Women, men and children in more than 170 countries and regions will celebrate World Day of Prayer, Friday, March 2.
The women of Malaysia have chosen the theme, “Let justice prevail.” They will open the 2012 service with the greeting, “selamat datang” (peace and welcome), a reminder that harmony as a people is rooted in peace and welcome. The Malaysian women name “fair and just governance” as the basis for peace.
The stories chosen by the women give credence to the suffering that empowers their prayer. A clear message emerges: It takes courage, compassion and active engagement for justice to prevail.
“On March 2, let us resolve to work with God and each other to create a world in which gender, race, culture, religion and state are honored, nurtured and empowered,” the Malaysian women write.
This year’s service will be at New Concord United Methodist Church, New Concord. A light lunch will be served at noon, followed by the program at 1 p.m. The church is handicap accessible.
The annual offering supports the World Day of Prayer USA and helps to meet the needs of families in Malaysia and around the world who are victims of many forms of poverty, violence and injustice.
World Day of Prayer is a worldwide ecumenical movement of Christian women of many traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer, each year on the first Friday in March.
World Day of Prayer was founded on the idea that prayer and action are inseparable in the service of God’s kingdom.
Services begin at sunrise in the Pacific and follow the sun across the globe on the day of the celebration. Each year a different country’s committee serves as the writers of the World Day of Prayer worship service.
View www.wdp-usa.org to learn about the women of Malaysia, the writer country for the 2012 worship service.
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