Micah Sunday to mobilise churches against poverty

Thousands of Christians will get to grips with global poverty issues this month when they take part Micah Sunday, a global day of prayer on October 19 this year.

Micah Sunday is an annual effort by Micah Challenge, a worldwide campaign of the Micah Network and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA), to mobilise churches and Christians to engage with global poverty issues and raise awareness of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

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

Usually scheduled for the Sunday closest to the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty declared by the UN for October 17, Micah Challenge will also promote a Stand Up Take Action moment as part of its Micah Sunday activities. Stand Up Take Action is the international anti-poverty event where millions around the world attempt to break the world record for the number of people standing up against poverty and for the MDGs. Last year, 43.7 million people in 127 countries joined Stand Up worldwide, setting a new world record.

"People all across the globe are living in a period of great economic uncertainty at the moment," said Dr Geoff Tunnicliffe, International Director of the WEA. "It is essential that at a time like this we do not forget or neglect the most vulnerable and impoverished in the world.

"That is why I am urging churches across the world to engage in Micah Sunday to learn, reflect and act on their belief about the importance of biblical justice and fight against extreme poverty that impacts the lives of millions of people on a daily basis."

The World Evangelical Alliance is made up of 128 national evangelical alliances located in 7 regions and 104 associate member organisations.

Many resources to help promote Micah Sunday have been developed and are available for churches to use including Micah Sunday toolkit, Bible Study guide, prayer guide, and national campaign resources. These are available on Micah Challenge official website www.micahchallenge.org