8/8/2019 2009 Global Action Magazine
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3PRAY
ERS
3ACTI
ONS
BEPART
OFAM
IRACLE
AUTUMN 2009
MAKING HEADLINESBONN AGAIN
DREAM ON
CAPED CRUSADER
MAKING CLIMATE HISTORY
THE GREAT PERSUASION
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LaytonThompson/Tearfund
HOW
BEAUTIFULONTHEMOUNTAINS1. Making headlines2. Bonn again3. Dream on
TheprophetIsaiahtellsusHowbeautifulonthemountainsarethefeetofthosewhobringgoodnews,who
proclaimpeace,whobringgoodtidings,whoproclaimsalvation,whosaytoZion,"YourGodreigns!"(52:7)
InthisruralUgandanvillage,accesstowaterisverygoodnews.Rainwatertankseasetheburdenofyoung
girlshavingtospendhourseachdaycollectingwaterfortheirfamilies.Theirtimeisfreedtogotoschool,
helpgrowthecropsthefamilywilleat,andenjoytheirchildhoods.
Asthelocalchurchbringsthepracticalgiftofcleanwatertothevillage,moreandmorevillagersarecoming
throughthedoors,takinginthegoodnewsofsalvationandproclaimingOurGodreigns!
EvenifyounevermakeittothemountainvillagesofUganda,youraction,prayersandgenerositywill.
Upontheheightsyourgoodnewsiswellreceived.
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MAKINGHEADLINES1.
PRAYER
BONNAGAIN2.
PRAYER
The command to love your neighbourlooks dierent in every situation. But orSara Shaw and Richard Weaver, Tearund'sclimate change policy advisers, it has
involved spending weeks o this year inBonn, Germany, lobbying or a air andstrong climate deal.
This year is huge or climate change. All eyes will be on
Copenhagen in December where world leaders must sign a strong
climate deal, but those ew weeks beore Christmas are just the tip
o the iceberg o all the earlier negotiations.
So how is a climate deal that meets the needs o the poorest
people made? Well, it's a lot o work. And a lot o that work takes
place in Bonn.
Countries have been meeting throughout the year to discuss what
the deal could look like. At these meetings in Bonn and beyond,
negotiators have been discussing the language and targets that
will become the building blocks at Copenhagen. Getting a UN deal
can really drag on, but time is ticking or the millions o vulnerable
people already living with climate change. This is where Richard
and Sara come in.
Sara and Richard are Tearund's climate change policy advisers,
the global churchs voice in Bonn. Together with hundreds o otherclimate justice lobbyists, they've been immersing themselves in
the talks, helping to push governments to get a move on. So when
rich countries put weak proposals on the table, Richard and Sara
are there to call them out. They're reading drats, eeding into
discussions and generally trying to raise the ambition levels o
countries blinded by short-term sel-interest.
Richard and Sara are just two o the thousands o people all over
the world putting everything into sealing a strong and air deal
this year. They're taking on impossible workloads and pushing
themselves to the limit to see this deal through. Sara says, 'It's
a lot o work, but we're driven by a belie that a strong climate
change deal is what the world needs.'
Richard reminds us that not any deal will do. 'Success o this
deal must be measured by how it benets the poorest and most
vulnerable those who are already most aected by climate
change. I it doesn't work or them, then it's not a good deal.'
PLEASE PRAY:
For Richard and Sara as they work to makesure poor peoples voices are heard at thesemeetings:
ForSaraassheworkstosealadealthathas strong targets in the lead-up toCopenhagen. Currently, only very weakemissions reductions targets that will dolittle to protect the needs o poor peopleare on the table.
ForRichardashelobbiesgovernmentstoprovide the unding developing countriesneed to adapt to climate change and develop
in a sustainable way.
Forleadershipfromdevelopedcountries. The world needs much more ambition iwere to get a good deal at the end othis year.
Headlines don't lie they tell us what we want to hear. Daily
newspapers blast reports o c elebrity break-ups or breakdowns, the
paper clip an MP expensed and Lily Allen's twitter eed. In the age
o the 24 hour news cycle, headlines vie or our attention, and our
money. The news refects what we care about or at least what the
media and advertisers think we do but not always what we ought to.
Stidia is a 13-year-old girl in Kigazi village, Uganda, and the ace
o Tearund's Make life owcampaign. Beore her local church
mobilised the community to provide a rainwater tank or her amily,
she was orced to spend our hours each day walking up and down
dangerous, rocky mountain paths, acing potential attackers and
rapists, experiencing physical exhaustion and neck pain, oregoing her
education, to collect water or her amily. This is the stu o celebrity
reality TV show challenges, yet it goes uncovered, and seems distant
to our daily lives. In a society that is ortunate to have in-home
running water as standard, Stidia's story is hard to athom. Maybe
that's why the 5,000 children who die o illnesses related to unclean
water and poor sanitation every day, oten go unreported
and unnoticed.
In todays world, how can it be that almost 900 million people still
lack access to clean water and 2.5 billion people still have no decent
loo? Lack o water and sanitation should be yesterday's news, but the
o-the-radar scandal is still with us.
That's why Tearund is campaigning or extraordinary action on water
and sanitation rom our world leaders. As we raise our global church
voice, let's pray that stories o girls like Stidia remind our decision
makers o the need to Make life ow.
PLEASE PRAY:
ForChristiansintheUKfeelingcompassionatigue, that God would continue to reachinto our worlds and inspire us with storieso people like Stidia and the work the localchurch in Kigazi is doing to make lie ow.
Forwaterandsanitationtogettheglobalattention it deserves and or extraordinaryaction to be taken to stop the silent scandal.
ForTearfund'svisionforwaterandsanitation. By 2015, we plan to havetransormed the lives o three million peoplewith better access to water and sanitationthrough our work on the ground, and manytimes that through our campaigning.
To order your Make life ow church pack, lled with stories, lms
and prayer resources to make water and sanitation come alive in
your church, go to www.tearund.org/makelieow or call
0845 355 8355 today.
Unclean water and poor sanitation accountedor at least 1,200 times as many deaths as swineu this spring. But the silent killer has received araction o the attention.
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DREAMON
You intended to harm me, but God intendedit or good to accomplish what is now beingdone, the saving o many lives. (Genesis 50:20)
Early in Josephs lie, his dreams only caused him trouble. They
made his brothers hate him, plot to kill him, sell him into slavery
and lie to their ather that hed been killed.
But the same git enabled him to speak out and save Egypt rom
amine. Joseph was the only person who, by Gods will, could
explain Pharaohs dreams. Seven at and seven lean cows meant
Egypt would be blessed with seven years o abundance ollowed
by seven years o amine.
Josephs interpretation transormed him overnight rom a prisoner
to a ruler o Egypt. Pharaohs willingness to listen, and Josephs
actions, saved a nation on the brink o amine.
Just as Egypt had seven years to prepare or the amine, climate
scientists predict that the world has seven years until emissions
must peak and start to decline. Ater 2016 global emissions must
be reduced signicantly each year to prevent global temperature
reaching catastrophic levels.
Today, Egypt is highly vulnerable to climate change. The majority
o people live in the Nile Delta where the land is most ertile, but
its vulnerable to sea-level rise. East Arica is also suering rom
reduced rainall. These climate changes could orce people rom
the land and lead to water and ood shortages.
World leaders cannot just dream about how they could solve
the problem. Developed countries must take action by reducing
emissions by 40 per cent by 2020. Failure to respond to this will
lead to climate chaos foods, droughts, sea-level rise, ailed
harvests hitting poor countries the hardest.
Like Joseph, we must listen to the warnings, pray and speak out,
calling or urgent action to control climate change.
PLEASE PRAY:
ThankingGodforhissovereigntyandprovision. Ask him to protect and provideor those aected by climate change,particularly those in Egypt and East Arica.
Reectingontheneedtotakeactiononclimate change in the next seven years.Pray or world leaders to put aside shortterm political concerns and commit toreduce emissions.
Forpeoplewhodreamandspeakoutforamore just world and or the global churchsrole in this. Give thanks or the 30,000people who now subscribe to GlobalAction or Act Fast.
Photo:MargaretChandler/Tearfund
3.PRAYER
GeoffCrawford/Tearfund
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Q: What do Batman, Wonderwoman and the prophet Isaiah have
in common?
A: They all ght injustice wherever they encounter it.
Like many o the prophets in the Bible, Isaiahs lie is synonymous
with highlighting injustice and calling out or change. As part o
the global church, we take to heart the words in Isaiah Chapter
58, which call on us to do the same thing.
However, unlike superheroes, not many o us have a secret bat
cave to store our injustice-ghting tools, or a costume to run
around in, turning wrongs to rights. But we do know that God
calls us to love one another. Our challenge is how we live this
out in a world where the poorest o poor people those already
on the edge o survival are being pushed beyond limits by
climate change.
Sometimes, like the prophets, God oers us the opportunity
to stand up and challenge those in power to do what is right.
This December we have just such an opportunity.
On Saturday 5 December, thousands will gather in Londonor The Wave church service and march, urging the UK government
to seal a strong and air climate deal at UN talks that begin the
ollowing week.
We need to make the voices o poor people, those most vulnerable
to (and least responsible or) climate change heard. As modern-day
prophets we can take their voices and their needs and present
them to our government, in whose hands their uture lies.
Sound daunting? Dont worry. Tearund has put together a
series o climate justice evenings this autumn to equip you to
be a modern-day prophet. These events will also help you to
get your riends, amily and whole church involved. Together,
we can speak truth to power and protect our brothers and sisters
already struggling with droughts, foods and insecurity caused by
climate change.
Sign up or one o the climate justice evenings below:
Email [email protected] or phone 0845 355 8355.
Go to www.tearund.org/deal to nd out more.
Events are now planned or:
Sevenoaks:St Nicholas Church, Sevenoaks TN13 1JAWednesday 23 September7.45pm or 8pm
Guildford:St Saviour's Church, Guildord GU1 4QD Tuesday 6 October7.30pm or 8pm
Leeds:South Parade Baptist Church, Leeds LS6 3LFThursday 8 October7.45pm or 8pm
London:All Souls Church, Langham Place, London W1B 3DAThursday 19 November6.30pm or 7pm
Reading:The Church o St John and St Stephen, ReadingRG1 3JNThursday 22 October7.30pm or 8pm
Oxford:Details to be confrmedCheck out www.tearund.org/deal or moreinormation
2.
3.
MAKINGCLIMATE HISTORY
THE GREATPERSUASION
History is not always made by the amous or the eted. This
year, history will be made in an unassuming conerence centre in
Copenhagen by negotiating teams whose names and aces most
o us wouldn't recognise.
Guided by their countries' governments, they will decide (or not)
the next international climate deal. What they agree to will onlybe as strong as the commitments their governments are prepared
to make. And, worryingly, most rich governments aren't showing
much sign o ambition. They need to be pushed by the public
during these next ew months.
We dont know the exact date o the next election, but we do
know it must happen within the next eight months. Its likely to
be dominated by discussion about the economy. But imagine the
impact i every candidate standing in the general election was
visited on the same day by constituents campaigning passionately
against global poverty.
The Great Persuasion, on the weekend o 1718 October, aims
to remind politicians that the needs o people living in poverty
around the world should be a priority at the next election. Along
with other development and environmental groups, Tearund is
asking campaigners like you to arrange a meeting with the main
candidates standing in your constituency to tell them youre
concerned with climate change and world poverty. And then ask
them what they would do about it i elected.
What happens in Copenhagen doesnt stayin Copenhagen this December.
Beore the upcoming general election, MPs will bescrambling to hear what constituents want. Itsa great opportunity or the church to express itspassion or global justice.
ACTION
ACTION
Take action, complete and send the Act Fast card to your MP,
asking them to pass on your message to the Prime Minister to seal
a strong deal in Copenhagen two people infuenced or the price
o one stamp!
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the climate change talks at
www.tearund.org/deal
Micah Challenge is also encouraging churches to take part in
The Great Persuasion on 18 October as part o Micah Sunday.
It will be a great way to encourage churches to express their
passion or justice to their MPs.
Find out more about The Great Persuasion and Micah Sunday
by visiting www.tearund.org/election
CAPEDCRUSADER
Everything you wanted to know aboutbeing a modern-day prophet (but werearaid to ask)
1.ACTION
8/8/2019 2009 Global Action Magazine
7/7yButcher/Tearfund
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We are Christians passionate about the local church bringing justice andtransorming lives overcoming global poverty. And so our ten-yearvision is to see 50 million people released rom material and spiritualpoverty through a worldwide network o 100,000 local churches.
I you dont have access to the internet an d would like to be sent theweb-based inormation mentioned in the magazine, please call us on0845 355 8355.
Also available: Sign up or Global Action email or choose to receiveAct Fast only. Visit www.tearund.org/actast or call 0845 355 8355.
Contributors: Tom Baker, Laura Hughes, Helen Heather, Alisha SanvicensPrint: Bishops PrintersCover photo: Clare Kendall
Copyright Tearund 2009. All rights reserved. Permission is granted or
the reproduction o text rom this publication or Tearund promotionaluse only. For all other uses, please contact us.
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19362-(0809)
Bishop George Katweigye
from Tearfund partner
Diocese of Kigezi in
Uganda lobs a loo roll
while visiting the UK topromote the Make life
flow campaign.