Act for Peace Call for churches to help the world’s poor at Christmas

Act for Peace is calling for Christians of all denominations to support the 70^th anniversary of the annual Christmas Bowl appeal, which supports people fleeing conflict and persecution worldwide.

The fundraiser launched in Australia in 1949 to support for refugees after WWII.  Over 70 million people have been uprooted from their homes since then because of conflict and disaster. That’s one in every 108 people globally currently displaced – the largest number since records began.

Act for Peace Hannah Montgomery said that the organisation was “calling on Christians of all traditions to respond to this injustice and come together to raise urgently needed funds to help our brothers and sisters around the world who are suffering.”

More than 1,300 churches from 15 denominations across Australia took part in 2019. They raised $2.3 million to support disaster and conflict affected communities around the world.

The Christmas Bowl appeal began as a simple idea – to place a bowl on the Christmas dinner table and make a donation to those less fortunate.  The first Christmas Bowl raised £1,808 – a large sum for a congregation at the time.  Churches have since raised more than $100 million through the Christmas Bowl.

Act for Peace is the international aid agency of the National Council of Churches in Australia, It works with local organisations in over 20 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and the Pacific, providing food, shelter, education, healthcare and training to help some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.

To register your church for the Christmas Bowl and receive a resource kit visit the official website.

Jonathan Foye is Insights’ Editor