to both Amity Foundation's medical training of village doctors in China and the Organisation for Eelam Refugee Rehabilitation's Tamil refugee relief in India.  The Christmas Bowl has enabled the Burma Border Consortium to receive $1,031,744 relief funding for the Thai-Burma border refugee camps.

In the Middle East, Australians, through the Christmas Bowl, helped the Middle East Council of Churches' Department for Service to Palestinian Refugees. The Iraq Emergency Appeal, through Action by Churches Together International, received $95,775.

In the Pacific, the Christmas Bowl supported development and capacity building programs of the Pacific and Papua New Guinea Councils of Churches, the Pacific Theological College's education and training programs, peace-building in the Solomon Islands, and other activities of regional and international Christian organisations.

And, in Australia, a partnership visits program, the Australian Council for Overseas Aid (the non-government organisations coalition), the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Ecumenical Commission, and programs for Refugee and Displaced Peoples, and Education and Advocacy, also benefited from Christmas Bowl support.

Australian Christians can continue to "Give a little HOPE this Christmas”.  Contributing to the Christmas Bowl helps real people build real relationships, based on partnership, and helps strengthen local churches all over the world.

Using Christmas Bowl funds, the National Council of Churches in Australia is able to support long-term community development projects, as well as respond quickly in times of disaster.

"Responding to the Christmas Bowl," says the NCCA, "is a way of giving account of the hope we have received in Christ."  "Give a little HOPE" signifies giving life, joy, peace, love, thanks, freedom and blessing to those desperate for them, as exemplified by the people featured in the Christmas Bowl Kit.

The uniqueness of the Christmas Bowl remains after more than 50 years: churches working together, churches pointing to the unity they are called to live. It enables their partners to act together in effective ways, and in turn give witness to Christ as, together, they pray, take counsel, advocate and network for the communities in their care.

Australian congregations have been invited to:

• Invite members to increase their gift this year by raising their last year's giving by at least $5 or 5% (if greater).
• Urge those who did not give last year to give at least $5 this year.
• Urge members to each request a friend to give to the Christmas Bowl.
• Set a Christmas Bowl target for congregation(s).

Christmas Bowl kits, containing posters, worship and group resources, with giving envelopes, and much more, together with corflute (firm, corrugated plastic) signs for outside displays, are available FREE from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Christmas Bowl can be contacted at Locked Bag 199, Sydney, NSW 1230; telephone 1800 025 101; or visit www.ncca.org.au.

Photos: A - Corflute sign at Christ Church Anglican Cathedral, Darwin.
            B - Christmas Bowl Banner at Penrith Uniting Church.
Information and Photographs:  Colleen Hodge - Education and Communications Programs
Christian World Service - The National Council of Churches in Australia
Telephones 02 9299 2215/0419 6852 48 - Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.