Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called on churches across the country to heed the National Day of Mourning for bushfire victims.
In a special message he has specifically asked to be read out in church services this weekend, Mr Rudd reflects on the tragedy Australia has experienced in the Victorian bushfires.
"In recent days our nation has begun to come to terms with the worst natural disaster in Australian history," Mr Rudd has written. "We have witnessed scenes of unspeakable sadness and loss."
Mr Rudd also commends all those who have helped fire victims.
"We have seen an extraordinary outpouring of compassion as the whole nation has reached out to the fire victims.”
Mr Rudd has asked specifically for churches all over Australia to contribute to a Bushfire Message Book.
"[The book] will stand as a lasting record of the nation's support and sympathy, and our resolve to help them rebuild their lives and their communities," Rudd says.
How Heathcote is helping
One church showing their support for the bushfire victims is Heathcote Anglican.
Christ Church, Heathcote will be putting on a Monster Bushfire Benefit Concert this Saturday, featuring Colin Buchanan and Qurious, to raise funds for the fire-ravaged community of Heathcote Junction in Victoria.
"With so many deaths and such widespread destruction we thought we would help out by arranging a jazz concert" and take up a collection of money and donate it to Heathcote Junction," says the Rev Tom Hargreaves, Assistant Minister of Heathcote Anglican.
The Sydney suburb of Heathcote has experienced first-hand the terror of bushfires in years past.
"Heathcote has been threatened by ferocious fires many, many times over the years with the last one in 2000 requiring evacuations of massive sections of our suburb in the middle of the night with flames clearly visible in the distance," Mr Hargreaves says.
He adds that the concert is one opportunity Heathcote Anglican has use to reach out in love and connect with their community.
"It is our plan to connect more widely with the community and this is just one of the ways we will be doing that this year as part of Connect09.”
