Women’s World Day of Prayer

How much did you know about Chile before the news of the plight of 33 Chilean copper miners who were trapped by a rock fall deep underground on 5th August last year? The media coverage was extensive and watched by huge numbers of people culminating in almost 24 hour a day broadcasts during the final dramatic rescue of all the miners on 13th October.

Chile was far more modern, technologically and politically than I had previously thought.

Women of Chile have written the service that will be shared throughout the world on 4th March 2011, when Christian women of all denominations will come together to observe that common day of prayer. The services that day will begin as dawn breaks over the islands of Tonga in the Pacific progressing around the world until, about 36 hours later, the last services will be held in the evening on the islands of Samoa.

The women of Chile have written this year’s service with the theme ‘How Many Loaves Have You?’ and opens with this paragraph: ‘According to Chilean folklore, when God created the universe he found, left over at the end, a little of each element he had used: fire and cold, sun and snow, lakes, seas and rivers, burning deserts, massive mountain ranges, majestic volcanoes, leafy trees, a variety of metals, animals, fruits, birds and fish. All these were created for the happiness of humankind. Taking all this in hand he decided to leave it in the furthest corner of the world and that is what he did. So Chile was born, and so Chile remains: a long narrow strip of land running between the mountains and the sea.’

On 4th March at 10.30 am women of Bramber, Beeding and Steyning will meet together at the church of St Andrew and St Cuthman in Steyning where they will take part in the Women’s World Day of Prayer.

Please make a note in your diary and join us for the service and afterwards to drink a cup of coffee or tea and break bread (or more probably cakes) together.

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