Act for Peace
2 December 2024
For 75 years, church communities have been uniting through the Christmas Bowl Appeal to give hope to families who are displaced.
In 1949 Rev. Frank Byatt first laid a bowl of remembrance on the Christmas dinner table asking his family to ‘share your good dinner with hungry children in other lands’. The Christmas Bowl appeal was born.
Brian and Jillian Polkinghorne have supported the Christmas Bowl since Brian was the congregational minister in a South Australian country church in 1965.
“It’s probably the most effective witness to Jesus,” Brian explains. “Love for the poor, the outcast, the widows, and the orphans.”
“It’s part of the call of the gospel to be there for your neighbour.”
Across oceans, families like Brian’s have been providing much-needed support for families displaced by conflict and disaster.
Families like Jane’s* in Zimbabwe.
When Cyclone Idai hit in 2019, Jane lost everything.
“The cyclone started around 8pm when I was asleep with the children in the house,” says Jane.
Jane lost her three children in the cyclone. She spent two years living in a tent after the disaster and was one of 700 displaced families who required relocation.
For 75 years, generous families like Brian’s have been helping families like Jane’s to rebuild their lives.
Thanks to Christmas Bowl supporters, Act for Peace’s partner the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) could improve services like electricity, water, schools, health clinics and sanitation and hygiene for relocated families.
Please give today. Visit https://christmasbowl.actforpeace.org.au/
*name changed for privacy
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