THE World Day of Prayer (WDP) is a worldwide movement of Christian women of many traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer each year, and who, in many countries, have a continuing relationship in prayer and service.

Observed in over 170 countries, World Day of Prayer is celebrated on the first Friday in March, and each year a different Coffs Harbour church volunteers to organise and run the event locally.

This year the WDP service is being run by the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Friday March 5 from 10:30am, the church is located at 1 Valley St. Coffs Harbour.

WDP selects a theme and a country to support each year, with a focus on improving the lives of women in that country.

This year’s theme is ‘Build on a Strong Foundation’, and Vanuatu has been chosen as the country that will benefit from the funds raised throughout the world.

The aim is to provide understanding, care, healing and hope to some 60,000 women in the country who have been affected by gender-based violence, and this will be delivered through a Trauma Healing program funded via the WDP.

Church representative Sharonne Briggs told News Of The Area, “All funds that are raised go to providing support to the WDP mission, in this case assisting women in Vanuatu to find self-esteem and assist them to overcome violence and malnutrition in children, the organising church puts on the Day of Prayer as a voluntary activity.”

The artwork for the poster was created by Juliette Pita, an extremely well known and renowned Vanuatu artist, and is entitled “Cyclone Pam II: 13th of March 2015” and depicts the protection that the palm trees gave to some during the devastating cyclone.

 

By David TUNE