Our Global poverty prayer week was as much about the people as it was about the prayers. Over 20,000 individuals worldwide – from old hands to new friends - connected with poverty and asked questions about what part each of us can play in breaking it down.
One group in Ireland put on a series of events exploring the issues around climate change. Using the Two Degrees – One Chance material they were able to challenge politicians, church and business leaders to pray and respond to the issue. Tim Magowan (Tearfund’s National Manager in Ireland) said, ‘I am delighted that 80 church leaders and politicians attended our breakfast and 80 business attended our lunch.
‘As a result of the event 15 church leaders and the leader of the main Youth and Student festival agreed to host screenings of the film An Inconvenient Truth to launch our Carbon Fast in February.
‘We also got some excellent press coverage, including a package on BBC Radio Ulster and a full page article on page 3 of The Irish News and one business leader agreed to give a significant gift to our general fund,’ he added.
Other churches around the UK joined in, with unexpected results. From increased numbers at small scale prayer events to teenagers putting on their own range of prayer activities in their churches in between preparing for their GCSEs, the stories of people joining the dots between faith and poverty continue to come in to Tearfund HQ.
All over the UK and beyond people prayed, talked, watched and wondered about global poverty. Clergy and churchgoers, Tearfund staff and beneficiaries all joined in, united in pursuit of a tangible goal: to see 50 million people released from poverty through a worldwide network of 100,000 local churches by 2015.