World Day of Prayer will be observed and hosted by Church Women United on Friday at Wesley United Methodist Church.
CWU Communications Chairperson Judi Moriarty Ebers said World Day of Prayer has been around for decades and is nearing the century mark.
“It was started in 1922, and it was formed to take place on the first Friday of March, each year,” she added. “You have 170 countries plus a lot of provinces and a lot of different provinces in Canada. So, around the world, this Friday when we go to have our World Day of Prayer celebration here in Sedalia, there will be, they say, ‘from the rising of the sun in the Pacific, all around the globe until the setting of the sun,’ there will be people praying.
“This was started by Christian women and they prayed through wars, and for children and for improvement in lives of people,” Ebers said. “They believe in prayer and action that it will change lives, and change the way things are done and the communication between countries.”
Ebers said CWU is extending an open invitation to everyone in the community to attend Friday’s event. She noted that CWU Chairperson Cheryl Brown has asked several area ministers to attend and they will each offer a prayer.
“Specific prayers for whatever they see as a need,” she noted. “This year World Day of Prayer, the program was written by the Christian women in the Philippines. So, it’s going to call us to worship with the words, ‘Am I Being Unfair to You.’ I see it as a backdrop to how we then are going to take a view and learn about the culture of other countries, where we’re not judging our diversity, but we unite … It calls for us to unite and have compassion on other people and other cultures.”
She noted that CWU, an organization that features 17 different local denominations, hosts the World Day of Prayer each year in the Sedalia community.
“Church Women United is a ecumenical Christian women’s movement,” Ebers added. “It represents Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox and many other Christian faiths.”
Each year for World Day of Prayer a country is selected to write the program. Friday’s program will be in keeping the Filipino Christian women’s prayer service. Ebers said several local Filipino women will attend the event.
“When we have our event, we go through that program with their readings, as if it were their women speaking, about what they need,” she said.
CWU invites everyone to attend the World Day of Prayer event at 1:30 p.m. Friday at Wesley United Methodist Church, 1322 W. Broadway Blvd.
