Evangelicals across the UK have been called by a government minister to help the parliament tackle issues such as international justice as well as disaster relief.

|TOP|Gareth Thomas MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development, personally called on the Evangelical Alliance in the UK, as well as other leading Christian campaigning organisations for help in these vital international issues.

The Evangelical Alliance has released a statement stating that they have arranged to meet with Thomas in conjunction with Global Connections, Tearfund and Speak at Canterbury Baptist Church next month on Dec. 13th.

In making the call for help open to all evangelicals in the UK, the meeting has also been opened up to allow any other members from evangelical churches that have an interest in overseas issues to attend.

The Parliamentary Officer at the Evangelical Alliance, Gareth Wallace commented, “This is a great opportunity for those passionate about international relief and development issues, both in Christian organisations and local churches, to quiz the Minister and also to explain the key role that Evangelicals play in these areas.”

|AD|The meeting has been scheduled to last for just under two-hours, from noon till 1.45pm, and will include a panel discussion with Thomas.

Audience members will also be offered the chance to raise questions with Thomas on a whole host of issues including: fair trade, international aid, debt relief, arms trade, small charities, disaster relief policies, as well as the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s).

Focusing more on the MDG’s will be Julia Wensley, who is the Head of Social Responsibility at the Evangelical Alliance. Wensley will particularly highlight the Micah Challenge campaign, which has been commissioned to fulfil the aim of halving global poverty by 2015.

Wallace concluded, “I hope Mr Thomas will go away with a greater understanding about the extent of evangelical Christian involvement in these areas and I look forward to stronger relationships between churches, affiliated organisations and the Department for International Development.”