About World Day of Prayer

I would like to share information from World Day of Prayer USA about The World Day of Prayer.

This year the service will be on Friday, March 7th at First United Methodist Church in Sidney 2622 11th Ave at Noon.

Since the nineteenth century, Christian women in the United States and Canada have initiated cooperative activities in many areas of concern for women and children, emphasizing the role of prayer in mission work and the promotion of world peace through involvement in mission work worldwide.

The first organized “day of prayer for the world” held nationally was in Canada on January 9, 1920. The United States soon followed on February 20, 1920. Now, hundreds of thousands of women (and men, youth and children) from around the world and in every region gather to collectively worship on the first Friday in March. Each year, a different country serves as the writer of the World Day of Prayer worship service and other materials. Women of that country’s national committee interpret scripture within their cultural context and prepare a worship service. Women around the world lead services in their communities.

World Day of Prayer is supported by sacrificial and benevolent mission offerings given by individuals through these annual services. Each of the 170 countries celebrating World Day of Prayer has an organized country committee of ecumenical women representing many cultures, races and faith traditions. Each country’s committee is responsible for determining the use of the offering as it relates to the theme for each year. Offering grants are made to women and children’s groups in each country.

World Day of Prayer USA promotes justice and equality for women through prayer, partnerships, service and celebration. For more information, visit the World Day of Prayer USA website at http://www.wdpusa.org.

The 2014 World Day of Prayer service will begin at the first sunrise on March 7, 2014, in the Pacific region and, following the Earth’s orbit, will spread all around the world. This year, the women of the WDP Committee of Egypt invite us into a time of worship with the words of the prophet Isaiah: “I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.” With these words as backdrop, we are invited to learn about Egypt’s history and rich cultural diversity. A young Egyptian woman shares her experiences in Tahrir Square—where she has found hope in dry places. An exploration of the Samaritan woman’s conversation with Jesus at the well echoes the cooperation between young people of different faiths during the Arab Spring, and prompts us to ask where we might have an unexpected, inspiring conversation. This moment offers us an immense opportunity for deep dialogue and reflection about the borders that we, like Jesus and the Samaritan woman, have to cross to get to streams of living water.

The woman by the well has a theological conversation with Jesus that ends with action. Our motto—“informed prayer leads to prayerful action”—follows that example. Jesus and the woman were able to transcend their religious and cultural differences and build a common ground that then empowered the woman to bring change to her community. The WDP USA community is invited to follow through in areas of concern lifted up by this year’s service, including the availability of clean water, support for girls’ education worldwide, intergenerational and interfaith dialogue, and the Arab Spring. Through the original song “She Who Trusts in Me,” participants in WDP are invited to imagine themselves as springs of God’s living water.

I invite everyone to join us for a community World Day of Prayer Service on Friday, March 7th, 2014 at Noon at First United Methodist Church 2622 11th Ave Sidney.