General Immediate Media Alert – 19^th March 2014

A team of more than 30 Christians from across Australia will be led by Pastor Daniel Nalliah, the President of Catch The Fire Ministries, who is also the President of the newly formed Rise Up Australia Political Party, to visit Palm Island in order to carry out a very special assignment of Reconciliation & Healing with the First People on our Great South Land.

CTFM President Daniel Nalliah stated, “it was so nice to hear Kevin Rudd our former PM apologise to the First People. However, that alone is not enough.  There is still much bitterness and hurt in the hearts of the First People of Australia, as many of them were killed, kidnapped and very badly abused by the settlers who came on this land. Many Islanders also suffered much.

I have been speaking to many of these communities in Alice Springs, Darwin, Bourke, Yarrabah, Townsville in the past several years and have come to the conclusion that if nothing is done to bring healing in between the First People and the rest of us, soon our nation could face much trouble, particularly with Islam targeting the Indigenous people to convert them over to Islam.

As a Christian minister first, then as a political party leader, I feel that I could help bridge the gap as I speak to the First People, also feeling the pain and suffering their forefathers went through.  I am also able to tell them of the good which has come out of all of this.  If not for the British coming on our soil and building this nation on Judeo-Christian values, where would our nation be?? Today we are one of the best democratic nations in the world and everyone wants to come and live in Australia.

Well, I can say this to them and they receive it possibly because I have the same skin colour.”

The team will be greeted by the Palm Island Council and local Indigenous leaders. Then there will be a very special foot washing ceremony where the CTFM team will wash the feet of the First People, ask forgiveness and then march through the streets in unity with the Indigenous people.

Catch The Fire Ministries believes that true reconciliation comes from a real heart of love for people. We are sure this trip will be history making.

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