Methodist Advent calendar gets political

-31/10/06

An Advent calendar produced by the M


Methodist Advent calendar gets political

-31/10/06

An Advent calendar produced by the Methodist Church in the UK is to tackle issues of justice in India.

The Methodist Relief and Development Fund (MRDF) has produced the Advent calendar with a global perspective.

The calendar tells the story of Sivamma, living in South India.

She is a Dalit, or ëuntouchableí, a group outside the caste system that faces much discrimination in Indian society. She has joined a Self Help Group, set up by MRDF partners, which has helped her community to access free electricity, learn to read and write and to form small businesses. By working together with her neighbours, Sivamma has also successfully persuaded the local government to build a village primary school, providing opportunities to her daughter and other children, which were not available to their parents.

Amanda Norman, MRDF Supporter Relations Director said: ìAdvent is a time of hope when we can remember Jesusí concern for justice for the poor. As Christmas approaches, the inspirational stories in this Advent calendar remind us of all the small miracles that MRDFís partners make possible, throughout the year.î

Unlike Sivamma, most of Indiaís 160 million Dalits still struggle to make a living, comprising 90% of those living below the countryís poverty line. They face discrimination, reduced opportunities for education and work, and even violence and abuse.

This Christmas, MRDF is encouraging people to remember communities like Sivammaís, and provide support for them to gain confidence, new skills and the means to provide a better future for their children.

The illustrated Advent calendar has Bible quotations with colourful images behind each of the 24 windows. It provides an opportunity for children and their families to learn about life in another country as they count down to Christmas, at the same time helping to fulfil Sivammaís dream that: ìDalit children will not be born into sadness and poverty any more.î

President of the Methodist Conference, Revd. Graham Carter, will be visiting MRDF partners in India during Advent.

The new calendar comes at a time when some are highlighting a renewed ‘politicisation’ of festivals such as Christmas. In his book ‘Faith and Politics After Christendom’ director of the thinktank Ekklesia, Jonathan Bartley, suggests that as the church moves further to margins of society, the identification of Christian stories with the marginalised as well as the global context of the church, is becoming more pronounced.

In 2003, a grass-roots campaign against the arbitrary detention of asylum seekers enacted the arrest of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus outside Yarl’s Wood detention centre in Bedford – highlighting that the Holy Family were themselves asylum seekers.

The BBC’s production of the Manchester Passion earlier this year on Good Friday, also told a highly politicised story of the crucifixion, with Jesus at one point resembling a detainee at Guantanamo Bay.

You can find Ekklesia’s selection of Advent calendars and Advent resources here


Methodist Advent calendar gets political

-31/10/06

An Advent calendar produced by the Methodist Church in the UK is to tackle issues of justice in India.

The Methodist Relief and Development Fund (MRDF) has produced the Advent calendar with a global perspective.

The calendar tells the story of Sivamma, living in South India.

She is a Dalit, or ëuntouchableí, a group outside the caste system that faces much discrimination in Indian society. She has joined a Self Help Group, set up by MRDF partners, which has helped her community to access free electricity, learn to read and write and to form small businesses. By working together with her neighbours, Sivamma has also successfully persuaded the local government to build a village primary school, providing opportunities to her daughter and other children, which were not available to their parents.

Amanda Norman, MRDF Supporter Relations Director said: ìAdvent is a time of hope when we can remember Jesusí concern for justice for the poor. As Christmas approaches, the inspirational stories in this Advent calendar remind us of all the small miracles that MRDFís partners make possible, throughout the year.î

Unlike Sivamma, most of Indiaís 160 million Dalits still struggle to make a living, comprising 90% of those living below the countryís poverty line. They face discrimination, reduced opportunities for education and work, and even violence and abuse.

This Christmas, MRDF is encouraging people to remember communities like Sivammaís, and provide support for them to gain confidence, new skills and the means to provide a better future for their children.

The illustrated Advent calendar has Bible quotations with colourful images behind each of the 24 windows. It provides an opportunity for children and their families to learn about life in another country as they count down to Christmas, at the same time helping to fulfil Sivammaís dream that: ìDalit children will not be born into sadness and poverty any more.î

President of the Methodist Conference, Revd. Graham Carter, will be visiting MRDF partners in India during Advent.

The new calendar comes at a time when some are highlighting a renewed ‘politicisation’ of festivals such as Christmas. In his book ‘Faith and Politics After Christendom’ director of the thinktank Ekklesia, Jonathan Bartley, suggests that as the church moves further to margins of society, the identification of Christian stories with the marginalised as well as the global context of the church, is becoming more pronounced.

In 2003, a grass-roots campaign against the arbitrary detention of asylum seekers enacted the arrest of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus outside Yarl’s Wood detention centre in Bedford – highlighting that the Holy Family were themselves asylum seekers.

The BBC’s production of the Manchester Passion earlier this year on Good Friday, also told a highly politicised story of the crucifixion, with Jesus at one point resembling a detainee at Guantanamo Bay.

You can find Ekklesia’s selection of Advent calendars and Advent resources here