| CHILDREN
CROSS THE CONTINENT TO SING AT THE GLOBAL MARCH FOR JESUS, ON JUNE 10TH 2000 On
Friday June 2nd children from Geraldton will join two other schools from Perth
for the journey of a life-time. They are coming to be a part of a choir of 5000
school children who will sing at the Global March for Jesus Celebration in Stadium
Australia with Rebecca St. James, Grammy Award Winner, Venetta Fields and Adam
Brand and many others. On
the journey the children will be catered for by churches in communities along
the Nullabor and as far afield as Cowra. Their schedule includes a visit to Parliament
House in Canberra and a performance at the AD2000 Missions Conference in the Sydney
Town Hall. The World Prepares
to March
The Global March on June 10th will be the largest participatory
event in human history.News is coming in from every continent of plans to March.
Pray for Fiji where current events make arrangements difficult. This year there
will be a march in St. Petersburg and huge marches in Africa. A team in Sydney
will manage the radio connection and dissemination of information for the world. The
Global March Celebration at Stadium Australia program will see the Christian church
in all its diversity - different denominations - different ethnic backgrounds
- all ages - gather together to give glory to God. The Korean Choir, which was
to have been made up of 2000 singers has grown to 2,500 and the Korean churches
have printed their own Korean language brochure. Their goal is to bring a further
thousand people, many from outside of the church. Features
of the Day
- 8000
children from the Schools in Harmony program singing, dancing and in the band.
- 2,500
voice Korean Choir
- 1000
voice Tongan choir
- Indigenous
dance and didgeridoo players.
- 5000
strong youth flashcard display
- Sky
divers
- Top Australian and
overseas talent performing and singing with the children.
- Fireworks
with the whole crowd singing the Hallalujah Chorus to conclude at 6 pm.
- It
includes On the day those who are ministering during the time of the Olympics
will be commissioned.
- The
BBC will be there to film it and the Australian Christian Channel will broadcast
it live. Television networks in the northern hemisphere are exploring taking a
live feed of it.
- Church
leaders will speak and Australia's best known worship leaders and song writers
will lead the worship on the day.
More
than a coincidence
The process of reconciliation which began in 1988 continues
in the context of the Celebration 2000 March across Sydney Harbour bridge and
the clear intention of the Australian people that there be reconciliation and
a new start in our relationship with indigenous Australians. Before
the National Prayer Gathering in 1988, the history of the Myall Creek Massacre
in 1838 was brought to the attention of the organizers, and timbers from the cattle
yard into which Aboriginal women and children were herded and then slaughtered
were put together to make a cross which Archbishop David Penman, Bishop Patrick
Power and the heads of all denominations carried to a service of reconciliation
with Aboriginal leaders. The organizations of this 2000 Global March for Jesus
were startled to find as they prepared to bring that cross to the moment of reconciliation
once more, that the date of that massacre was June 10th. Did God know all those
years ago that there would be this linking back through the centuries to our coming
together at Stadium Australia? We believe so. Philip
Langfield Again Rides to the March
In 1988 the story of Philip Langfield
and his daughter, who rode two days on horseback from Cowra to the National Prayer
Gathering in Canberra hit the headlines. In 1998, Philip Langfield is again working
toward riding in, this time with another daughter, to Stadium Australia. Asked
why he would do it he said, "The 1988 Gathering has been the highlight of
my life and I wouldn't miss this for the world." This
Moment Will Not Return
In speaking of the day, Mal Garvin said recently,
"We are well aware that Christians are surrounded with good things to do
- why should this be any more significant than anything else for people?" "The
bottom line is that the church will never be more visible. It is making a statement
about Jesus Christ and His place in this nation. We are impelled to be salt, to
be light. What more public place can the light be lit, than Stadium Australia,
3 months out from the Olympics? "People
travel from all over Australia to be at the Gay Mardi Gras - in fact they come
from all over the world. Cost is not an issue. It represents to them the opportunity
to present themselves in the most public way in the culture and they are passionate
about it. They very clearly show what they value and are prepared to make sacrifices
for. "What if the church
doesn't have equal commitment to be present and clearly placed at the heart of
our culture? Pray there will be equal and greater passion!" We
don't want to Exclude Anyone
Mal continued, "It is a new thing for
the Awakening to have to manage costs on the scale that being in Stadium Australia
presents and we have sought sponsorship and tens of thousands of dollars worth
of free services and goods are donated. We've tried to hold the costs down but
ticket sales are still our primary source of income. For some, the ticket price,
even the concession is proving a barrier. We are looking at ways, for a lesser
sum for truly needy people, of having a holding area serviced by a big screen
with access to the stadium part way through when some of the parents and school
children move out. So we would ask you to do everything you can to have people
plan to come for the whole day, not just the March! We'd hate anyone to miss out." The
Church is Urged to Pray
Mal says, "What we are about is serious business
and we would urge Christians to pray that on June 10th the Australian nation will
see the glory of God clearly expressed in all that happens. Pray that the right
people will be there on the day and that the church and the people of God will
never be the same again."
More
information:
Dave Mitchell
Awakening
2000
NSW (02) 9789 4888
Info
Line: 1902 261 082
E-mail: sydney@fusion.org.au
Website:
www.awakening.org.au or
contact your Awakeing State Office |