2008 to Mark 100 Years of Prayer for Christian Unity
Churches throughout the world are preparing for next year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which will mark the 100th anniversary of the event.
Posted: Thursday, August 9, 2007, 9:41 (BST)
Churches throughout the world are preparing for next year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which will mark the 100th anniversary of the event.
The first time Christians joined in prayer for Christian unity during a week-long celebration bridging the feasts of St Peter and St Paul, was in 1908 in Graymoor, New York, USA.
In the northern hemisphere, 18 to 25 January still is the traditional date for the week of prayer.
Most churches in the southern hemisphere celebrate it around the feast of Pentecost - another symbolic occasion for Christian unity.
"Pray without ceasing" is the theme for the 2008 week. This appeal from the apostle Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians stresses "that prayer is an integral part of the life of Christians precisely as they seek to manifest the unity which is given them in Christ".
These and other explanations concerning the theological and historical background of the week of prayer and its 2008 theme are given in a brochure jointly published and produced by the World Council of Churches Commission on Faith and Order and the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
It also includes an outline for an ecumenical service and prayers for the eight days of the week.
Input for the annual brochure comes from Christians in a different country or region each year. For 2008, ecumenical partners from the USA have contributed prayers and other worship resources.
The brochure is now available for download in English, French and Spanish. German and Portuguese translations are to follow.
In the UK resources have traditionally been produced by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. The organisation is expected to launch its 2008 resources later this year.
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The comments below are readers' personal opinions and are in no way intended to reflect the editorial opinion of Christian Today.
Added: Monday, October 8, 2007, 13:11 (BST)
Exactly what we need: Christian Unity! In a country with less than 1% Christians, the One Body of Christ is divided into about 140 subdenominations and mission agencies - certainly the hugest of all scandals in such a "global player" like Japan.
Thus, praying for the unity of Christ's Body is the MUST of the 21st century, not only in Japan but worldwide. As Christians, we have to confess that sometimes, we ourselves contributed to planting our own vine instead of remaining branches of Christ the True Vine.
However, in realizing Jesus' prayer for UNITY in John 17 on a daily basis, since 2006, more and more Christians (globally and in Japan, too) pray for this UNITY and therefore for TRANSFORMATION of Christ's Body and participate in the "Global Day of Prayer" movement since 2007 (in Japan). - May the power of the Holy Spirit be released in all organizers' and spiritual leaders' prayparation meetings to realize a "Pentecost 21".
And may Zechariah 4:6 come true: "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts." * May I humbly mention Tom White's bestseller "City-wide Prayer Movements -One Church, Many Congregations", Regal Books - Being united with each one of you by His unifying Spirit, Yours prayerfully,
Rev. Michael Hoehn,
Western Japan Prayer Summit servant leader and former pastor of Christ of All Nations Church/Osaka
Michael Hoehn, Toyonaka/Osaka, Japan
Added: Thursday, August 9, 2007, 10:57 (BST)
Yes prayer is the best weapon of the Church to overcome what is trying to bring the Chuch behind. We all know that disunity is the big problem of the progress of the Church today. Jesus did pray for our unity, why not we his today's disciples should not do the same. I do aggree with such initiatives provided that the organisors do all their best to bring leaders from all the countries for such a big goals. As a bishop of the Pentecostal Evangelical Church in Burkina I did not receive any information if not today when surfing. We will welcome such gathering and even come for it if invited. Let us pray together witout ceasing.
Rev. David ZOPOULA, President of the Evangelical Pentecostal Assemblies of Burkina Faso, west Africa
Rev David Zopoula, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
