SPEAK UP

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves . . .
defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (Bible: Proverbs 31:8–9 NIV)

Silence renders sufferers invisible (which is exactly what their persecutors want), while speaking up gives them form and presence.

Christians who are impoverished and without means due to due to displacement or systematic discrimination; who have been silenced through imprisonment or intimidation; who have been buried under a pile of propaganda or lost in the fog of war, rely on our voice to make their plight known.

So speak up and shatter the silence!

  • Talk to family, friends, neighbours and colleagues – over dinner, over coffee, after church, while walking, via social media – wherever and whenever the opportunity arises.

  • Write letters/emails to the editor for publication in local, national, and denominational media.; and add your comments to on-line articles.

  • Phone in and contribute to talk-back radio.

  • Add your presence to peaceful demonstrations and public prayer vigils. The bigger the rally the more likely it is to attract media attention which will further amplify the message.

  • Participate in Christian Faith and Freedom Inc. (CFF’s) advocacy campaigns.

Write to your local Member of Parliament

Writing is an extremely powerful form of speaking up.

While swamping the foreign minister’s office is but one form of advocacy, flooding the party room is another – one we suspect might be far more effective. Writing to the relevant cabinet minister, copied to your local MP, is even better still.

Letters/emails to Members of Parliament (MP) should always be polite and concise.

Busy MPs do not have time for rambling philosophical arguments, they simply what to know:

·         what concerns you, and

·         what you would like to see done about it.

See here for guidelines on How to Address Senators and Members.

The contact details of MPs are published on the government website. Failing this, most MPs include contact details on their own personal websites and Facebook pages. A quick Google search will find it.

Although contacting MPs by email is perfectly acceptable, emails (which flood in daily) are easily deleted and risk being diverted to junk mail folders. Hard copy – good old ink on paper, bearing your signature, and travelling by “snail mail” to be received by hand – can be better.

When sending an email, do not include attachments or hyperlinks as these will usually result in your email being automatically rejected.

When writing to an MP, your letter must be polite but never patronising or ingratiating.

Verbose, hostile, demanding and abusive letters are not well received and will be filtered out at the secretary’s desk.

Remember that your letter/email is also an act of Christian witness. We are followers of Jesus who is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Don’t forget to thank the MP for their time.

Include your contact details and keep any replies.

All speaking and writing should be undergirded, driven and sustained by prayer. Pray that God will direct your paths, give you the words, open the doors, and bless your efforts.

For: “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain” (Psalm 127:1 ESV).