World Day of Pray occurs on the first Friday in March. This year the Council joined the service at St Stephen’s Uniting Church on Macquarie Street, Sydney on 3 March 2023. The World Day of Prayer for 2023 was written by the women of Taiwan, with the theme, “I have heard about your faith”. The stories of women from Taiwan resonate with the reality of the struggle for women everywhere. What do we do to make things better for women to be at ease to raise their families at home, and at the same time, to give them the opportunity to contribute to society? I was touched by one of the Taiwanese women who requested the hope to have a church in her local region to pray in. Is this too much to ask? Obviously, no! However, many churches traditions are finding it difficult to find parishioners and to develop resources to provide services for growing needs. Jesus reminded us, ‘Pray to the Lord of Harvest to send labourers into the field, the harvest is truly great, and the labourers are few’.

Planning for 2024 is already underway. Next year, the World Day of Prayer will be focusing on women of Palestine, on the theme “Bear with one another in love”.  We wait eagerly for next year’s service which will be held on Friday 1 March 2024.