2022 is a special year for World Day of Prayer (WDP) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This year, the organisation has prepared the World Day of Prayer service. They have found it both challenging and rewarding to write about the three countries that make up our area, with our landscape, people and culture all shaped by our history. WDP celebrates diversity and the contribution made to our countries by the many groups and individuals who have made their home here. They use the Bible text “I know the plans I have for you,” from Jeremiah, to reflect on some of the issues facing us today: poverty, domestic abuse and disability, finding hope in difficult situations and encouragement in the help we can give to each other.
World Day of Prayer is an international ecumenical organisation which enables women all over the world to share the ideas and concerns of the writing country. Preparation for the day has taken several years. Their International Committee, based in New York, coordinates the work of national committees and facilitates the creation of the annual World Day of Prayer service on the first Friday in March. The service outline, created by the writing country, is distributed to the rest of the world, along with a Bible reflection, country background and children’s and – for the first time – young people’s activities.
All this work will come to fruition on Friday 4th March, when services will take place – beginning in Samoa and moving on through New Zealand and Australia, across Asia, Africa and Europe and finally the United States and South America before finishing in American Samoa. Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, services will take place in large urban centres, such as Central Hall Westminster, and in remote village churches. Modern technology will enable the organisation to reach those unable to access a service.
For further information and resources, together with details of services in your area, see the WDP website: www.wwdp.org.uk.