The Women’s World Day of Prayer is an annual event held on the first Friday in March, uniting Christians from all denominations and all countries to pray for one country in particular each year. This year, it was Chile’s turn! Stretching from Peru to Antarctica, Chile is a narrow strip of land 2,640 miles long and 110 miles wide, also owning Easter Island in the Pacific.
Famous for its snow-covered Andes mountain range, the driest desert in the world (the Atacama) and a lovely Pacific coastline, Chile came to the world’s attention last year when 33 miners were trapped, and ultimately rescued, from one of the country’s mines. The whole world rejoiced as the miners were successfully brought to the surface and it was marvellous to hear the testimonies of the men about God’s presence and help in their difficult ordeal.
A number of churches in Goldthorpe celebrated the Women’s World Day of Prayer at the parish church. Local women dressed in native clothes and baked bread to underline the meeting’s theme ‘How Many Loaves Have You?’
We got to taste the bread at the end!
These women are in traditional Chilean dress, with the Chilean flag:
The service included Bible readings from 1 Kings 17 and Mark 6:30-44, information about life in Chile, a variety of songs (including some in Spanish!), prayers for that country and the rest of the world and a sermon which looked at the need for us to be thankful for God’s provision so that we can use what we have in our hands for His service. Children’s activities were also provided. An offering for projects run by Christian charities was taken and refreshments were very kindly served by the parish church afterwards.
Many thanks to all the local ladies who worked so hard at making this a really successful event.