Dr Ross Clifford’s Christmas Message
This Christmas heralds a new beginning for all Australians, the President of the Baptist Union of Australia, Rev Dr Ross Clifford, said in his Christmas message. Dr Clifford is also the Vice-President of the CDP. “Change and renewal is happening all around us: in the weather, in the cycles of the natural world, in our personal well-being, in history and politics. But when Jesus was born in humble circumstances in Palestine more than 2,000 years ago, something fundamentally new and permanent was underway. Through Jesus, God offered each one of us a new beginning, a second chance, an opportunity to start afresh in life. Christmas also offers an opportunity to take stock of the world around us and determine to work together to make it better. Dr Clifford congratulated the newly elected Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, and his Government on an emphatic win, and said he hoped the Rudd Government would continue to make rapid progress on policy issues of significance to Australian Baptists. These included: an urgent but compassionate consultative approach to Indigenous affairs, particularly protecting the wellbeing of Aboriginal children and families; demonstrating decisive leadership on new global climate change initiatives; increasing overseas development aid to 0.7% of Gross National Income; and promoting strong economic growth while maintaining a just and equitable safety net for the less fortunate in our communities, including those suffering from the drought”.
