Churches that want to celebrate World Day of Prayer (WDP) this year will have to do so online, considering pandemic restrictions still limit how many people can be inside a building.
The women of Vanuatu — a chain of islands in the South Pacific east of Australia — wrote the program for this year’s WDP and chose the theme “Build on a firm foundation” based on the Gospel of Matthew 7:24-27. The Women’s Inter-church Council of Canada (WICC), which co-ordinates WDP, wanted to highlight women’s experiences in that island country since it plans to develop initiatives to assist young, rural women through job creation and educational opportunities.
Trinity United Church was supposed to host WDP this year on March 5 and welcome dozens of community churches but could not do so since large gatherings, food, and drink are not allowed, explained co-ordinator Bev Ruchs. Due to all these issues, the WDP Committee announced that the one-day event would be extended for the full month of March so churches can take part when they have time. A video service is available to view online.
WICC chooses impoverished and developing nations to highlight the challenges and concerns that women and children face, she continued. In Vanuatu, most deaths in children under age five are due to malnutrition and the increase in stunting is likely linked to improper feeding practices.
Furthermore, women have little say politically even though they represent 40 per cent of the labour force. Sex-based violence is also an issue affecting women and girls, with roughly 60 per cent of women in Vanuatu experiencing physical and/or sexual violence throughout their lives, with 21 per cent receiving permanent injuries.
Trinity United attempted to watch the WDP video on March 5 but could not do so because it had too many technical troubles, Ruchs said. However, two women who saw it beforehand had high praise for the content of the video.
“So, it was different (this year), that’s for sure,” she added with a chuckle.
Anyone interested in watching the pre-recorded World Day of Prayer video or learning more about WDP should visit wicc.org.
