MICAH CHALLENGE

 

Press Release

Saturday June 2, 2007

Rostock, Germany 

 

CHRISTIAN LEADERS BLOW THE HALFTIME WHISTLE ON G8

 

Christians around the world will blow the halftime whistle! on G8 leaders when they meet in northern Germany this week.

 

Speaking from Rostock, Chair of the global Micah Challenge campaign Rev Joel Edwards, and International Director of the World Evangelical Alliance, Rev Geoff Tunnicliffe, said that 2007 was halftime for the Millennium Development Goals, the promise made by all heads of state at the Millennium Summit in 2000 to halve poverty by 2015.

 

"The MDGs are a compact between rich and poor that echoes the words of the prophets and the teachings of Jesus." Rev Edwards said. "Churches worldwide are making the MDGs core business and the voices of Christians will be loud and constant in the ears of leaders that this compact must not be broken."

 

Rev Edwards said. "At halftime, there are positives in our first half performance, like Ghana, that will halve poverty by 2015, but globally and especially in sub-saharan Africa, we can and must win from behind in the second half."

 

Rev Tunnicliffe said that the G8 leaders, that together represent 65% of the global economy, have an obvious role to play. He said Christians mobilized in the Jubilee movement had surrounded the Birmingham Summit in prayer and advocacy in 1996 to call for debt cancellation for the poorest countries, and were at Edinburgh in 2005 raising their voices for Africa.

 

"The MDGs are not behind at halftime because of lack of knowledge, or technology, or money. It's all about political will!" He said, "the G8 leaders have contributed breakthrough moments on global poverty when they have felt the political wind change in their own countries. They felt it in on global poverty in 2005 and they are feeling it now on global warming."

 

"Micah Challenge is in Germany, representing a rising tide of local churches worldwide, so that the G8 won't blow hot and cold on global poverty or global warming" Rev Tunnicliffe said. "We are calling on the G8 to play its part to get the MDGs on track at halftime! We ask the G8 to fully implement the program it announced in 2005 and to take the decisions it must take to increase aid, extend debt cancellation and provide universal access for treatment for people suffering with HIV/AIDs and other diseases".

 

 

MEDIA CONTACTS

 

For interviews with Rev Geoff Tunnicliffe, International Director of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) or with Rev Joel Edwards, International Chairperson of Micah Challenge and Director of the Evangelical Alliance of the UK, please call Maria Mackay on +44 7754486110.

For interviews with Rev Rolf Zwick, Facilitator of Micah Challenge Germany call +49 173 2543407

 

For interviews with Micah Challenge spokespeople in 35 countries please call Michael Smitheram, International Director, Micah Challenge on +44 7748 156906.

 

BACKGROUND

 

1. Micah Challenge International

 

Micah Challenge is a global campaign to mobilise Christians against poverty. The campaign aims to deepen Christian engagement with impoverished and marginalised communities, and to influence leaders of rich and poor nations to fulfill their promise to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

 

Micah Challenge is an initiative of the World Evangelical Alliance, representing 3 million churches worldwide, and the Micah Network, an incorporated network of more than 300 Christian relief and development organisations. There are currently 35 Micah Challenge national campaigns.

 

2. Micah Challenge Events in Germany, June 2 – 9, 2007

 

Gebetstreffen in Rostock vom 1. bis 3. Juni

 

Programm:

24-7 Prayer, Gebet, internationale Redner, Gottesdienste zum Thema, Bibelarbeiten, Gemeinschaft, Austausch, internationale Gäste, Lagerfeuer...

 

Thema: Gerechtigkeit global

 

Orte:

Programm: Marienkirche in  Rostock >> www.marienkirche-rostock.de

Camp: Ufergemeinde in Rosock >> www.ufergemeinde-rostock.de

 

Start: 01. Juni, Anreise ab 17:00h, Camp

Ende: 03. Juni, Abreise ab 18:00h, Camp

 

Aktuelles: Kirchentag

 

Veranstaltungen mit Jim Wallis

 

Donnerstag, 07. Juni, 19:30h: "Eine gerechte Politik ist möglich", Rheinparkhalle 2, u.a. mit Jim Wallis, Judy Bailey & Christina Brudereck

Mehr Infos auf der >> Homepage des Kirchentag.

 

Freitag, 08. Juni, 09:30h bis 10:30h: Bibelarbeit mit Jim Wallis, Congress-Centrum, Europasaal

Mehr Infos auf der >> Homepage des Kirchentag.

 

Freitag, 08. Juni, 15:00h bis 16:30h: Workshop mit Jim Wallis, >> Immanuelgemeinde Köln-Longerich

Samstag, 09. Juni, 15:00h bis 16:30h: Workshop mit Jim Wallis & mit Richard Rohr, >> Immanuelgemeinde Köln-Longerich

Musik bei beiden Workshops:  >> Ro´Shan (angefragt)

 

Jugendtheaterprojekt "Michamorphose"

 

Premiere: Donnerstag, 07. Juni, 10:45-11:30h im Zentrum Jugend, Tanzbrunnen, Mehr Infos auf der >> Homepage des Kirchentag.