World Day of Prayer

Christianity includes many denominations The five largest and most ancient are Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism, Nestorianism (Assyrian Church of the East) and Miaphysitism (Oriental Orthodoxy) They differ in the traditions of religious services, interpretation of the Bible, the dogmas of hell and heaven, purgatory and other theological issues The ecumenical movement, which originated in the ranks of Protestants at the end of the 19th century, calls for different denominations of Christianity to unite This idea is reflected in the celebration of the World Day of Prayer every first Friday in March World Day of Prayer was initiated by women of different races and cultures from more than 170 countries in support of the concept of ecumenism The solemn day is held under the motto “Conscious Prayer and Conscious Action” The first event dedicated to the unification of Christian denominations took place in New York in 1887 The idea of ​​spending a week in prayer belonged to representatives of the Methodist Church from Brooklyn After 2 years, the initiative to celebrate World Day of Prayer was supported by US Baptists Since 1922, the Day of Prayer began to be celebrated by believers in Canada, and since 1930 - in the British Isles The idea of ​​reconciliation and overcoming differences between Christian denominations became especially relevant against the backdrop of the events of the Second World War Over time, representatives of Catholicism and other movements joined the World Day of Prayer During the preparation for World Day of Prayer, women learn about how their sisters in Christ live in other countries of the world, get acquainted with their culture and problems, feeling a connection with them invisible to the eye In honor of the holiday, solemn services are held dedicated to one of the current topics (“Pray for peace in Jerusalem”, “The Church is a worldwide brotherhood”, “Signs of the times”, etc) Each year, services are dedicated to a specific country Thus, in 2021, Christian women around the world prayed for the Republic of Vanuatu They asked God to end inter-clan hostility and traditions of cannibalism in this small country located on the islands of Oceania Prayer for peace and tranquility in Vanuatu took place according to tradition on the first Friday of March A year earlier, Christian women appealed to the mercy of the Lord with a request to grant prosperity to the people living in Zimbabwe Their souls also responded to the problems of women from Cuba, Egypt, Malaysia, Chile and other countries The text of the prayer is written by representatives of the state, whose problems the services are dedicated to Every appeal to God by sisters in Christ living on different continents and countries finds a response in the hearts of all women celebrating World Day of Prayer They believe that the power of a single spiritual impulse can work miracles The feeling of a friendly shoulder, participation and moral support is very important for Christian women, which is why the World Day of Prayer has been celebrated for more than 130 years