Joseph Smith
May 6th, 2008

The inaugural Paddle Against Poverty is one way surfers from St Matthew’s, Manly and other local churches are sharing God’s love in their local community while also transforming lives in Indonesia.

Twenty-six paddlers made their way from Collaroy to Manly – a distance of 10kms – on January 12 in the Christian Surfers-run event which raised $10,000 for residents in Manado, North Sulawesi.

This event and 70 others like it are part of the Manly-Manado initiative, a partnership established through the Manly Ministers Association, which sees churches such as St Matthew’s, Manly, All Saints, Balgowlah and St Paul’s, Seaforth, the local council, organisations, businesses and individuals from Manly working together to help people out of poverty in Manado.

St Matthew’s, Manly assistant minister the Rev Michael Aitken says the success of Manly-Manado can be measured in Manly by the fact that over 30 local businesses and organisations including eight churches have been involved.

“Connect09 has similar goals to make significant bridges into local communities and this initiative offers a good example of what can be done when churches work together,” he says.

Manly-Manado, formerly known as Action Against Poverty, received the 2006 Community Event of the Year Australia Day award from Manly Council.

Mayor of Manly, Dr Peter Macdonald says the strength of the Manly-Manado movement is that “it links community to community”.

“I have always been proud of the compassion shown by the people of Manly and this project offers a real opportunity for us all to help people in need in a very practical way,” he says

As of April 2008 13,461 people had attended Many-Manado events initiated by members of the local community.

“Trips to Manado continue to build the relational link between our communities and the name of Jesus is being respected all the more as people see Christians working together and that words are accompanied by action,” Mr Aitken says.

The Manly-Manado movement had its roots in 2000 when Manly minister, the Rev Ian Freestone, sought to assist Christians who had fled their homes in the Maluku Islands to Manado due to persecution from Islamic militants.

Photos: Silke Stuckenbrock/Silke Photo