As APEC dignitaries meet in Sydney this weekend Christian leaders are asking that they remember the world's poor and oppressed.
As Sydney has prepared for APEC, two Year 11 students from Danebank Anglican Girls School have made prayer a priority at a church service organised by Micah Challenge, encouraging Christians to pray for the members of the peak economic body.
"It is important to pray for APEC because sometimes influencing the leaders of this world and their decisions just seems to be out of our reach, but nothing is out of the reach of God," says St Andrew's, Sans Souci member Bethany.
"It would probably be easy to accept that as just one person, you can’t change anything, so why even bother?" Jessica says.
"But if we all have that attitude, then nothing is ever going to change."
Anglican School mobilised
Jessica Fell and Bethany Young feel a sense of responsibility to speak out, in faith, for those suffering under conditions of poverty and injustice.
This attitude led the girls, with friend Liz Brown, to start a social justice group at Danebank.
"The whole idea of the group is to show the Danebank girls that they can make a difference in the world even though they are still at school," she says.
At the church service, Dr Shane Clifton, Director of Theology at Southern Cross College, spoke of how God chooses ordinary and seemingly insignificant people to transform the world.
"Mary's song expresses something of the mission of the church and the heart of God for the poor," Dr. Clifton says.
"She was nobody " a poor, single, insignificant female Jew, but she was chosen by God to bring forth the saviour of the world. We should pray that APEC leaders will remember the poor, and seek to act on their behalf by promoting justice, equality and prosperity."
Micah aims to prick APEC’s conscience
The APEC meeting brings together 21 leaders representing half the world’s population and 60 per cent of the total production of the world.
Amanda Jackson, National Co-ordinator of Micah Challenge, called on those at the service to continue praying for APEC in their churches.
“We are the voices that can make a difference. APEC leaders may be powerful, but our God is infinitely so and as we come before him in prayer for our world’s leaders we will see the God of the impossible at work," she says.
Cathedral welcomes APEC participants
St Andrew's Cathedral's senior minister the Rev Chris Moroney says an invitation has been made to visiting APEC participants to attend the Cathedral's 8:30am and 10:30am services with a focus on prayer for nations in the APEC regions.
"The people who have come for APEC have been informed that we are having these services," he says.
"We specifically want to pray for wisdom in economic management and development and that the more developed nations will help those that are still struggling. We also want to pray for human rights, equality and for the protection of religious minorities."
Mr Moroney is asking Christians to pray for Sydney and local ministry during the threatened protests.
"With a great deal of disruption and security concerns, we pray for safety for everyone in the city during the time of APEC," he says.
"Pray for the security of the Cathedral in the light of the expected protesters and pray for Dean Phillip Jensen's preparation for the sermon on Sunday."
Due to the great deal of activity taking place in the city St Andrew's Cathedral cancelled last night's Thursday Evening Prayer service and are cancelling today's Friday Holy Communion.
