I’m an idea guy. A thinker. Unfortunately, I am much like Rodin’s statue. Stuck, still, frozen in thought. I don’t do action. To be perfectly honest, I don’t do much of anything.

This year, after years of action atrophy, I started breaking out of my bronze confines.

First I decided to start volunteering with Micah Challenge USA. Then, I started praying against poverty. Recently, my wife Angel and I decided to donate to the campaign. Finally, I have asked my friends and family to donate to the campaign this holiday season instead of birthday gifts or as a Christmas gift idea:

What prompted this paradigm shift in my life?

Here is a list of reasons that began chipping away at the hard exterior of my statuary existence:

• The God of the Cross endured suffering to reconcile his Creation to Him. I wanted to respond to God’s sacrificial love as an agent of His reconciliation.
• I read Proverbs 14 that said “You insult your Maker when you exploit the powerless. When you’re kind to the poor, you honor God,” and “Mere talk leads only to poverty.”
• I wanted to do something meaningful. I was sick of stagnancy.
• I wanted to be all in. I was sick of safe prayers, being safe with my savings, and safe with my time.

Micah Challenge is a campaign that is reaching out to leaders - leaders of churches, campus social justice groups, organizations, etc. To those who are leading, challenging, and already active – I want to thank you and encourage you to keep going. You will be lonely, discouraged and disparaged at times, but as Proverbs 14 states, you honor God.

To those like me who believe in the vision of Micah Challenge but are stuck in inactivity, I invite you to join the movement. Become a part of something big – something meaningful. Pray against poverty. Spread the word about Micah and our partner organizations. Organize a group to be a part of 100 million believers praying against poverty on 10.10.10. Volunteer your time. Give of your financial resources. Go all in for the Kingdom of God. Do something.

-Jeff Hayden

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Last month Zambians marched and prayed for the MDGs. Pastors and community members rallied for the MDGs by marching in their community, and on Micah Sunday they prayed over their petition to the Minister of Education. The petition asked the Minister of Education to more deeply consider the plight of community schools--MDG 2.

The prayer items for the Micah challenge were:

• 1. That the government deploys trained teachers to community schools on needs based system that is not influenced by school type.
• 2. Meet quotas established for enrollment in pre-service programs for community schools.Stand Up Take Action
• 3. Provide alternate training for community schoolteachers giving credence to the teacher’s time spent teaching in the community school classrooms.
• 4. Give preference in deployment to former community school teachers trained by the government.
• 5. Provide books and materials to community schools in an equitable and transparent manner.
6. Improve school infrastructure by providing funds for improvement of water and sanitation at community schools.

Lets join their effort by praying for their voices to be heard by their government! You can read Pastor Peter's reflection and update on the march and Micah Sunday here.

Remember to keep Micah Challenge Zambia in your prayers!

Climate change is real. There, I said it. It is real, and it is not only threatening glaciers but the very livelihoods of our brothers and sisters around the world. For this reason I find it morally reprehensible to continue fighting about the causes of climate change rather than taking informed and intentional action to curb its effects.

This summer I had the opportunity to visit Uganda. While in Kampala I visited Stephen Mugabi--A dedicated church leader and the Micah Challenge Coordinator for Uganda. We chatted about various issues, but the conversation quickly turned to the droughts and famine that were descending upon eastern Uganda. He told me how difficult it is when your own friends are sitting next to you in church having not eaten and experiencing hunger. We continued our conversations and began to discuss their plans to try and help those in need.

After all of this I asked Stephen was the greatest challenge they face is. I immediately thought it was stupid question because after our conversation he would obviously answer with "hunger". To my surprise Stephen said "Climate Change"! For Stephen hunger was just a symptom of a greater problem. He told me how that year they were experiencing drought, but the previously year they had experienced flooding so bad that they lost most of their crops. The people in this region of Uganda were now going on their second year (third for some) of failed crops!

A few days later I had the opportunity to meet with a government official in Kaber Maido. He is the community development officer for the town I was visiting. He verified Stephen's claims and told me that the temperature on average had risen two degrees celsius in the region! This affirmed that climate change was exasperating already difficult conditions.

What is so troubling about this is that those who have done the least to cause climate change are suffering the most, and will have the most difficulty adapting to a changing climate. For this reason Christian leaders from around the world gathered in Kenya this summer to draft a statement to world leaders on climate change. Here is an excerpt:

As over 152 Christian leaders and development professionals from 38 countries, in both the South and the North, we call on world leaders from all countries to take decisive action to secure an ambitious and fair climate deal in Copenhagen this year.
Although climate change is affecting us all, it is having the hardest impact in the most vulnerable communities around the world, who have done the least to cause it. It is already responsible for 300,000 deaths a year and affects 300 million people, mainly in the developing world.
We see the impacts of this in extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, storms and unpredictable rainfall within the communities we work with and the effects this is having on food security, access to water, livelihoods and biodiversity. All the indicators point to increasing frequency and severity of these events and their impacts.
We cannot ignore their plight – our God calls us to speak out.

I hope and pray that the church rises to the challenge of climate change, and in turn asks their governments to take action. Read the entire statement and add your name for support.

On 24th October we will be celebrating Zambia's 45th Independence.  But if we are sincere we will confess that we are not in control of our nation. Other nations and people dominate our economy and politics. Our mismanagement of the economy has played right into the hands of these nations who now dictate our economic policies and make certain their execution. Similarly, at a political level the immense financial resources of the donor and investor community give it tremendous political power in determining who should be our political leaders and how we should rule ourselves. Sadly, the political freedom we thought we had gained at independence forty- five years ago was an illusion. Is it not intriguing that at our celebration at the State House the people who are invited will include diplomats and investors? There is nothing wrong with inviting diplomats and investors. But if their presence shows that it has less to do with our independence celebration and more to do with them showing gratitude to the government for their blessings resulting from our labor then there is something wrong.


As a nation we are being confronted with a situation where the majority of our people are not included even within the dim light of this glorious anniversary. It will be very interesting to see what our leaders in government will boast about in their speeches on independence day regarding liberty, equality, justice, compassion, love for the nation and neighbor and greatness. It will equally be amazing to be in church next Sunday and pay attention to the focus of the liturgy. Will our prayers, singing and sermons focus on thanksgivings? Will men and women be on their knees or be laying prostrate and in humility and brokenness of heart express gratitude for the gifts of copper, water, fertile land and other minerals?  Will they say thank God in Jesus name for these blessings that have created wealth for our people? Will they thank God for more jobs, better health, and education facilities?


Independence day reveals what we ought to be doing to take charge of our own destiny. It is not going to be easy, but the church has what it takes to make a significant contribution such that Zambians are in charge. If the church is to do this it must preach hard work instead of favor; preach integrity and denounce corruption; preach fair play and demonstrate that it does not practice nepotism and tribalism; preach justice and show that it is in the business of uplifting the lives of orphans, widows and the oppressed.  Church leaders have a greater responsibility of living by example, teaching and insisting on strict discipline in all areas of life. This will not earn them popularity. This may cost them in terms of financial, moral, and political support. But this is God’s invitation to them as pastors and prophets-to proclaim the will of God to their flock and to society insisting on Christian morality in the church, in the state, and in society.  Meanwhile, I continue to pray for a day when the majority of our people will joyful and proudly sing on Independence Day “Stand sing of Zambia proud and free. Land of work and joy in unity victors in the struggle for our land we have won freedom fight…”

Helen Keller once said, "I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”  As I have thought about what it means to try to change something as immense as a disease that takes a million human lives a year and wondered how anyone could master a parasite so small that fifty thousand of them could fit into the period at the end of this sentence, I have revisited this quote often.  The goal of eradicating malaria is a daunting one, and it is even harder when half of the world’s population has never suffered from it.  Yet, Christians are called to steward our earth; to care for the oppressed; to look after the sick; and, as new creations equipped by the Spirit’s power, to minister reconciliation to this world.  I believe that fighting deaths from a preventable disease falls into this ministry, and I will not refuse to do something that I can, through the power of God’s Spirit, do.

I am a 23 year old originally from the village of Lisbon, Ohio. I graduated from Denison University in2008 with a B.S. in psychology. In college, I was primarily interested in interfaith work and identity development. I moved to Seattle, Washington after graduation to join the Lutheran Volunteer Corps, where I worked in an art center for homeless youth and focused on service, intentional community, and simplicity. This experience challenged me to confront the reality of poverty and oppression in my own community. It also taught me that there is hope in positive narrative and building relationships.

My passion for interfaith work and social justice is what led me to become a Faiths Act Fellow. As an engaged Buddhist, I believe that humanity is interconnected and we are responsible for liberating one another from suffering. I am excited to be part of a movement that recognizes the strength of faith and diversity in our generation and the importance of common action against global injustice. In our training, we travelled to Mali to learn about the devastation caused by malaria and the community driven work being done to eradicate this disease. Over the next eight months, I am excited to learn more about the unique assets of Portland and to connect local faith communities into a global movement against malaria.

There is an old African proverb that has been making the rounds for many years: “It takes a village to raise a child.” Its message is clear: The whole village is in this together, to raise a child with care, love and compassion so that traditions and morals that set the course for the future of our families for generations to come are preserved.

Today, this village has been ravaged by HIV/AIDS, malaria, polluted water, child sexual abuse, early child marriages and is filled with child headed homes, child mortality, poverty and environmental degradation.  Today the village cannot raise a child. The village is full of elderly grandparents who are tired, wearily and perplexed with overwhelming problems. The village education is value-free, sex is on the take with free birth control pills, and traditions and morals have been replaced with modern principles that say there is no right or wrong but only preferences.

But for several years, God has been building another kind of village in the world. This village is experiencing phenomenal growth in Africa. But this village is simply not doing enough to build a community in which children will live life to the full, play, learn and grow. This village has the power to complement the lessons and values children learn at home. This village has been given a message of hope in Christ and has the power to help a child develop a lifestyle of honesty, integrity, and love for neighbour, purity and leadership. This village is called the Church. Jesus the head of this church says, “… I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” (Matt.16: 18).  God has given divine authority to the church to provide leadership in our communities wherever we are found and has assured us that the church will succeed ultimately.

In light of the phenomenal growth of the church in Africa and the hope it is bringing in many places of devastations, we need a new proverb. How about: “It takes a church to raise a child”? Our children are at risk. The government has not invented a program, a piece of legislation, or a department that can give hope to a lonely child heading a home, that can teach a sexually abused child to stay pure from sexual immorality, that can help a hungry child to love his rich neighbour. We know as church the responsibility of raising a child lies upon the shoulders of parents. But when a child who has no parents is reached for Christ and by God’s grace he stumbles into your church you have a responsibility to help that child become all that Christ intended him or her to be irrespective of his background.

The church is our only hope to do something about Zambia’s slipping morals. As Jubilee Centre we are convinced that bringing lasting hope will start by bringing lasting change in our 4 to 14 years old children.   Hope for a better Zambia lies in infusing godly values in our children. That is why Jubilee Centre has teamed up with Willow Creek Church of USA and AWANA Zambia to give you skills and knowledge that you as church will start raising children that shall one day provide leadership from a firm foundation that Jesus is Lord.