06659
December 12, 2006

Australian churches join in prayers for rain that won't come

by Matthew Fenwick
Ecumenical News International

SYDNEY — Australia’s churches have joined in prayers for rain during a drought said to be the worst in more than 200 years and one that shows no signs of breaking. 
 
     Drought has long been a part of the agricultural community in the world’s sixth largest country, but residents are calling this prolonged period without rain as the “big dry.” 
 
     Churches held a special National Day of Prayer on Nov. 26 as the drought was deepening, and praying to God for rain in Australian farming communities fighting to survive is a daily thing now. Although they are waiting for an answer to their prayers, farmers say the solidarity that comes from a national prayer day gives them support. 
 
     “We invite all Australians to express their solidarity with those who are suffering by taking a few moments to pray or to join a local worship service,” said Archbishop Phillip Aspinall, head of the Anglican Church of Australia during one set of rain prayers.
 
     The Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has declared most of eastern Australia to be severely affected. With crops failing, farmers are struggling to meet interest repayments. Falling rural land prices and rising grain prices have driven many farmers to bankruptcy. 
 
     In a joint statement, church leaders have urged Australians to remember the human cost of the drought beyond its economic consequences. “We should remember the many people on farms and in small businesses who are suffering, often in a deeply personal
way,” said Roman Catholic Archbishop Philip Wilson. 
 
     Pastors in rural communities are seeing first-hand evidence of the destruction caused by drought.   
 
     “After a prolonged period of drought, many small rural communities have found that the glue that holds them together is extremely eroded. As services are withdrawn and people leave, towns are finding their social and human capital are worn down,” the Rev. Kel Hodge, rural chaplain in New South Wales told the Uniting Church in Australia’s Insights magazine.