wfn.org | [ENS] Week of Prayer for Christian Unity resources available

["Matthew Davies" <mdavies@episcopalchurch.org>]

Episcopal News Service
Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity resources available

[ENS, SOURCE: World Council of Churches] The Week of Prayer for
Christian
Unity, which will be observed by Christian churches worldwide January
18-25,
has adopted as its theme the passage from Matthew 18:20, "Where two or
three
are gathered in my name, I am there among them."

Chosen by an ecumenical group in Ireland, the theme is intended "to draw
attention to Jesus as the source of our unity" and to underline "the
simplicity of two or three coming together in Christian mutual love as a
vital means of building up relations between divided peoples and
communities," according to the World Council of Churches.

Week of Prayer resources are available online and include an
introduction to
the theme; a suggested ecumenical worship service that local churches
are
encouraged to adapt for their own particular liturgical, social and
cultural
contexts; biblical reflections and prayers for the "eight days;" and
additional prayers from, and an overview of, the ecumenical situation in
the
particular country that has prepared the material -- in this case,
Ireland.

The 2006 Week of Prayer materials are available on the World Council of
Churches website at:
http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/faith/wop2006contents.html.

"[We are] mindful that hope for the future, and peace and reconciliation
in
the present necessarily involved dealing with painful memories and
hurtful
grievances of the past," the Irish preparatory group said. It is "in
that
spirit," they added, "that all Christians who use these Week of Prayer
resources are encouraged to come together in prayer and in mutual love
to
seek to understand each other amidst differences."

Jointly prepared since 1968 by the World Council of Churches and the
Roman
Catholic Church, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is traditionally
celebrated from January 18-25, although in the Southern hemisphere,
other
dates are sometimes chosen, for example, around Pentecost.

For additional information contact Juan Michel at +41 22 791 6153 or +41
79
507 6363, email: media@wcc-coe.org.

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