We like to think of ourselves as a generous nation; Australia the ‘lucky’ country. We were even ranked at the top of the World Giving Index last year. So for Christmas this year, Micah Challenge wants to harness that attitude and show Australia’s politicians just how generous Australians really are.

The organisation is asking Christians around the country to send a Christmas card to their local Member of Parliament, as a way of showing goodwill towards the politicians serving our country, but also to express their concern about the direction of foreign aid funding.

The global movement of Christian agencies, churches and individuals that make up Micah Challenge also suggest that card writers could demonstrate the generosity they are asking from their government, by including a gift from one of their agency partners. You could, for example, buy a vegetable garden for a poor rural family in Laos from TEAR Australia, or a pig for a family in Nepal or Cambodia from Baptist World Aid, on behalf of your local MP.

“We’re concerned by the dominant political narrative at the moment, that the economy is at the heart of our narrative,” says John Beckett, Micah Challenge’s national coordinator. “But the economy should serve the people. We want to remind ourselves that money’s not our master, and encourage people to make a difference through practicing generosity at Christmas.”

A Christmas card to your MP may sound like a simple or even irrelevant gesture, but Beckett says handwritten notes and letters are powerful for politicians these days, who are bombarded daily by digital, faceless campaigns.

“They’re looking for face to face contact, direct relationships with their constituents. A handwritten letter shows people have take the time and energy to express their concerns.”

Micah Challenge has been campaigning for years for Australia to honour its commitment to the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals to halve global poverty by 2015. But Beckett says they are particularly concerned right now with the “sweeping changes” to the aid budget and the structure of foreign aid.

“That’s a concern for us…that the priorities of the poor are going to be undermined by the changes, and fall down the list of priorities for our nation.”

The fight for a more generous attitude to Australia’s foreign aid budget is an uphill one for organisations like Micah Challenge, struggling with a population almost evenly spread in its convictions one way or the other on whether Australia should spend more or less on foreign aid.

ABC Vote Compass: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-11/vote-compass-full-data-explorer/5016244

Prior to this year’s Federal Election, ABC’s Vote Compass captured the political feelings of over 1.2 million Australians, which has now crunched the data to show what Australians really think about key political issues—including whether Australia should spend more on foreign aid. 22.6 per cent of respondents to Vote Compass said they ‘somewhat disagreed’ that Australia should spend more on foreign aid, while the same percentage said they ‘somewhat agreed’. 10.7 per cent said they strongly agreed, while 18.2 per cent strongly disagreed, leaving 26 per cent of respondents neutral on the issue.

But Beckett says Micah Challenge’s target has always been about trying to engage Christians and educate them on the biblical mandate to care for the poor while encouraging them to speak up. So, probably people in the ‘somewhat agree’ and ‘strongly agree’ category are those who aren’t yet engaged with the issue.

Beckett says the start of a new Parliament is a great time to get to know your new MP, and it’s usually fairly easy to get in to see them. “They don’t tend to have large portfolios, and any help we can give them in understanding and framing the issues is appreciated. We’ve already sent letters to all the new MPs in Federal Parliament, and have gotten very positive responses from politicians keen to work with us.”

A Christmas card is one easy way to build a relationship with your MP in this new parliamentary cycle. “It’s hopefully an expression of sincere desire for people to connect and wish our leaders the best at Christmas time.”

And the gift? “We want to say [to our MPs] that Australians are committed to generosity towards the poor, that we’re practicing that generosity and we’d like to see that from you as well.”

Want some tips on writing to your MP this Christmas? Check out the Micah Challenge website, here: http://www.micahchallenge.org.au/christmas-action