February 2009

Registration extended to 28 February 2009!

There are still a few places available for the upcoming Asia Leadership Workshop. The registration period has been extended to 28 February 2009, please register promptly if you are interested to attend.

The booking form can be downloaded from http://community.micahnetwork.org/en/page/asia-leadership-workshop.  Please complete it and send it to bookings@micahnetwork.org for processing.

For general enquiries about the workshop, please email Sundar Daniel, Asia Co-ordinator at sundar.daniel@micahnetwork.org.

Micah Network will be organizing a conference for youth from Latin America to held in Uruguay from April 7 – 11, 2009.

The conference will bring together men and women between the ages of 18 and 30, who are committed to integral mission and are actively serving in their church, community and organization. Aims for the conference include:

• To consolidate the praxis (the convergence between theory-practice) of the youth
• To strengthen the role of the youth as facilitators
• To deepen the concept of integral mission through the permanent exchange of experiences

For more information on the conference, please go to http://community.micahnetwork.org/en/story/latin-america-youth-consultation.

Open for Registration!

Micah Network is pleased to announce that registration for the 4th Triennial Global Consultation is now open!

Please visit this link to download the consultation flyer and booking form: http://community.micahnetwork.org/en/events/upcoming-events/triennial-global-consultation.

We are still seeking for members who would be keen to present a case study or facilitate a workshop at the consultation. Please see the consultation flyer for the topics and email your proposals to Anne Liew at Anne.Liew@micahnetwork.org. Unfortunately, Micah Network does not have central funds available to cover the costs of attendance at our events by presenters of case studies or workshop facilitators.

The Micah Network Disability Forum (MNDF) brings together agencies working on disability issues.  The forum has the following aims and activities:

• to advocate on disability inclusion as a critical development and ministry issue for Micah Network members and the broader community
• to link Micah Network members working on or concerned with disability
• to share strategies and resources (e.g. technical support publications, theological reflections, case studies, good practices, policy and briefing papers  and training materials)
• to better equip Christian development agencies to respond to disability
• to develop a theological basis for understanding and responding to disability
• to develop the Micah Network website section on disability as a resource for information sharing, case studies, reflection and learning on disability
• to provide a space for fellowship and prayer for our work on disability
• to provide a space for development and dissemination of theological reflection on disability in different cultural and contextual settings
• to develop best practice guidelines and other resources on disability inclusive practice

Individuals and agencies interested in disability issues are encouraged to join the MNDF by contacting Mary Martin at mary.martin@umn.org.np  and Paul Deany at pdeany@cbm.org.au.

Micah Network Disability Forum Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand

To bring together new and old members of MNDF, a special meeting has been scheduled at the 1st Asia-Pacific CBR Congress on February 19, 2009 from 17:30 to 19:00 at the Prince Palace Hotel, Bangkok (meeting room to be announced).

The purpose of the meeting is to:

• expand the MNDF membership and activities base
• highlight specific issues and needs facing members
• plan activities for the MNDF in 2009-2010, including a face to face strategic meeting to develop guidelines for Christian agencies on disability inclusive development practice

This meeting will be a unique opportunity for Christian agencies working on disability issues.

For further information, please contact Mary Martin at mary.martin@umn.org.np  or  Paul Deany  at pdeany@cbm.org.au.

Stepping Stones PLUS

The Strategies for Hope Trust has released 'Stepping Stones PLUS', a supplement to the 'Stepping Stones' workshop manual originally published in 1995. 

'Stepping Stones PLUS' is designed to be used only after the original 'Stepping Stones' workshop manual has been completed.  It consists of numerous new exercises for existing sessions, and new sessions to follow the completion of the original workshop.  These are designed to promote a whole-community response to the HIV epidemic through appropriate care and support, and the involvement of HIV-positive people in all aspects of programmes.

For more details on this resource, please go to http://community.micahnetwork.org/en/page/stepping-stones.

Prescription for Life: Take Action to Help Children Living with HIV

The vast majority of children living with HIV around the world lack access to HIV testing and treatment. The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA), in collaboration with partners around the world, is embarking on a year-long action with governments, pharmaceutical companies and media to improve access to medicines for children with HIV. Children and young people are invited to take action with their school, faith community or family to help make this happen.
 
An action guide entitled, Prescription for Life, launched on Universal Children’s Day, 20 November 2008 provides information and resources for schools, families, faith groups and communities to empower young people to write letters to pharmaceutical companies and governments to improve testing and treatment for infants and children living with HIV.

To download the guide, please go to http://www.e-alliance.chhttp://community.micahnetwork.org/en/s/hivaids/accessmeds/children/resource/.

Micah Network member, LEADS commemorated its 25 years of service with district level activities throughout 2008 and it culminated in the publication of a compendium and an appreciation event in Colombo last October. 

Thanksgiving services, community project dedications and celebration events were held in the various districts with participation from local churches, community leaders, government offices and other agency representatives.

Please join us in praying for LEADS as they continue to serve the community and the nation in the face of mounting challenges.

LEADS is a relief and development agency based in Sri Lanka. It was started in 1979 in response to a national disaster and was officially registered on 24th March 1983. For more information on LEADS, please visit http://www.leads.lk/

As many of you may be aware,  Peter and Jane welcomed baby Hannah Fidelis into the family on 15 December 2008.

There is so much to enjoy with Hannah as the new addition! Please continue to uphold the family as we share in their joy.

Please join with us in prayer for the following:

World

• Give thanks for the recent announcement of a power-sharing deal between opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and President Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe. Please pray that this unity government can work to bring real change to the lives of Zimbabwe’s much-suffering citizens. Latest figures show that over 3,000 people have died from cholera in Zimbabwe, with 63,000 others infected with the disease. The World Food Programme has announced that at least 7 million people need food aid. Pray that the cholera outbreak is brought under control soon and that humanitarian agencies will be able to assist those in great need.
• Due to a shortage of rain affecting crop yields in some provinces of Burundi, more than 1,200 people have had to go to Tanzania in order to find food. Pray for the people of Burundi and for humanitarian agencies working in this region, such as Micah Network member agency Christian Community Development of Burundi, as they work to support those in need.
• A fire in Phnom Penh City, Cambodia, has resulted in damage to 18 houses. Please pray for those people who have lost their homes. Please pray that they will be able to get the necessary support from development agencies and friends and family around them to assist them through this disaster.
• Pray for those affected by the devastating bushfires that have been burning across the state of Victoria in Australia last week. Pray in particular for those who have lost loved ones and for the fire fighters and emergency personnel working in very difficult conditions to assist those in need. Fires continue to burn in some parts of the state. Pray that these fires will be brought under control very soon.

Events

• Micah Network member agency Tearfund UK is holding a Global Poverty Prayer Week from February 23 to 1 March 1, 2009. They ask that we join with them, and the tens of thousands who were involved in the first prayer week in 2007, to be part of a growing network of local churches that are making poverty personal. Tearfund have put together resources that make it easy to pray about big issues like HIV and clean water. These are available online at www.tearfund.org/prayerweek.
• A National Conversation on Integral Mission is being planned for Kenya. This event will be held by Micah Network with host agency the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya. The event is scheduled to be held from the February 24 - 26, 2009. Please pray for Micah Network Region Coordinator John Wesley Kabango and those at the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya as they prepare for the event.
• The Micah Network Asia Coordinating Group is holding a Leadership Seminar to be held in India March 21-25, 2009. Pray for Micah Network’s Asia Region Coordinator, Sundar Daniel, and Micah Network board member Dino Touthang as they make arrangements for the event.
• Planning is progressing well for the Micah Network 4th Triennial Global Consultation on Creation Stewardship and Climate Change to be held in Kenya from 13-18 July 2009. Three key committees have been formed to assist Micah Network in the planning of the Consultation: the Local Organising Committee, Climate Change Advisory Group and International Program Team. Please pray for this stage of planning.

People

• Please join us in giving thanks for Steve Bradbury, Chairman of Micah Network, who is retiring from his position as National Director of TEAR Australia. Please pray for Steve and his wife Chris in this period of transition.
• Please continue to pray for the recruitment of a Project Assistant to the Micah Network office in Malaysia. We still have not been able to identify someone for the position and are very eager to appoint someone as soon as possible. Please pray that we find the right person for the role. 

Thank you very much for your prayers and support.

If you would like to contribute to or be added to Micah Network’s weekly prayer update, please contact Anita Deutschmann (Anita.Deutschmann@micahnetwork.org).