Key Christian groups have responded to renewed racial violence with a call to prayer in Cronulla, beginning this weekend.
As police assess the damage from various drive-by attacks in Brighton Le-sands overnight, local Christians have announced they will be holding a prayer meeting on North Cronulla beach this Sunday.
The 6.00 am vigil will include Jason Stevens and George Capsis " high profile Christians associated with the Cronulla Sharks Rugby League Club.
"It will make a very different picture from the ones currently going around Australia and the world," says the Rev James Macbeth, assistant minister at Gymea Anglican, who is encouraging people to attend.
The Rector of St Andrews Cronulla, the Rev Richard Humphries is working with other churches to organise another public prayer meeting for the following Tuesday.
Mr Humphries hopes that prayers offered to the God of peace will help bring this latest cycle of violence to a close.
"We'll be asking all of the churches to be praying about this on Sunday," he says.
Mr Humphries and other ministers will also be approaching the police to request involvement in a community forum aimed at addressing issues behind the violence.
Mr Malcolm Kerr , the New South Wales MP for Cronulla, and a Sydney Anglican, has come out publicly supporting the church's involvement in finding a way of dealing with the current tensions.
"I think there can be interfaith dialogue in relation to this," he says.
"It's a case of looking after our brothers and ensuring they are taken care of."
Mr Kerr says Christians have a lot to contribute to problems that have plagued his local area for decades.
"This is a long term issue that's been simmering for some time," he says.
"People mustn’t react violently towards one another " that's the Christian response. However it’s also the Christian position that the state has a role to protect people and their property.
"It’s a fundamental role of government that God has set them up to do."
