Stand Up and Take Action

 

We are writing with more details for the two major Micah Challenge Zambia Mobilization events in the month of October. clip_image002We warmly invite all District Steering Committees to participate in the Stand Up Take Action and Micah Sunday. They do not require significant financial resources and we hope that all District steering Committees will be able to participate.

Objectives-what do we want to achieve?

  1. Mobilize Churches in your District to participate in Micah Sunday
  2. Mobilize the community and the church to participate in Stand Up Take Action.

Theme: Stand Up Against High Food prices

Stand Up Take Action is a worldwide call to take up action against poverty and inequality and for achieving and exceeding the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Between the 17th and 19th of October millions of people around the Globe will literally and symbolically stand up and speak out demanding their governments keep their promises to end extreme poverty and hunger. Last year more than 43.7 million people in 127 countries took part and set a new Guinness world record. This year rings even louder. Micah Challenge Zambia aims to mobilize over 100,000 people. Every person counts.

We need you to Stand Up and Speak Out to make the Zambian government honour its commitment on the attainment of MDGs.

Taking part is easy. Here’s what we urge you to do:

1. Make announcements in churches through the Ministers/pastors fellowships asking Christians to plan a moment between October 17 and 19 in their workplaces, schools, churches or homes, when they will stop, stand up, and share a moment of prayer and commitment focused on the words of the Micah Call.

2. Prepare churches by introducing Stand Up Take Action in announcements and news bulletin in churches, Sunday schools and small or cell groups before October 17. Encourage Sunday school teachers and cell group leaders to share or to discuss on the words of the prophets and the teachings of Jesus concerning the poor during the week leading to 17th October. On October 19 invite churches to observe Micah Sunday; and during the service that Sunday ask church members to practice the Stand Up Take Action moment as it comes to a climax that day.

3. Demonstrate the challenge of poverty in communities by escorting a senior government or political leader (e.g. MP, PS, Mayor, DC, Council Chairman, or Provincial Minister) to the local market. Get them to spend the equivalent of one US Dollar (i.e. K3500) on their food supplies for the day. Hold a public rally at the market place or another suitable venue where different speakers can address the issue of rising food prices and the impact it’s having on the poor. Invite speakers from the church and the civil society and the government.

4. Invite Christian artists to participate in your stand up activities and endorse the Micah Challenge.

5. Invite like-minded NGOs, CBOs, FBOs and the public to participate in the Stand Up Take Action activities.

6. Approach local schools to organize classroom/school based actives. These can involve among other activities pupils sharing poems, songs, and sketches either at the start of the class or during assembly. The class teacher can explain the significance of Stand Up Take Action, and the need to reduce poverty in our nation. Furthermore pupils can be asked to write posters urging the government to reduce poverty and stick them on the notice board.

7. Plan for a march and a public rally where you can invite the public to participate and musicians and speakers dealing with the issue of high food prices. Use this forum to have people sign a petition that relates to local situation such access to ART, overcrowding in schools, high food prices etc.

8. Hold round table dialogues on MDGs in your district. Invite the public to participate in these discussions

9. Run phone in radio programs on your local community radio station. Contact the Campaign Coordinator’s office to find out what assistance is available for organizing a radio program

10. Hold a sports day for young people under the theme: kicking out high food prices.

11. Finally, you can also organize a prayer summit to pray for God’s intervention in the poverty and hunger situation in your district.

Micah Call

This is a moment in history of unique potential, when the stated intentions of world leaders echo something of the mind of the Biblical prophets and the teachings of Jesus concerning the poor, and when we have the means to dramatically reduce poverty.

We commit ourselves, as followers of Jesus, to work together for the holistic transformation of our communities, to pursue justice, be passionate about kindness and to walk humbly with God.

We call on international and national decision-makers of both rich and poor nations, to fulfill their public promise to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and so halve absolute global poverty by 2015.

We call on Christians everywhere to be agents of hope for and with the poor, and to work with others to hold our national and global leaders accountable in securing a more just and merciful world.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 at 5:49 am and is filed under Announcements. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.