Leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Australia are urging church members to pray for rain during a special National Week of Prayer from Sabbath, December 14 to Sabbath, December 21.
The initiative is in light of the devastating fires that continue to ravage parts of New South Wales and Queensland, alongside the worst drought the country has experienced in decades.
AUC president Pastor Jorge Munoz, general secretary Pastor Michael Worker and CFO Peter Cameron are urging Adventists to pray for “[the] brave firefighters, families and businesses impacted by fire, properties and personalities ravaged by crippling drought”.
Deputy commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service, Rob Rogers, today tweeted that 724 homes have been lost and 2.7 million hectares of land burnt. This number continues to rise.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Greg Mullins, who was Fire and Rescue NSW commissioner from 2003 to 2017, has warned that hundreds of Sydney’s suburban homes will likely be destroyed as summer continues to bring even hotter and dryer conditions.
“The worst is to come because it’s going to get hotter and drier and there’s no significant rain in the outlooks,” Mr Mullins said.
In response, church members are encouraged to pray every day during the week of prayer for rain to stop the bushfires from spreading.
The AUC has created assets that can be used in social media posts or e-bulletins by local churches. They are available through local conference communication departments.