By: Clare Bruce
Four independent Australian artists are among the finalists of this year’s Peoples Choice Awards, a music award event held online each year by CMAA to provide a platform for Christian music. Read more
by: Susie Holt
Today is not your average day. Today is Stand Together Day and to celebrate, our team are pushing away our comfy work chairs to stand up for the workday. As we do, we’ll be remembering the 122,000 Australians who will be without a safe home tonight, many of them hidden from sight.
Many people who are experiencing homelessness are what we call the “hidden homeless”. People who don’t have a secure, safe home of their own, but find a place to sleep on couches, futons and in spare rooms of people in their world, supporting them in their difficult time. As we discussed this recently as a team of Christian broadcasters, we discovered that, without realising it, multiple people in the room had experienced hidden homelessness.
For eight years and nearly 2500 episodes, Luke Holt was networked across 27 Christian Radio stations as a part of the Luke and Susie radio show. Luke and Susie have three sons and live what they would describe as a happy life in a happy and safe home. However, on his 23rd birthday Luke sat homeless at a train station in the western suburbs of Sydney with no money, no friends or family, no options.
Luke’s story highlights that hidden homelessness can happen to anyone. Complete strangers chose to stand together with a young and broken man.
Ashley remembers her first experience of homelessness when she was four years old. Throughout most of her childhood and teen years, Ashley faced ongoing struggles with mental health, tragic life events, and family conflict. Growing up, home was never a safe place. As an adult, Ashley pursued further study in community services. When she came across the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – a document written by the UN over 75 years ago, Ashley caught her first glimpse of the life she deserves to live. For the first time in her life, she believed she was worthy.
Today, Ashley applies her lived experience in her role at Mission Australia, offering real hope that has lasting impact. Ashley’s story highlights that there is hope to end homelessness in Australia if we choose to stand together.
On this Stand Together Day, we’re encouraging you to remember those who are experiencing homelessness and consider what you can do to be a part of the solution. Mission Australia’s goal is to see the end of homelessness in Australia. It can be done, if we stand together to ensure all Australians have a safe place to call home.
by: Susan Holt
“Snuggle season”. That’s what I call winter. It’s the time of year when the uggies are thrown on (and sometimes worn in public!), the blankets come out and all the winter woollies get first pick from the wardrobe.
I’ve recently become very aware that I’m afforded the privilege of having winter as my favourite season as someone with a safe home.
Across Australia, 3000 people are expected to reach out to homeless services, such as Mission Australia, in the next hour. Around 122,000 people are experiencing homelessness, many of them Australia’s hidden homeless, on any given night.
Hearing these numbers can feel overwhelming. Mission Australia, however, are unswerving in their passion to serve the needs of these Australians, moving each one towards independence.
Mission Australia stand with individuals and families across the country to provide practical support, find suitable housing and target the main known causes of homelessness in a bid to prevent more people facing a night without a safe home.
As such, we are standing together with Mission Australia whose founding purpose is, “Inspired by Jesus Christ, Mission Australia exists to meet human need and to spread the knowledge of the love of God.”
Right now you can share your stories of how someone has stood with you through a difficult time, just as Mission Australia does with Australians in need.
Mission Australia believes homelessness can be ended in Australia. This instils great hope in me that one day, all Australians will be safe and warm throughout snuggle season.
To pray for the work of Mission Australia and find out more, click here.
By: Susan Holt
Inspired by the work of Mission Australia with Australia’s homeless community, the 2024 Stand Together Day Awards give you the opportunity to nominate someone who stood alongside you during a difficult moment in your life and honour their role in your story.
Every day, Mission Australia is working towards a goal of ending homelessness in Australia, delivering homelessness crisis and prevention services, collaborating with people in need to tackle the root causes of their challenges.
Mission Australia have been committed to standing together with Australians experiencing homelessness since 1859. In 2023, over 149,000 people were served through their tireless efforts.
As such, Mission Australia know how important it is to have someone stand alongside those who are struggling in life and, along with Christian Media and Arts Australia, have created the Stand Together Day Awards.
The Stand Together Day Awards exists to honour the people in your world who have stood with you, providing support through a challenging time that you have faced. All of us at some point face difficult times and all too often these times come unexpectedly.
We want to hear the stories of those who, like Mission Australia, have provided practical support and stood with you as you faced your most challenging times. Our hope is that through hearing these inspirational stories, we’ll see more and more people recognise their capacity to make a difference for those around them.
To make your nomination for the Stand Together Day Awards, fill in the nomination form here and tell us about you and the person you are nominating. Together, you could be heading to the Gold Coast, expenses paid, to receive the Stand Together Day Award at a special event, hosted by Christian Media and Arts Australia.
To find out more about Mission Australia and pray for their work, click here.
You have the power to decide who will be Australia’s favourite Christian Artists for 2024.
What does your favourite Christian music mean to you? Does it help you connect with God? Bring you peace? Or simply help you get through the day?
Now it’s your chance to vote for your favourite Christian artist.
Voting is open now – and will remain open until 5pm, Friday 16th August, 2024.
See who has been nominated and cast your vote for both your favourite Aussie and International artist.
The People’s Choice is a ’listener voted’ category in the Annual CMAA Excellence in Media Awards, celebrating the excellence, innovation and creativity of Christians in Media and Media Arts across Australia and New Zealand.
The People’s Choice Award is broken into two categories, Australian and International Christian Music Artists, with the top 5 artists being those who were the most played on radio in the past 12 months.*
The People’s Choice winners will be announced live from the Gold Coast at the Annual CMAA Excellence in Media Awards Tuesday evening, 24th September.
*In the spirit of championing a wide number of artists, winners of this category from the previous year take a 12 month hiatus from being nominated
Article thanks to Christian Media and Arts Australia
By: Clare Bruce
Choirs around Australia – and worldwide – are being invited to enter the inaugural ‘International Christian Choir Competition’, an online event being run by Excelsia College in Sydney. Read more
By: Clare Bruce
Every Christmas, the Samaritan’s Purse Gift Catalogue gives Australians a chance to ease suffering and make a real difference for people in developing nations. Read more
By: Clare Bruce
Aussie vocalist extraordinaire Tarryn Stokes has stepped into the limelight after being announced as the winner of Channel 7’s The Voice 2023 on Sunday night. Read more