For 75 years, church communities have been uniting through the Christmas Bowl to give hope to families who are displaced.
In 1949 Rev. Frank Byatt first laid a bowl of remembrance on the Christmas dinner table asking his family to ‘share your good dinner with hungry children in other lands’. From this simple act of compassion, the annual Christmas Bowl appeal was born – a much-loved tradition in churches across Australia.
The Christmas Bowl legacy runs deep – in families, across generations, cultures, denominations and nations – countless lives have been changed and bridges of solidarity built.
Faith in action
Brian and Jillian Polkinghorne were married over 60 years ago and have been supporting the Christmas Bowl since Brian was the congregational minister in a South Australian country Uniting Church Parish in 1965.
Brian’s faith has motivated him to continue supporting the Christmas Bowl all these years later.
“It’s probably the most effective witness to Jesus,” he explains. “Love for the poor, the outcast, the widows, and the orphans. It is a matter of applying the love of God on a global dimension.”
For the Polkinghorne’s, their faith in action has defined their lives. 50 years ago they were supported through the Christmas Bowl to start an agriculture production and training centre in Tanzania.
“It’s been part of us being Christians all our lives, and it’s part of the call of the gospel to be there for your neighbour.
“I just think we’re so lucky in this country. We have so many blessings, and we see the injustices. We see, the oppression, we see the unfairness of it all, and we just feel that we have to respond.”
Support where it’s needed most
Across oceans, families like Brian’s have been providing much-needed support for families displaced by conflict and disaster.
Families like Jane’s* in Zimbabwe.
When Cyclone Idai hit in 2019, Jane* tragically lost everything – her three children and her home.
“The cyclone started around 8pm when I was asleep with the children in the house,” says Jane.
“I woke up to find the house shaking and about to collapse. I was taken up with the water. I fractured my skull and hurt my leg.”
Jane was heartbroken to discover that she had lost her three children. She spent two years living in a tent after the disaster. In the aftermath of Cyclone Idai and then Cyclone Ana in 2021, Jane was one of 700 displaced families who required relocation.
For 75 years, generous families like Brian’s have been helping families like Jane’s to rebuild their lives.
Extending a helping hand
Another long-term supporter, Tasmanian resident, Ian Newman, understands the legacy of the Christmas Bowl, perhaps better than anyone.
“My parents were friends with Frank Byatt and his family and so we had the Christmas Bowl on our Christmas table in the 1950s,” says Ian.
For Ian, those foundational, childhood experiences, were crucial in shaping his worldview and providing him with a tangible way to practice generosity.
“I’m very thankful for Act for Peace providing me with a mechanism that I feel is reliable to provide support for people who have much, much less in the way of resources than I and my family have had,” he says.
“It’s an important thing for me to do and certainly a fundamental attitude and in a way, moral obligation as a Christian.”
Queensland resident, Clive Ayre, has been supporting the Christmas Bowl since the 1960s.
He started as a young Methodist minister in 1961 and began promoting the Christmas Bowl in his local community when he was 21.
Clive and his wife Gail have been loyal Christmas Bowl supporters ever since and believe the appeal plays an important role in building bridges.
“It means the opportunity to extend not only a helping hand, but a hand of friendship,” says Clive. “It’s about breaking down walls…and building bridges of understanding between people, between ethnic groups, between faiths.”
“I think that the world would be a much better place if we could find areas of agreement or commonality rather than looking for differences.”
“[Christmas Bowl] is an important part of this whole effort to care, to reach out, to bring people together and to make sure that that people don’t suffer unnecessarily.”
Bringing hope
Thanks to Christmas Bowl supporters, Act for Peace’s local partner the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC) could improve services like electricity, water, schools, health clinics and sanitation and hygiene for relocated families. Jane and her family now drink safe, clean water from the new piped water scheme. They also have access to social support services. The program ensures people who have been displaced have control over their lives and can thrive in their future, helping them to find safety, dignity and belonging in their new homes.
For 75 years churches and individuals across Australia have been giving hope and practical support to people who need it most. From supporting refugees after World War II, to caring for families affected by famine in Ethiopia in the 1980s, and more recently, supporting people fleeing Ukraine – through the Christmas Bowl the church has made an incredible difference in the world.
Please join us in praying and acting for peace in the world as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Christmas Bowl. Please give today, visit christmasbowl.actforpeace.org.au
