Hear our prayer. Following King s dream. 'Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.' December 2017 March 2018

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1 Hear our prayer Following King s dream On 4 April 2018, the world will mark the 50th anniversary of the death of the Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr. The world-renowned civil rights leader s message of equality, social justice and peace still resonates with those campaigning for change around the globe. Christian Aid and the former British Council of Churches (now Churches Together in Britain and Ireland) enjoyed a cordial relationship with Dr King. On his occasional stays in London he would prioritise visits to our offices, because we represented the UK churches global solidarity with his work in the US. We also helped with his public relations. When he stopped off in London in December 1964 on his way to Norway to collect the Nobel Peace Prize, we made appointments for him and acted as his agent. Christian Aid s warm and mutually beneficial relationship with Dr King was based on a shared vision and values. He believed in speaking truth to power and used non-violent direct action to face down those who denied human beings the right to flourish. This chimes with our committment to challenge the systems and structures that oppress and to tackle violence and build peace. Dr King was also eager to point out that his Christian faith was the driving force behind his commitment to fight for the last, the least and the lost in society much as our faith in Jesus is at the heart of our work to bring about real change in the world. Ironically, he was assassinated a few weeks before his proposed Poor People's March on Washington, which aimed to draw attention to poverty in the US. Our work to end poverty is very much in the spirit of Dr King s dream, and this year is an opportunity not only to recognise his legacy, but also to recommit ourselves to making his dream a reality. Cover photo: Salamata from Burkina Faso with her triplets. Salamata's father was given a cash transfer by Christian Aid, which he used to treat his grandchildren's malnutrition. Eng and Wales charity no Scot charity no. SC Company no Christian Aid Ireland: NI charity no. NIC Company no. NI and ROI charity no Company no The Christian Aid name and logo are trademarks of Christian Aid. Christian Aid is a key member of ACT Alliance Christian Aid November Printed exclusively on material sourced from responsibly managed forests. J44420 Christian Aid photos: Mike Goldwater, Tom Pilston, Matthew Gonzalez-Noda, Rozana Majumdar & Umme Khadiza, Lilly Peel, Sarah Rowe, Madeline McGivern, Ross Hemmingway. F2414 December 2017 March 2018 'Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.' Martin Luther King Jr.

2 Week beginning 10 December Second Sunday of Advent Nutritious food Is it not to share your bread with the hungry Isaiah 58:7 Pray that the farming communities devastated by both droughts and floods in Burkina Faso find a way to adapt to a changing climate. Pray that people experiencing hunger and malnutrition have nutritious food to eat. Pray for Salamata (pictured) and parents like her to be given the help and support they need to provide for their families. Read more about Salamata s story at caid.org.uk/christmas Week beginning 3 December First Sunday of Advent Enough for everyone Is not this the fast that I choose to loose the bonds of injustice Isaiah 58:6 Pray that Christian Aid's Christmas Appeal will help provide nutritious food for the people of South Sudan who have been displaced by conflict and are in urgent need. Give thanks for the UK Government's match funding for the appeal and pray that it will encourage even more people to donate generously at this time of giving gifts. Pray for church leaders in South Sudan as they work for peace after more than three years of devastating conflict. 2 To those who are hungry, give bread. To those who have bread, Give a hunger for justice. Week beginning 17 December Third Sunday of Advent Pray for the final week of the 16 days of activism against genderbased violence. Pray that as a result of raising awareness, people are protected from the gender-based violence that blights so many lives across the world. Prince of Peace, we pray for reconciliation and an end to violence in South Sudan. We pray that all may have enough. In your name we pray. Love came down Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 1 John 3:18 Give thanks for churches and communities organising fundraising events for Christian Aid this Christmas, such as carol services, mince pie coffee mornings and giftwrapping. May they be encouraged and feel close to the love that came down at Christmas as they share this love in the world. Pray that Present Aid provides a meaningful alternative to the consumerism that is difficult to resist at this time of year. Pray that it will make a difference to communities close to home and across the world. Love that came down. May we share that love in everything we give this Christmas. 3

3 Week beginning 24 December Fourth Sunday of Advent An end to waste And the Word became flesh and lived among us John 1.14 As sprouts are peeled, carrots chopped and cranberry sauce prepared, pray that the Christian Aid Enough for Everyone Christmas Appeal helps us all to think more carefully about what we really need and prevents food waste this Christmas. Pray for an end to food waste throughout the year and for all to have enough nutritious food to eat. As you pray, remember that you join with those who are preparing meals to celebrate the birth of Jesus in South Sudan and Burkina Faso. Share the Enough for Everyone Christmas Appeal with your loved ones this Christmas at caid.org.uk/christmas God who so loved the world, thank you for the incredible generosity of the gift of your son, word become flesh. Week beginning 7 January Week beginning 31 December New beginnings Thank you! For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3.1 In this moment for reflection on the 365 days gone by, let us give thanks for all that has been done to make the world a place for individuals and communities to thrive. Give thanks for the many generous gifts given and red threads tied during Christian Aid Week, the many campaign postcards signed and banks visited for the Big Shift campaign, the many volunteers who have shared their talents to make Christian Aid s transforming work happen. And praise God for the 4 tenacious and committed work of Christian Aid partners on the ground in the 37 countries where we work. Eternal God, We give thanks for the days of 2017 and celebrate the difference made by thousands of generous acts and the blessing of your Holy Spirit. To your glory. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? Isaiah 43:19 Give thanks for the new opportunities provided by a new year. Pray for all those who are making resolutions to volunteer for Christian Aid, that they will find the right fit for their talents and time. Give thanks for the difference that volunteers make to the life and work of Christian Aid in Britain and Ireland and across the world. Noora Amin Sa'ad, pictured, is a volunteer with Christian Aid partner YMCA in the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank. The YMCA supports community-led projects to increase resilience (the ability of communities to survive and adapt to change, eg drought or conflict). Pray also for the new director of Christian Aid. Pray for anointing, wisdom, vision and leadership for the next stage of Christian Aid s journey. Thank you Lord Jesus for the new beginnings you give us, for the grace of a new morning, for the opportunity of a new year. Great is your faithfulness. 5

4 Week beginning 14 January There will be peace in. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Matthew 5:9 15 January is Martin Luther King Jr Day in the US. King believed that peace was the way to bring about change in societies where the poor and marginalised were affected by inequality, human rights violations and conflict. He said: Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. King s message of equality and social justice continues to inspire and resonate today. Pray that Christian Aid s work to tackle violence and build peace around the world will flourish and be effective. Lord, we pray for that day when swords will be beaten into ploughshares and tanks into tractors. In your name. Unity Give thanks for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which is observed from 18 to 25 January. Pray that the Go and Do action points provided Welcome one another Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Matthew 10:40 Give thanks for all of the Christian Aid Week organisers, kingdom builders from all walks of life and Christian traditions, who should receive their welcome packs this week. Pray for Christian Aid organisers as they start their planning for Christian Aid Week in May. Pray that they feel energised, encouraged and supported as they step out in mission for the world s poorest people. Pray that the focus of Christian Aid Week 2018 internally displaced people in Haiti will capture the hearts and minds of people across Britain and Ireland. Pray that they Week beginning 21 January How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! Psalm 133:1 Week beginning 28 January will be moved to respond with compassion and generosity. Pray for Marcelin Abellard and his three daughters, pictured, displaced by Hurricane Matthew and still living in a makeshift shelter. Pray that Christian Aid Week will help this family and families like them to flourish. Thank you, Lord Jesus, For the many organisers receiving welcome packs and for the many welcomes provided by communities across the world to the millions displaced from their homes. May they all be abundantly blessed. by Christian Aid each year will help to build unity in communities across Britain and Ireland and also bring positive change to communities across the world. For more information, visit ctbi.org.uk/goanddo Pray for unity between communities in Myanmar. Pray for Christian Aid partners helping refugees in Myanmar and Bangladesh after the recent upsurge in violence. Pray for peace to be restored. We pray for the unity of your people, loved by you who love this world and that together we would bring Your Kingdom on earth as in heaven. 6 7

5 Week beginning 4 February Living lightly The earth is the LORD s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it. Psalm 24:1 Give thanks for Christian Aid partner the Association for Building Communities (ACC), working to help pastoralists in Angola to continue their nomadic practices. Pray that the Nyaneka community (the woman pictured below is from this community) in south-west Angola continue to get access to the pasture and water that they need. In the last 15 years or so large areas of fertile land have been stolen by a new wealthy class of landowners, who are often either connected to or part of the government. With help from ACC, communities in the area worked together to fight the land grabs. As a result certain illegal fences have been taken down Praise God! God of heaven and earth, protect those who live lightly on the land. Protect those who defend their rights to be there. Protect the earth from greedy extraction. Protect us from apathy and complacency. Show your love for the earth by joining the Show the Love climate change campaign: caid.org.uk/climate Week beginning 11 February For the love of 8 For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. John 3:16 Hold in your mind s eye or in your hand something you love that you do not want to come to harm because of climate change. And pray. Valentine s Day is also Ash Wednesday this year. With sackcloth and ashes we confess our love of the earth and our lament that years of industrial pollution has been pumped into the atmosphere, bringing devastation to the lives of those least responsible for a changing, chaotic climate. Loving God, ashes mingle with tears as we lift our hearts to you, crying for mercy and working for change, so that this world you so love may be healed by your reconciling touch. 9

6 Week beginning 18 February Forty days for forty million for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. Luke 4:2 Pray for the Count Your Blessings Lent resource to transform hearts and minds as we journey towards Easter. Give thanks for Christian Aid partners across the world who are working to support internally displaced people, of whom there are more than forty million, representing two-thirds of all the world s displaced people. Pray that these people, so often overlooked, get the attention and support they need. 10 Pray for healing, a home and a flourishing future for Aisha Hassan (pictured right), Ibrahim Jiddern (front cover) and others like them in Nigeria who have witnessed too much tragedy at the hands of Boko Haram. O Lord. In these Lenten days as we count our blessings, bring healing to those who have had lent forced upon them. 11

7 Week beginning March 4 Positive partnerships The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities... who provided for them out of their resources. Luke 8:1-3 Community Partnerships link churches, schools or businesses to Christian Aid projects in some of the world s poorest communities. If your group raises 5,000 over two years, the European Union will match fund your donation by at least three times - turning 5,000 into 20,000! Find out more at caid.org.uk/partnerships As Ghana celebrates independence day on 6 March, give thanks for the Community Partnership with Ghana. Pray that the partnership will enable many young people to learn new Week beginning 25 February skills, unlocking career and job opportunities. As we celebrate International Women s day on 8 March, pray for the Community Partnership with Honduras and El Salvador and the difference it is making to indigenous women and girls, helping them to get the reproductive and sexual healthcare they need. Partnering God, thank you for inviting us into partnership with you, to take our place and time in your story of creation, to work with you in bringing your kingdom. Fairness for all Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity. Psalm 99:4 Give thanks for the International Day of Social Justice and for Fairtrade Fortnight. Pray that Fairtrade Fortnight continues the great work of raising awareness and instilling consumer consciousness about the need for trade to be fair for all across the world. Give thanks for the tenacity and persistence of the Fairtrade campaign. Pray that the momentum behind Fairtrade sweeps away threats to the progress made in recent years. 12 Give thanks for the Ryohorikawa coffee cooperative in Ngozi, Burundi (pictured). They work not only to achieve fair prices for coffee farmers but also to involve the women who maintain and harvest the coffee trees in decision-making. God of equity and justice, thank you for the vision of a world where fair trade is the expected norm, not an exclusive novelty. 13

8 Week beginning March 11 Community across nations I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. Ephesians 1:16 The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Community Partnership is coming to a close this month. Give thanks for all the groups that have participated and for how the partnership has helped to reduce fear, improve facilities and increase opportunities for citizens. And give thanks for how it has helped to engage, inspire and challenge those who have participated in the partnership from the UK. Pray that the Community Partnership s legacy of transformation will continue for years to come. God who abides in community, bless the DRC Community Partnership with the shared transformation of receiving that comes from giving. Week beginning March 18 Water of life! The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life. John 4:14 Give thanks for World Water Day on Thursday 22 March. Pray for the day when everyone has access to safe water. Give thanks for the Alchi Algone water supply, pictured, with the creative use of solar-powered pumps to provide water for four villages in Ethiopia. Praise God for all those who gave to the East Africa Crisis Appeal which helped to fund this and similar projects, providing clean and safe water for many communities. 14 Source of life, thank you for the water that quenches every thirst and for the water that enables fullness of life. Week beginning March 25 Island to island There will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and refuge and protection from the storm and the rain. Isaiah 4:6 Give thanks for the Island to Island Appeal and the opportunity to connect island communities in the British Isles with island communities in the Philippines. Pray that this will be a fruitful and meaningful partnership where communities can feel a sense of solidarity as they share experiences of the vulnerability of island living. Find out more: caid.org.uk/island-to-island God on the edge, we live obedient and vulnerable to the rhythm of ebb and flow, accustomed to disruption, expectant of isolation, though here more than most we know no one is an island. 15