Promoting Christian Unity

World Day of Prayer is March 3, 2000

by Msgr. Arthur S. Thomas

World Day of Prayer: "Talitha Kumi: Young Woman, Stand Up!"

Written by Christian women of Indonesia, this worship service is a strong call to action and mentoring relationships between older and younger women. The title was chosen from the words of Jesus to Jairus’s daughter. They are words of hope to empower us all to broaden intergenerational bonds, to call women to stand up, be fed, and move from death to life in Christ. God calls us to stand up!

Each country seeks to honor the writing country’s unique prayers, songs, and stories as sacred, in order that Celebration participants can enter as authentically as possible into the writing country’s concerns, joys, and pain. Women participate in a special covenant of sharing and praying with, and for, one another. These services of "informed prayer and prayerful action" are held on the first Friday in March - over one hundred thousand around the world! The year 2000 marks the 113th year of this tradition of global solidarity of women gathering to pray and work for peace and justice worldwide.

Church Women United is the official U.S. committee for World Day of Prayer and has been WDP coordinator in this country since 1941, when CWU officially organized to bring women of all Christian denominations together. In addition to the publication of the World Day of Prayer materials, the Celebrations Committee works with each annual theme and creates complimentary services for May Fellowship Day (MFD) and World Community Day (WCD), which are held the first Friday in May and November, respectively.