Family Violence - Faith Based Recommendations

The Safe Church Program has been staying informed about developments in the area of family and domestic violence and working out constructive ways for churches to be part of the solution to the social problem that continues to be masked behind the privacy of closed doors.

After a 13 month inquiry the Victorian Royal Commission into Family Violence report was tabled in State Parliament on Wednesday, 30 March 2016 with 227 recommendations.

Act for Peace Ration Challenge and Refugee Church Meal

As you may have read, the Act for Peace Ration Challenge has launched for 2016. By taking the challenge and eating the exact same rations that a Syrian refugee living in Jordan receives for one week, this passionate community of people across Australia will be helping refugees around the world to build safe, just and dignified lives.

In addition to launching the Ration Challenge, Act for Peace is excited to announce that this year churches around Australia will come together to take part in the first ever Ration Challenge Refugee Meal. During Refugee Week, June 19-25, churches will share a meal of refugee rations to show refugees we’re with them, not against them. The money raised during the meal will provide rations, medicine and education to help Syrian and Iraqi refugees find the strength they need to cope.

Interfaith Climate Statement

Last week the President of the UN General Assembly, H.E Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, was presented with an Interfaith Climate Change Statement signed by 250 global faith leaders’ from fifty countries. The Statement urges governments to promptly sign and ratify the Paris Agreement so that it can come into effect as soon as possible. The presentation took place in New York at UN headquarters onMonday 18th April, 11-12 pm EDT (Tuesday, 19th April, 2AM AEST). 

This year the liturgical calendars of eastern and western churches remind us that we still have some way to travel before we reach the unity that is God’s desire for God’s church. This year our eastern and western churches celebrate the passion and resurrection of Christ five weeks apart. 

Within weeks we will celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. While the churches in the northern hemisphere have already celebrated this special week, in the southern hemisphere churches mainly celebrate it in the week before Pentecost – beginning on the feast of Ascension and culminating in the great feast of Pentecost.

17 – 24 May 2015

Jesus said to her, “Give me to drink.”

John 4:7

In 2015 the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Australia will be observed from 17-24 May 2015 in the week between Ascension and Pentecost.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will be held from 8-15 May 2016. Resources have been produced on the theme of Called to proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord (cf. I Peter 2:9). They are available to download from the NCCA website.

Common Grace (www.commongrace.org.au) is an online community of almost 20,000 Australian people passionate about Jesus and justice.

Started in late 2014, the group seeks to celebrate the local church as it looks like Jesus in the world, to form people in faith as recipients of grace and obedient to Jesus’ call to be a blessing, and to mobilise Christians to be a faithful presence for God in a needy world. Common Grace has received seed funding through the National Council of Churches of Australia’s Glenburnie Programme.

The year has started and many members of the NCCA – Safe Church Training Agreement (SCTA) have Awareness workshops running across the country. This year we are rolling out a SCTA Awareness Workbook to assist our members in training participants in creating a safe place for all people, in particular children, young people and those who are vulnerable. The feedback that we are receiving from across Australia shows that interest and participation levels are high, with some workshops being undertaken on days when temperatures exceeded 39 degrees.

Syria five years on

March 15 marked the 5 year anniversary of the beginning of the Syria conflict. In the years since it began, the conflict in Syria has created the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. And it’s civilians – women, children and men who are suffering the most. Mothers, fathers and small children who’d been living normal lives and then suddenly lost everything – their homes, belongings, people they love – and found themselves strangers in a foreign country, cold, hungry and alone.