Women's World Day of Prayer Service
11am on Friday 1st March 2013
at
St.Anne & All Saints Church
I would like to talk to you
about this year’s Women’s World Day of Prayer Service and lunch which will be
on Friday 1st March. Ladies,
you should have been given one of these yellow bookmarks as you came in which
tells you about it.
This is a very special service
which is written by a group of ladies from a different country each year and
that country then becomes the focus of the world's prayers on the day itself. This year the service has been prepared by a
group of ladies in France whose theme is “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” which, as you all know of
course, is from Matthew chapter 25, verse 35!
The first service of the day
will take place on the Island of Samoa and the last service will be on American Samoa. From the
time that dawn breaks over the Island
of Samoa until the last
services of this special day, the world is circled in prayer for 36 hours.
This year St.Anne & All
Saints has been invited to host the Women’s World Day of Prayer in our area. Ladies from not only our Team churches but
also Christian churches from various denominations across central and east Coventry will be coming
to celebrate with us.
It is a great privilege for
us to be asked and, bearing in mind the theme ‘I was a stranger and you
welcomed me’, I would like to think that we could extend a very warm St.Anne
& All Saints welcome to our sisters in Christ.
The service starts at 11am on
Friday 1st March and it would be lovely if as many of you as
possible could come along and bring your friends and family with you. Men are not excluded – in fact you are very
welcome – but you will need to bear in mind that this is a girly thing!
Obviously, there will be some
organising to do, so we would appreciate some help on the day, particularly
with preparing, serving and clearing away after the light lunch which will be
offered after the service up here in the worship area.
There will be a sheet at the
back of church for the next few weeks on which you are asked to write your name
if you think you will be able to come along, and also tick if you are prepared
to be a part of the organising Team or alternatively, you can email me at sandra.a.blackwell@gmail.com.
In context Matthew writes in
Chapter 25:
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his
glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be
gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And
he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world. For I
was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick
and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord,
when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome
you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And
when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And
the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the
least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
Father, we
pray that your spirit will guide and support us in our preparations for the
Women’s World Day of Prayer and that you will show us how we can serve and
welcome all who come to join us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Sandra Blackwell
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