ay rayer

By Frank Neill

Johnsonville Uniting Church is hosting the Ecumenical World Day of Prayer on riday 3 March at 10 am. This year’s service has been prepared by the World Day of Prayer committee of Taiwan.

Because of that the church would especially like to invite anyone living in the area from Taiwan to join them. bserved on the first riday in March each year, the World Day of Prayer is a worldwide ecumenical movement of informed prayer involving people of many denominations in more than 170 countries.

The theme this year is “I have heard about your faith”.

It is based on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, and is an invitation to active listening, which is the ground of our prayers.

In his letter Paul praises the church members for their faith in Jesus and love toward all the saints.

This year’s worship service contextualizes the witness of the saints with the stories from Taiwan.It shares the letters of encouragement sent to women who faced suffering and injustice.

The letters point to the urgency to protect the environment and have a nuclear-free homeland to be aware of the gender stereotypes women face when defying the traditional role in the workplace or in the family, and to care for the healing of the victims of verbal and sexual abuses.

They also bring to lightthe hidden struggle of the essential workers during the pandemic who had to balance work and family in a vulnerable economic situation.

The sisters from Taiwan thank God for the natural resources of the island and pray for wisdom in face of the political isolation of Taiwan in the international community. They also ask for peoples’ prayers.