From a WCC release
“We pray in lament. We pray for our communities. We pray for our leaders. For protection. For healing.”
The World Council of Churches (WCC) will convene a global online prayer service on March 26 at 9 a.m. (Eastern time, or 2 p.m. Central European Time) as part of “A Week of Prayer in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The week of prayer begins Monday, March 22, to commemorate a year since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of COVID-19 a pandemic.
One year into the pandemic, answering the request of its member churches and regional partners, the WCC is convening this time of prayer and reflection, of meeting and commemorating.
“We will come believing that God hears and answers prayers,” said WCC acting general secretary Ioan Sauca. “We will come with thanksgiving, keeping hope alive.”
The global prayer service, drawing on voices from diverse regions and communities, will touch upon the six facets of the week of prayer: lament, hurting and suffering communities, leaders, healing, protection, and hope.
“We will bring a sense of lament–yet we express and experience hope,” said Sauca. “During what has been a year of unprecedented suffering, there also has been an extraordinary drawing together of churches in new ways to adapt, respond and accompany communities through mental, physical, economical, spiritual, and environmental crises.”
Throughout the week, WCC member churches and ecumenical partners are sharing prayers and spiritual resources produced in response to the pandemic.
The WCC has published a book for the week, titled Voices of Lament, Hope, and Courage. This book was designed as a resource for use in prayer groups, congregational services, personal prayer, and in the pastoral accompaniment of those directly affected in different ways by the pandemic. The prayers, messages, reflections, statistics, and WCC resources have roots in faith challenged by mourning, fear, and uncertainty in different contexts worldwide. Download the book in various formats at www.oikoumene.org/resources/publications/voices-of-lament-hope-and-courage.
For more about the Week of Prayer in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic see www.oikoumene.org/events/a-week-of-prayer-in-the-time-of-the-covid-19-pandemic.
A link to the livestream prayer service will soon be available at www.oikoumene.org/live.
‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑
Find more Church of the Brethren news: