World Day of Prayer
The World Day of Prayer ( WGT, also known as: World Day of Prayer ) is the largest ecumenical grassroots movement of women. Their motto is: " Informed praying - praying act ". The World Day of Prayer is celebrated in over 170 countries in ecumenical services. Locally women of different denominations prepare together the design and implementation of services. Every year women write from another country in the world, the order of worship for the World Day of Prayer. The World Day of Prayer will be held on the first Friday in March. The Last Day of Prayer entitled " rivers in the desert ", prepared by women from Egypt, was celebrated on 7 March 2014. The next World Day of Prayer will be held on March 6, 2015 under the title " Jezus says to her: Do you understand what I have done to you " instead. It is prepared by women from Bahamas.
Ecumenical Worship Service for World Day of Prayer
Ecumenical Worship Service for World Day of Prayer will be prepared on-site by women of different denominations. To his celebration all men, women and children are invited. The World Day of Prayer takes place worldwide on the first Friday in March. The order of worship is previously created by women of a certain country and translated by those responsible at national level of the other countries in the local language. The women bring in the texts and prayers of the liturgy their own hopes and fears, the joys and sorrows, the wants and needs as well as their own cultural diversity with a.
The International World Day of Prayer Committee declared a World Day of Prayer: " The World Day of Prayer is a worldwide movement of Christian women of many traditions who come together every year to celebrate a common prayer day and in many countries have continued a community of prayer and service. "
The exchange and visible communion of all Christian women in the world were the common theme of the World Day of Prayer from the beginning. That is why the prayers and texts are proposed this day in alternate years by women from another country and written. The women involved reflect this contradicts the basis of their country and represent the different Christian denominations, from which they come. Every four to five years will be held International World Day of Prayer conferences. There are representatives from all regions together. It is decided which countries on what subjects to prepare the next services. The last International World Day of Prayer Conference was held in New York / USA in June 2012. She had over 220 Teilnehmerinnenaus 104 countries. At the World Day of Prayer worship services is collected as a sign of global solidarity collection for the use of the collection of each National Committee is responsible. The largest part of the collection fees that come together in ecumenical services on the first Friday in March in Germany, is used for women's projects around the world.
Since 1944 is the day Thou gavest song, Lord, is ended ( German " The day is done, the night returns ," EC 490), the final song of the World Day of Prayer services.
History of the World Day of Prayer
As early as 1887, there were days of prayer, which were launched by the woman mission agencies in the U.S. and Canada. In 1897, the first inter-denominational " day of humiliation and prayer" was committed jointly by the dedicated in the U.S. Inland Mission women. It involved women from six denominations. The order of service was alternately created by the various denominations. In subsequent years, the date of the Day of Prayer changed frequently. From 1907 women he was simply the Day of Prayer for Home Missions, the " Day of Prayer for the Inner Mission ." Of the U.S. Outer Mission call in 1912, an inter-denominational prayer to life. In the " Interdenominational Conference" in Philadelphia women's works were recommended to always commit this common day of prayer for the exterior of mission at the same time (in the first week of January ). The response to this prayer day was subdued at that time yet. In January 1926, the Executive Committee of the Association of Women works for Outer Mission encouraged to call a World Day of Prayer in life. Thus the first World Day was celebrated on March 4, 1927. The first WGT Committee was established and also a fixed date: the first Friday in Lent.
In Germany the first time introduced in 1927 by the Methodists World Day of Prayer. In 1947, in Berlin, a first ecumenical World Day of Prayer with U.S. women at the initiative of the Methodist Louise Scholz instead. 1948 learned Antonie Nopitsch, founder of the Bavarian mothers service in Stein near Nuremberg, know the World Day of Prayer at the Frauenvorkonferenz the Ecumenical Council and a trip to the USA. A year later, the liturgy was printed for the World Day of Prayer in stone. 10,000 copies were sent to Germany. The spectrum of denominations that participated in the World Day of Prayer, grew steadily. 1970, joined the Roman Catholic women's associations.
In 1956 it was the prayer of the Siouxindianerinnen that was prayed for Day of Prayer in 134 countries. In 2011 came the order of worship for the World Day of Prayer for women from Chile. In 2012, Women in Malaysia have the order of service on the subject of "Stand up for justice " written. 2013 was the World Day of Prayer for women from France.
Organization in Germany
As a German representative of the International Day of Prayer movement is the non-profit World Day of Prayer - German Committee for working in stone 90547. The committee consists of twelve church women's groups and organizations who come from nine different denominations. These are:
- Center for Pastoral woman in the German dioceses
- Association of Mennonite communities in Germany (AMG)
- Federation Old - Catholic women in Germany
- Federation of Evangelical Free Churches in Germany
- Federation of community speaker / inside and religion teachers / inside iK eV in the dioceses of the Federal Republic of Germany
- The Salvation Army
- Evangelical Brethren - Moravians
- Evangelical Women in Germany e V.
- Women of the Evangelical Methodist Church
- Catholic Women's Community Germany
- German Catholic Women's League
- Commission of the Orthodox Church in Germany