Micah Sunday 2008

Sunday Liturgy and Guide

Micah Sunday is a global day of prayer to mobilize churches to engage with global poverty issues. It is a time for churches to learn, reflect and act on their belief about the importance of justice, and to commit to the fight for dignity for the most vulnerable.

Micah Sunday is celebrated with activities in church services around the world. These activities include prayer times, Biblical reflections and mobilization of faith communities to present public petitions in the fight against poverty within each context.

Micah Sunday 2008 is set for October 19, after the Stand Up 2008. However if you cannot mark Micah Sunday on October 19^th, please choose another Sunday before October 19. This year’s Micah Sunday will coincide with Stand Up 2008, a period of high profile for the reduction of poverty in various communities in Zambia.

Aims of Micah Sunday

The aim of this year’s Micah Sunday is to:

1. Mobilize Christians against poverty
2. Intercede for our leaders to keep their promise to halve poverty by 2015.
3. Pray for Zambia to meet her side of commitments to the MDGs.
4. Take stock of what your church has done to lessen poverty in your community

Service Plan

Pre-service activities

1. Discuss your aims for the service, including any local aims (e.g. Special Outreach)
2. Hang posters, send invitations etc
3. Involve all church members in preparing for the service (e.g. prepare posters illustrating the MDGs)
4. Ask children to prepare a play, poem and/or song around the MDGs.
5. Decorate the church in Micah Challenge Colours: Yellow and blue

Arrival Activities

Be ready to greet the congregation before the usual start time. Four options:

1. Display MDG posters in the church
2. Arrange the children to present Bible verses, poem or song to illustrate Micah Sunday
3. Show the Micah Challenge Zambia Video, Agenda to End poverty
4. Children and youth perform a 5 minute poverty drama.
5. Read out statistics illustrating the Millennium Development Goals, with pauses for meditation and prayer.

Welcome /Introduction

Briefly introduce Micah Challenge Zambia and read the Micah Call. You could mention the two aims of Micah Challenge and the meaning of integral mission.

Exaltations

Read Isaiah 62: 1-12

Songs of Praise

Choose songs that praise the God of life, protector and carer of creation

Prayer

Bible Reading

James 1:19-27

Sermon

Action

Please ask the congregation to join in one or more of the actions indicated below:

1. Read out the Micah Call and ask everyone to sign it as they leave the church
2. To pray for our leaders to commit themselves to halve poverty by 2015.

Prayer

Possible sermon Themes

Psalm 33:1-5 Justice and Righteousness, Isaiah 58 True fasting, Amos 5:21-24 Let Justice roll, Matthew 25:31-46 The least of These, Luke 4:14-19 Good news to the poor, Luke 10:25-37 Who is our neighbour? Luke 11:37-52 neglecting justice, James 1:19-27 Pure religion, James 2: 14-46 Faith and deeds.

Commitment

To bring to mind the people of many lands and cultures who are joined with us in the Body of Christ, prayers of commitment could be said individually or jointly in as many languages as are represented in the church gathering, or as many languages as you wish.

Blessing

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. We 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 17^th and 19^th 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 17^th 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.

NGO asks presidential candidates for commitment towards MDGs

NGO asks presidential candidates for commitment towards MDGs

THE POST, Friday, September 19, 2008 – Home News

A CHRISTIAN non-governmental organization has advised presidential candidates in the October 30 election to make a commitment towards the attainment of millennium development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

And National Royal Foundation of Zambia chairperson Chief Bright Nalubamba (right) has asked presidential aspirants to meet all traditional Leaders to explain their agenda for the rural poor before asking for their votes.

In a statement, Micah Challenge Zambia national facilitator Pastor Lawrence also called on Christians in the country to vote for a person who would promote integrity, righteous and justice.

“We call on all Zambians not to vote tribe, Chibuku, party or age, but character, vision and strategy on how we will attain the millennium Development Goals,” he said.

And commenting on the heads of state meeting on the MDGs to take place in New York on September 25, pastor Temfwe called on leaders from the developing countries to urge G8 nations to fulfill the pledges they made to poor countries.

Pastor Temfwe also expressed dissatisfaction with the US$60 billion pledged by the rich nations towards health.

And chief Nalubamba said traditional leaders need to know what the presidential aspirants stood for so that people know who they were voting for.

“ There is greater need than before for the aspirants to meet the traditional leaders through out the country so that they can explain what they have for the rural poor,” Chief Nalubamba said. We have been marginalized for some time and our people remain poor so we have to know this time around what we are voting for.”

Chief Nalubamba said traditional leaders and the rural poor had the right to know what was there for them from the presidential candidates in the October 30 by-election.

He advised the candidates to reserve some days of their campaign period for a meeting with traditional leaders to discuss issues that affected the rural communities.

“We need to know how each of the candidates intends to work with traditional leaders in the fight against rural poverty,” said Chief Nalubamba. “ There should be no restriction on how should meet traditional leaders to allow the rural people to elect the best candidate. We now have to speak out strongly about traditional leaders’ effective involvement and participation in governance and development as servants of the rural poor.”

Christian NGO challenges presidential aspirants

TIMES OF ZAMBIA, Thursday, September, 18, 2008 – HOME NEWS

By Times Reporter

MICAH Challenge Zambia a Christian non-governmental organization (NGO) has urged presidential aspiring candidates to make commitments on how they intend to achieve the millennium development goals (MDGS) once elected into office.

Micah Zambia national facilitator for the organization. Pastor Lawrence Temfwe said in a statement in Ndola yesterday that his organization was urging all candidates for the forth-coming elections to make commitments towards achieving the MDGs.

Pastor Temfwe said it was important that the voters were availed by each candidate what they were promising to uplift the lives of Zambians.

“We call on all Zambians not to vote on tribal lines. Or because of free Chibuku, or according to party lines or according to the age but vote according to the vision and strategy on how we will attain the MDGs.” He said.

Pastor Temfwe called on Christians to vote for a person who would promote righteousness, integrity, hard work, compassion and justice.

He said it was imperative that Christian voted properly because the majority of the voters in Zambia were Christians.

Pastor Temfwe called on the meeting on September 25 that would gather in New York for the eighth year since the signing of the MDGs to work out modalities to achieve them.

He especially called on the summit to effectively address the issue of children affected by HIV and called to intercede for the same meeting.

April – May 2008 Micah News

Central Province Launch

During the month of May we had a launch of Micah Challenge in Central Province. This is the fourth launch in the series of provincial launches. So far we have done launches on the Copperbelt (August 28^th 2007), North Western Province (November 20^th, 2007), Luapula province (February 5^th, 2008).

The Central Province Launch took place on May 28^th 2008, at Kabwe Chapel in Kabwe. A total of 150 church leaders, pastors, university students, and members of the civil society attended this meeting which was opened by the Deputy Permanent Secretary of Central Province. Besides this meeting, we had two other meetings with ZAFES groups at Mulungushi University and Nkrumah College of education, where we introduced students to the work of Micah Challenge.

The essence of the provincial launches is to sensitize and engage church leaders and church members about the work of MCZ.

Engagement with the Media

Last month, we released three press releases. The first one was on price surge, the second one was on the occasion of the African Freedom Day, and the last one was on the Central Province Micah Launch

The Campaign Coordinator, Martin Kapenda also had a live interview with Radio Maranatha in Kabwe. The interview was centred on the work of Micah Challenge Zambia and the Central Province Launch.

MDGs Needs Assessment Training Workshop

The MCZ Campaign Coordinator attended the MDGs Needs Assessment Training Workshop organised by the UNDP at Chrismar hotel in Livingstone from 19^th to 23^rd May. The meeting was facilitated by UN staff from New York, Botswana, South Africa and Lesotho. The workshop was attended by planners from government line ministries and the civil society working in the area of advocacy.

The main objectives for the training workshop were to expose the participants to the following:

• Translating the long-term goals such as NDP and the MDGs into operational targets.
• Developing a strategy for increasing absorptive capacity.
• Strengthening coherence between planning and budget processes and guide programming of expenditure.
• Providing a monitoring and accountability framework.

Participants were also introduced to MDG Needs Assessment Tools in the following sectors- Agriculture, Education, Energy, Gender, Health, Justice, Roads, and Water and Sanitation.

Stand Up Speak Out

The MCZ National Facilitator, Rev. Lawrence Temfwe, attended a meeting in Lusaka called by GCAP to meet with Mr Salil Shety, the Global Director of the United Nations Millennium. The purpose for the meeting was to discuss the Stand Up Speak Out event which takes place on October 17^th and to gain an insight on what was being obtained at a global level with regard to the attainment of the MDGs.

Monitoring Zimbabwean elections

The MCZ National Facilitator, Lawrence Temfwe, the Executive Director of EFZ, Bishop Paul Mususu, and a Steering Committee Member of Micah Challenge joined one hundred other faith based Elections monitors from different African countries in Zimbabwe from 25^th to 31^st March to monitor the Zimbabwean elections. During his stay in Zimbabwe, Rev. Temfwe was given a unique role of writing press statements on behalf of the group. Please continue to pray for peace to prevail during the forth coming rerun elections in Zimbabwe.

EFZ General Assembly

The campaign coordinator attended the EFZ General Assembly, which was held at GO Centre in Lusaka from 29^th to 30^th April. A Micah Challenge report was presented which highlighted the activities which were implemented from 1^stApril 2007 to 31^st March 2008. The report showed that Micah Challenge Zambia currently has over 700 churches, organizations and individuals who have signed the Micah Call. Moreover, the year 2007 marked the first year of the implementation of the MCZ three year Plan for the period 2007 – 2010. During the same period Micah Challenge was officially launched in Zambia.

September UN Summit

President Levy Mwanawasa is likely to attend a UN High Level conference to take place on 25^th September 2008 prior to the UN General Council. The aim of the High Level conference is to bring together world leaders, Civil Society and the private sector to help translate existing commitments to the MDGs into action, and strengthen the accountability of all parties in the global partnership for development. Pray that our President, Dr Mwanawasa, will be able to attend this summit and renew Zambia’s commitment to the MDGs. Micah Challenge Zambia will soon be writing to the President to request him to attend this meeting. We will soon be writing to all MCZ District Steering Committees to give them more information on this UN High Level Conference..

Announcements

We call on coalition members to take note of the following important dates on the calendar of Micah Challenge Zambia.

September 25^th UN High level Conference- We will send you more details on what is being planned soon.

October 17^th, Stand Up Speak Out –We have sent out a letter to all district committees. We ask you to look at the events you can do as church. Also look out for activities planned by other civil societies and engage them.

October 12^th Micah Sunday- We hoping that all Steering Committees members will ensure that this is observed in the churches they lead.

October 8^th: Prayer Gathering

Please organize or participate in prayer gathering.

A Micah Call to the churches to Civic Responsibility

Friday, June 13, 2008

MCZ

District Steering Committees

Dear all,

RE: A Micah Call to the churches to Civic Responsibility

On September 25th the United Nations will convene a high level conference in New York. The conference will bring together world leader, civil society and the private sector to help translate existing commitments to the Millennium Development Goals into action and strengthen the accountability of all parties in the global partnership for development. President Levy Mwanawasa is likely to attend the conference and address the participants.

This specific meeting provides for us a historic opportunity to deepen our engagement in poverty reduction. Our engagement with public life is because God created us in His image and gave us dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28).

Against this biblical framework and in view of the common commitments we share, we invite you to engage your local public leaders that your concern “to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God” maybe known and heard at the highest level of public life.

WHAT ARE WE CALLING YOU TO DO

1. The UN Summit on September 25th

A. Engage your local public leaders. Let the District Commissioner, the Resident Development Committees, member of Parliament and the counselors know that you are committed to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Let them know what programs you’re involved with that are addressing the MDGs. Engage them and find out from them their commitment to the MDGs as leaders. Provide information to your member of Parliament on MDGs related issues for debate in Parliament (this can include HIV/AIDS/TB infection levels, malaria, unemployment levels, education issues and food security). Write your provincial Minister and share your concerns with them and ask them to forward the same to relevant government line ministries.

B. Get debate going on MDGs on your local Radio – have some of you speak on Radio on MDGs. Let the community know about the MDGs and how they relate to the communities. Also let the community know how your are engaging public leaders that they keep the promise. Do press releases on MDGs.

C. Organize a prayer summit on or before 20th September around the MDGs as they relate to your area. Pray for the President that he will be burdened to reduce HIV/AIDS and poverty as he attends the UN meeting with other leaders. Pray for your local leaders that they be committed to achieving the MDGs

2. Stand Up and Speak Out Campaign

On October 17^th Micah Challenge in partnership with a wide range of partners including the Global Call Action Against Campaign (GCAP) and the UN Millennium Campaign will join hands to mobilize tens of millions of people to the streets to support the goals in the annual Stand Up and Speak Out Campaign. Each year as more and more people Stand Up and Speak Out, our voices are no longer being ignored; our numbers are a powerful testimony to the growing global movements of citizens demanding and end to poverty and the achievement of the Millennium Development goals now. Last year Micah Challenge Zambia mobilized 8, 000 people for the Campaign. This year with your participation we plan to mobilize over 100, 000 people. Here are some suggestions of the activities you can do between the 5^th and 19 October:

1. Organize a day of prayer at which your church members and senior public officers can be invited to participate. The armies of HIV/AIDS, poverty, child abuse, high maternity mortality rate and unemployment have declared war on Zambia. Just like Jehoshaphat was alarmed about the news of the armies of the Moabites… (2 Chronicles 20) we too should be distressed. Like Jehoshaphat, we call on you to mobilize your people for a day of fast and prayer over these issues that are devastating our beautiful and peaceful country. Call for a gathering to pray to the God who told us that, “Whenever, we are faced with any calamity such as war, disease, or famine we can come to stand before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.” You can choose any day between 5^th and 19^th October.

2. Organize Micah Sunday for your church on October 19. Every year across the world pastors who have signed the Micah Call or who are supporters of Micah Challenge mark and campaign in their churches on Micah Sunday. In 2008 Micah Sunday will be on 19^th October. We are encouraging that on this Sunday you take time to share the vision of Micah Challenge by praying for the poor in your community and elsewhere and by challenging your members to live lives of compassion and justice as a community. We will be sending you some ideas for Micah Sunday service during the first week of September. Please let us know if your church will observe Micah Sunday and if you will need our input.

3. Organize Stand Up and Speak Out Activity on October 17, to enable you and your community join with people from all around the world to STAND UP and SPEAK OUT against poverty. Micah Challenge Zambia is mobilizing Christians to organize events that literally and symbolically make people Stand Up and Speak Out, demanding our government to keep their promises to end extreme poverty, and meet and exceed the Millennium Development Goals. We are all encouraged to be part of this global movement of people who refuse to stay seated or silent in the face of poverty and broken promise. On October 17^th people will literally and symbolically Stand Up and Speak Out demanding their governments keep their promises to end extreme poverty. For Micah Challenge Zambia this Stand Up and speak out is also a moment to engage Christians more deeply in the transforming mission of Christ. It is a moment for the church to speak up with impoverished and marginalized people and not turn away.

These events are likely to create new energy of your key local public officers and other leaders and may lead to renewed commitment to achieve the MDGs by 2015 in your local communities. On our part your involvement will inform us on how we can engage our national leaders and the international communities to renew their obligation in the fight against poverty. Therefore, we would love to hear from you what your district and communities are doing to attain the MDGs. We would also like to know what you’re doing in fighting corruption and ensuring that public institutions are delivering HIV/AIDS, health and educational services in an appropriate manner.

Brothers and sisters these Goals can be achieved. Your church and other churches together with your Christian professionals working together can make a profound difference. Biblical characters like Joseph, Daniel, Esther, and Nehemiah should inspire us. Your prophetic voice is needed. To stand up and speak out and let those in power to stand by their pledges and honor their commitments they made to make a big dent in poverty by 2015. Here is our opportunity to see the prophecy “They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune, for they will be a people blessed by the Lord.” (Isaiah 65:23) fulfilled. We have no excuse. By God’s grace we can make it happen.

Let me know how we can support your efforts,

On behalf of Micah Challenge Zambia,

Yours sincerely

Martin Kapenda

Campaign Coordinator

Kapenda@yahoo.com

zambia@micahchallenge.org

Cell: +260 (0) 966 788 487

       +260 (0) 977 147 320

Office +260 212 6811172

         +260 212 681482 

Stand Up Speak Out

In Micah Chapter 6 we see elements of a dramatic courtroom scene. The prophet is the prosecutor and the mountains and the hills are the witnesses because they were present at Sinai when the Lord made His covenant with Israel and when the commandments were written and placed in the Ark of the Covenant as a permanent witness (cf. Deut 31:26). God almighty whose titles are the King, the Chief Judge and the Lawgiver is the plaintiff. The charge against the Israelites is idolatry, rampant social corruption and religious syncretism. In his evidence the Plaintiff recalls His many gracious acts (6:3-5) towards them: He gave them Moses to redeem them from bondage in Egypt. He took them into the land He promised them. He intervened against Balaam. He miraculously parted the Jordan River in order for them to cross to the other side.

 

The Israelites were convicted of their sins and quickly sought for a plea bargain. They offered God almighty, the creator of the earth and owner of all that is in it, burnt offering, choice calves, thousands of rams, ten thousands rivers of oil and their first born children as a pay back for their transgressions. The Judge of judges responded that He does not require a gift. Instead He wanted them repent and to start to live righteously and to deal with the injustices of the day such as ill treatment of the widows and the poor, stealing, corruption and taking bribes. God wanted also for them to do works of goodness and kindness as well as to walk in humility.

 

In the year 2000 world leaders echoed something of the mind of the Biblical prophets when they promised to halve absolute global poverty by 2015. The UN General Secretary stated recently that Sub-Saharan Africa will not meet any of the Millennium Development Goals. But Sub-Saharan Africa has the opportunity to dramatically reduce poverty because of demands from growing economies such as China and India which has pushed up prices of commodities like copper, gold and oil, which Africa is rich in. Why then are we behind in addressing issues of poverty? The Post of September 23, 2007 quoting the Transparent International reported that corruption costs developing countries $40bn annually. The report stated, “Corruption’s drain on resources available to alleviate poverty, disease and illiteracy is profound.” The report called for a strong political will, transparency and accountability mechanisms and for effective and efficient judiciaries.

 

Who will the stand up and speak out for the implementation of initiatives that can act as powerful deterrent to those seeking to plunder the African wealth? The Bible is unwavering in its declaration: Those who influence individuals, or our families, or our communities or our culture to stand for goodness, faithfulness and kindness are those who graciously serve the hurts and needs of others (James 1:27). The Bible is also clear in its pronouncement that those whom God has shown mercy must act justly, love mercy and walk humbly. Our world leaders have a case to answer. They are far behind on the promise they made to the poor. It is now half-time since they made the promise. Who will stand up and speak out? If you have received mercy you have no choice but to speak out and to provide faithful, compassionate, and merciful service to the hurting and the needy.

Lawrence Temfwe

Blow the Whistle Press Release

Micah Challenge Zambia has today issued a press release to mark the half time point to halving poverty.

You can download the full press release as a PDF file or Word doc (simply click on the links)

Saturday 7 July 2007 marks the half time point to halve poverty. In the year 2000, the government of Zambia and 188 other nations made a promise to halve poverty by 2015 through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Micah Challenge Zambia (MCZ) is joining other members of the global Micah Challenge campaign to ‘blow the half-time’ whistle on Saturday, to remind world leaders and the Zambian government of the promises they made when agreeing the MDGs, and to call on Christians in Zambia to stand-up to call for the MDGs to be met.

Lawrence Temfwe, the National Coordinator of MCZ, says:, “The eight MDGs which the 189 heads of state agreed to in 2000, are the most clear-cut and widely accepted set of development priorities the world has ever known that manifest the values of God’s kingdom of peace, righteousness, prosperity and justice. But Saturday (07/07/07) marks the half-way point towards the deadline of meeting the goals, and most of the MDGs are in danger of not being met in Zambia. This Saturday we are blowing the half-time whistle to say ‘we need action now to halve poverty’”.

Christians and churches in Zambia are encouraged to join the Micah Challenge Zambia coalition, which will be officially launched in August.

Micah Challenge Statement on Zimbabwe

On the 30 March Micah Challenge International, with input from Micah Challenge national campaigns across Africa, including Zambia, issued a statement on Zimbabwe. Please read on to see the full statement:

Preamble

The current political situation in Zimbabwe is of grave concern and if measures are not taken to mitigate the situation, the impact will be felt on every street in the whole Southern African region. Already the economic conditions in Zimbabwe have deteriorated alarmingly and are affecting other Southern African countries as Zimbabweans migrate in thousands in search of economic security.

We are concerned that the daily occurrence of political violence is eroding the legitimacy of the state and its leaders, and instilling fear in the citizens. Since citizens cannot express themselves freely, democracy is therefore being destroyed, and this has lead to political instability and political exclusion, and ultimately we fear, it is leading to a police state and dictatorship.

We are concerned that resentment is steadily building in Zimbabwe in those who are excluded, from being heard, and from participating in the strengthening of democratic infrastructures, and that they may seek undemocratic ways to dislodge the government. We are worried that if the current political situation is not addressed, Zimbabwe will deteriorate into a state where a rebel insurgency or movement (that may gladly receive terrorist, or other outside support) will start within the excluded groups.

Micah Challenge, a global advocacy initiative of the World Evangelical Alliance, representing more than 420 million Christians, and the Micah Network, bringing together more than 300 Christian organisations providing relief, development and justice activities throughout the world, believes that Christians have the responsibility to serve as voice for the voiceless and to speak prophetically to change situations in the favour of the poor, as we find in the Holy Scriptures: “Speak out for who those can not speak for themselves, for the right of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly, defend the right of the poor and needy.” (Prov: 31:8-9)

The appalling political situation in Zimbabwe, including the arrest and detention of Mr Morgan Tsvangiari and forty eight members of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Party, while on their way to a prayer meeting, the subsequent torture of some of these, and ongoing arrests and detentions by ZANU-PF, has prompted Micah Challenge to add its voice to those of African leaders, including the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bulawayo, Pius Ncube, and the President of Zambia, Levy Patrick Mwanawasa, and others worldwide, to utterly condemn the atrocities committed by Mugabe regime.

Statement

Saddened, by the unfolding tragedy in Zimbabwe, that may impact upon Southern African political and economic transformation, We, Micah Challenge, a global initiative to: deepen Christian engagement with impoverished and marginalised communities; and to influence leaders of rich and poor nations to fulfil their public promise to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, and so halve absolute global poverty by 2015, do hereby call upon:

President Robert Mugabe

We acknowledge your sacrifice to fight against colonial rule and for having provided leadership in liberating Zimbabwe. However, we are grieved by the brutal injustices being perpetrated by your regime on your own people.

As leader of your great nation, you have a responsibility to ensure that all people, irrespective of their political, religious, race or ethnic affiliation, have the right to protection from every form of abuse, ill-treatment, torture, sexual abuse and discrimination. We call upon you to make sure that these rights are respected so that all Zimbabweans can participate in using their God given gifts to their full potential, for their benefit and for the good of the nation.

Southern African Leaders (SADC)

We are shocked, by your apparent silence about the situation on your door steps. During the liberation struggle, the then leaders of independent Southern African countries, saw it as an obligation to seek justice, human rights and freedom for the African people of Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa and Angola. Don’t change the response today! Your approach must be the same yesterday, today and tomorrow-seeking justice and human rights for others, including the Zimbabweans who are being oppressed and tortured.

Signed on behalf of Micah Challenge International by:

Rev Ndaba Mazabane - President of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa and International Chairperson of the World Evangelical Alliance

Rev Joel Edwards - International Co-Chairperson of Micah Challenge

Campaign Co-ordinator – job advert

*Please note the deadline for aplications has now been extended to the 30 March 2007*

Micah Challenge in Zambia is recruiting a Campaign Co-ordinator. The role will provide day to day running of the campaign in Zambia as agreed with the National Facilitator and Steering Committee. The minimum requirements for the position are:

• Mature evangelical Christian with proof of extensive involvement in local church
• A degree or related experience in social work or in integral mission
• Interpersonal and communication skills
• Computer literate including Word, Excel and Power Point with excellent reading and writing skills
• Knowledge of instructional methods and learning styles applied to adult learners.
• Previous experience in advocacy and church and NGO issues is essential
• Experience in organizing events and speaking publicly

For further information please download the job description – Word doc or PDF (you will need a PDF viewer to view this file – download one for free from Adobe reader or Sumatra PDF).

Interested individuals should send their CV and covering letter explaining how they fulfil the requirements and outlining their experience by email or post by 30 March 2007.

Email: zambia@micahchallenge.org

Post: Micah Challenge Zambia, c/o Jubilee Centre, PO Box 70519, 30 Lualaba Road, Kansenshi, Ndola , Zambia