On Christmas Day in 1949, the Reverend Frank Byatt of Victoria placed an empty bowl on the dinner table during Christmas dinner. He asked everyone sitting at the table with him to think about their good fortune and their safe, happy lives and then asked them to think about those around the world who were not safe and happy and had to go without. He asked each person to put in the bowl what they thought their Christmas dinner had cost. This was the very first Christmas Bowl and it raised money for eastern European refugees arriving in Australia who had been displaced from their homes due to World War II.
Since then, churches and individuals across Australia have supported the Christmas Bowl, contributing more than $100 million to Act for Peace's work in the most conflict-affected countries in the world.
For more information about the Christmas Bowl or the work of Act for Peace, please call 1800 025 101.
Resources for the 2012 Christmas Bowl will be available from September. To see previous years' resources, please use the links on this page.
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