OTTAWA, ON-Geoff Tunnicliffe and Wayne deJong are Canadian church workers heading a high profile drive to bring Christians in Canada and around the world alongside the secular efforts of the United Nations in a concerted campaign against poverty.

The Micah Challenge aims to mobilize Christians against poverty.

"This is a moment in history of unique potential, when the stated intentions of world leaders echo something of the mind of biblical prophets and the teachings of Jesus concerning the poor-and when we have the means to dramatically reduce poverty,"state the opening lines of the Micah Call.

In September 2000 all 191 members of the United Nations adopted a resolution highlighting a series of Millennium Development Goals, including a pledge "to halve, by the year 2015, the proportion of the world’s people whose income is less than a dollar a day and the proportion of people who suffer from hunger."

At an October 18 launch in Ottawa, Tunnicliffe told a group of ministry leaders and MPs that the Canadian "effort is part of a global partnership that seeks to engage some three million churches and 260 humanitarian aid groups."

Quoting from The Micah Call, he called "on Christians everywhere to be agents of hope for and with the poor, and to work with others to hold our national and global leaders accountable in securing a more just and merciful world."

While applauding the fact that Canadian Christians gave more than $400 million to international aid projects last year and that thousands of individuals gave up their holidays to serve as volunteers to help the poor in Canada and in other countries, Tunnnicliffe believes "much more can and should be done."

Canadian campaign co-chair deJong says the large group of participating Canadian aid and ministry agencies "are excited about the potential of the Micah campaign to help Christians understand the complex issues related to global poverty, and unite them in speaking with one voice for the poor."

Other speakers at the Ottawa launch included Fidelis Wainaina, founder of a grassroots-based community development ministry in Kenya, who highlighted the need for individuals to identify and use their own resources to accomplish anti-poverty goals. Her message, grounded in the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with a young boy’s lunch, is that connecting generously with other people at the individual and community level is where the kind of transformation that will eliminate poverty must begin.

Conservative Party of Canada foreign affairs critic Stockwell Day affirmed the goals of the Micah Challenge campaign and endorsed the effort "to hold governments accountable to their global commitments."

World Vision Canada president Dave Toycen says "Canada has a reputation for compassion to the wider world. The Micah Challenge is a strategic opportunity for Christians to express their love for their neighbour in a powerful, life-changing way."

The leading partners in the Micah Challenge in Canada are the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the Canadian Council of Christian Charities Relief and Development Group, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and the Canadian Council of Churches Commission on Justice and Peace.

More information on the Micah Challenge is available at www.micahchallenge.ca