 iStock Image #481419491, by MarinMtk, Used by permission By Katie Reimer, Executive Director, World Day of Prayer International The most profound prayers ever uttered were spoken in community. This realization struck me recently as I explored the prayers of Jesus during Holy Week. While we often picture Jesus slipping away alone to pray on mountainsides and in deserted places, his most vulnerable and transformative prayers happened with others present. And this wasn't accidental—it was intentional. In the garden of Gethsemane, facing his darkest hour, Jesus asked his closest friends to stay near him. "Stay here and keep watch with me," he urged Peter, James, and John. Though he stepped a short distance away to pray, Jesus wanted them close. He desired their presence, their solidarity, their shared vigilance as he wrestled in prayer. Though his disciples ultimately drifted to sleep, perhaps overwhelmed by the intensity of the day and the lateness of the hour, Jesus' desire for their companionship remains significant. Even Jesus—who had a profound relationship with God—sought the presence of others during his moment of greatest anguish. He understood intuitively what we often forget: we weren't created to face our darkest hours in isolation. The gospels preserve more of Jesus' prayers during Holy Week than at any other time in his ministry. While we're told frequently that Jesus withdrew to pray throughout his life, the actual words of these earlier prayers weren't preserved in the gospel accounts. Yet in the last 24 hours of his life, we're given a window into his intimate conversations with God. This is no coincidence. These prayers reveal Jesus at his most raw and vulnerable, and they happened not in complete solitude but in spaces where others could witness them. In Gethsemane, Jesus prayed with striking honesty and remarkable faithfulness. “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want." Jesus repeated this prayer three times, perhaps to make sure that the Way of Life was really a journey to the cross. There's something profoundly moving about this scene - Jesus pouring out his anguish to God while his friends slept nearby, their presence both a comfort and a disappointment. Even in his moment of greatest struggle, Jesus chose community, imperfect though it was, over complete solitude. At the cross, this dynamic takes on even greater significance. Jesus' seven last statements blur the lines between praying to God and speaking to the community bearing witness to his suffering. Some words were clearly directed to God—like "Father, forgive them" and "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Others were spoken to individuals—his words to his mother and to the thief beside him. But statements like "I thirst" and "It is finished" exist in an ambiguous space, perhaps simultaneously addressed to God and to those gathered around him. This interweaving of prayer and communication reveals something essential about the relationship between our conversations with God and our connections with community. There is something profoundly sacred about praying in the presence of others who bear witness to our pain, our struggle, our surrender. When we pray alone, we can hide parts of ourselves even from God. But when others are present, it creates a different kind of space. A space where pretense falls away. A space where we can be honest about both our anguish and our hope. Perhaps this is one of the deepest lessons from Jesus' cross: community makes it possible for us to keep praying and maintain our humanity even in the face of torture that is trying to silence us. Those who gathered at the foot of the cross—whether they realized it or not—helped create the space where Jesus could continue to commune with God and preserve his humanity in the midst of dehumanizing violence. This has powerful implications for our World Day of Prayer movement. When we gather across cultures, denominations, and experiences to pray together, we create sacred spaces where authentic voices can be heard. Just as the community at the cross helped Jesus maintain his humanity in the face of dehumanizing violence, our worldwide prayer community bears witness to women's stories of both suffering and hope. For the most recent 2025 World Day of Prayer, it was our worldwide community that bore witness to the stories of Mii, Vainiu and Dr. Dawn from the Cook Islands. As they shared their experiences of fear during the COVID-19 pandemic, the anguish of having their Maori language suppressed, and the inspiring story of the first female doctor in the Cook Islands, our collective presence created the space for them to speak both their pain and their hope and their power. Their prayers, like Jesus' on the cross, were both directed to God and shared with a community that helped amplify their voices. In March 2024, we heard the stories of three generations of Palestinian Christian women—Eleonor, Lina, and Sara. Our global prayer community stood with them amidst an unfolding genocide, bearing witness to their pain while affirming their humanity and dignity. In praying together, we created what Jesus sought on the cross: a community that refuses to look away from suffering but instead holds space for authentic communion with God. Looking ahead to the 2026 World Day of Prayer, we will be hearing stories of Nigerian Christian women—Beatrice, Jato, and Blessing. Our presence with them, even from afar, will create the conditions for honest prayer—prayers that speak the truth about violence and injustice while also affirming hope and resilience. Just as Jesus' prayers on the cross blurred the lines between divine communion and human connection, our World Day of Prayer movement embodies this same powerful dynamic. We pray to God while bearing witness to one another. We create space for women to maintain their humanity and dignity even when systems of oppression try to silence them. This is the sacred power of praying in community—a gift Jesus both sought and modeled during one of the most pivotal weeks of human history. When women worldwide gather in prayer, we follow in this tradition, creating spaces where authentic vulnerability becomes possible. And in doing so, we participate in something revolutionary: creating communities of prayer that help us all maintain our humanity in a world that too often seeks to diminish it.
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The World Day of Prayer International committee recently launched a virtual choir program with volunteers from the worldwide WDP network. They began working on the four songs from the WDP 2024 program written by the women of Palestine and each song is now available on our YouTube channel! You can also view them here: “I Beg You… Bear With One Another in Love” Ephesians 4:1-7  Dear Sisters in Christ, I bring you warm greetings from Ghana and WDPIC. As we prepare to mark the 2024 World Day of Prayer, may we find it in our hearts to forgive and pray with one other, as we are all one in Christ. Let’s take a moment to reflect on this year’s celebration. Many of you are familiar with a book by Alexandre Dumas, titled The Three Musketeers. The heroes of this story have as their motto “All for one and one for all.” This means that each member of the group will fight for the others. They vow to stand together in a common struggle. This resonates with what we are doing as a WDP movement. Every year, we lift up the voices of women from a selected country. We pray with and for them. We care about their concerns. And we offer to share our resources. Each time we do this, we build up a strong ecumenical global sisterhood. We stand together amidst all of our struggles and difficulties. This year’s liturgy came from Christian women in Palestine. Together, our movement will lift up their stories, songs and prayers on Friday, March 1, 2024. Their theme, “I beg you … bear with one another in love,” was chosen in 2017, but it is appropriate and relevant today amidst the devastating war in Gaza and Israel. God has surely guided us for such a time as this. We respond as Christian women by going down on our knees and praying for peace, unity, love and justice. In the passage from Ephesians 4:1-7, there are two clear areas that form the basis of our unity as Christians. First, we share a common ground as Christians, created in the image of God. And second, we receive a common grace from God, who does not discriminate. We bear with one another in love because of this common ground and common grace. It is from this place that we find our unity. In this time of war and violence, we must stand united in protecting God’s creation. We must pray for a just peace. And we must work for a just peace. A line from Naseeru binur elkalima (one of the songs from Palestine) says: “Our world is full of sorrow, struggle, loss and pain, tempting us all into despair.” Despite the sorrows, struggles, loss and pain that we face, we are still called to bear with each other in love along this journey of life. May it be so. - Joyce Larko Steiner (PhD)
Chairperson, WDPIC The World Day of Prayer (WDP) believes that "Prayer is rooted in listening to God and to each other" (Guiding Principle #2). The listening that we seek is an active and demanding listening. It requires a stillness that can allow another to speak, as we hear and feel with another’s pains and joys. Our listening is both personal and in community. Our conviction is that WDP opens a window to the voices of women in a different part of the world each year—sometimes near, sometimes far away. Always, we join our prayer with theirs. We are committed to honoring the prayers offered by women who develop our liturgy each year for a common day of prayer on the first Friday of March. The women who write are selected at an International Meeting held every 5 years, which includes voting delegates from every country in our movement. At the 2017 International Meeting in Brazil, WDP Palestine was selected to write the 2024 program, followed by WDP Cook Islands in 2025 and WDP Nigeria in 2026. The liturgy is developed through a rigorous writing process that starts 4 years before the day when the world will gather to pray that liturgy. This liturgy is developed with our Executive Committee, a group of women elected to represent each region of our movement. On March 1, 2024, our global ecumenical movement will pray a liturgy developed by our sisters from WDP Palestine. World Day of Prayer has a strong and vibrant history in the Middle East, especially in Palestine. Women from various denominations in Palestine have faithfully prayed together every year for decades. Several women from WDP Palestine have been elected by the Middle East region to serve as Regional Representatives for our WDPIC Executive Committee. We are grateful for the dedication of our Palestinian sisters over the years to strengthen connections between Christians around the world. Our WDPIC office has been approached in the past year, particularly since the Israel Gaza war has brought devastation to the region following the violent attack on October 7, 2023. We have been asked if there will be any changes made to the liturgy in light of the current situation. Our response has been consistent with our practices as a movement for many years. We believe that the liturgy offered each year is a profound gift, and one that we receive in its fullness. We stand with the liturgy offered by our sisters from WDP Palestine, and we encourage all local celebrations around the world to honor those voices as they are offered. Our sisters from WDP Palestine are currently working on an additional prayer that can be added to the original liturgy, in light of the recent violence they are experiencing. We hope to have that available by February 15, 2024. - WDPIC Executive Committee
 Christ in the Rubble, Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, Photograph by Rev. Munther Isaac “For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 NRSV) Every year, the celebration of Christ’s birth is a significant moment for Christians all over the world. As I reflected on the meaning of Christmas this year, I could not help but think of how the land of Jesus’ birth is in turmoil. This is even more poignant for us in the World Day of Prayer movement because our sisters from WDP Palestine wrote our liturgy for the upcoming celebration on March 1, 2024. It has been difficult for me to send out a Christmas message when there is so much conflict and strife. As I reflected on Jesus being born in a manger because there was no room at the inn, I could not help but think of the nativity scene put on the altar space this year at the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem. In this nativity, Jesus is born in the rubble, calling to mind the many children who have been killed in Gaza over the last few months. This scene reminds us that the Prince of Peace comes to us in humble and struggling places. I am also struck by the angelic appearance before the shepherds, one of the most compelling elements of the birth story. The angels appeared to these humble shepherds with a glorious spectacle, announcing the birth of the Messiah. The angels told them not to be afraid, but to go and find the infant wrapped in a humble cloth, lying in a humble manger. Those shepherds went immediately, and after seeing the Christ child, they shared the good news of what they had seen and experienced. This tells me that whoever we are, however humble or insignificant we feel, we are called to go and see God coming into the struggling places in the world. Like the shepherds, we, too are called to share all we have seen and experienced. The three wise men in the story also hold a lesson for us today. They recognized Jesus as the Son of God, but they also understood that he was a human being who could be hurt. With their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, the wise men treated the child with reverence, while also giving valuable gifts that could provide care and material support. We are also called to treat each other with reverence, especially those who are most vulnerable. And, we are called to provide gifts that can nurture and protect each other. The Prince of Peace is born for us, among us, and within us. Love is born, even in the humblest of places. And we are called to witness those moments of birth, and to bring gifts with great reverence as we recognize God being born again and again. In closing, I want to share a song that we sing at my church every year on New Year’s Eve - Let there be love shared among us, let there be love in our hearts, and may this love never leave us on this earth. In our World Day of Prayer movement, we are committed to sharing love among us as we pray together across great distances. May this season bring peace to the world, and love to every heart. May all who are suffering, especially our Palestinian and Israeli sisters, experience love being born even amidst the rubble. - Joyce Larko Steiner, WDPIC Chairperson
The World Day of Prayer International Committee (WDPIC) urgently calls for an immediate ceasefire in Israel and Palestine, protection of civilians, and release of hostages. We also speak against the demand that 1.1 million people leave northern Gaza, when there is nowhere to go, and no access to humanitarian aid. We are deeply shaken by the violence and bloodshed of the past week, whose victims are mainly civilians. Attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international humanitarian law, and are an affront to basic human rights. We mourn with all who have lost loved ones, and our hearts are with all who continue to be threatened by violence and hatred. We condemn the vicious attacks on civilians in Israel. We cry out against the taking of civilian hostages. We condemn the relentless and indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, and the blocking of food, water and humanitarian aid. We raise our voice against the use of collective punishment against a civilian population. The current escalation of violence is also horrifying. We hear statements filled with the language of hatred and vengeance. We also hear voices calling for peace and justice. We amplify the calls for an immediate cessation of violence, and despite the devastating realities, we still believe that another way is possible. As a Christian women’s prayer movement, we join with our siblings of all faiths, especially Jews and Muslims. We caution against the use of gender-based violence, all too common in times of war. We call for the protection of all children, noting that half of the 2.2 million inhabitants of Gaza are under the age of 18. We long for the dawn of a new day for the peoples of Israel and Palestine. We believe that God is always at work, and always moving us towards love, justice and peace. We pray with all of our siblings in Israel and Palestine for a just and lasting peace. We hope that our worldwide community, divided as it is, will recognize that we are all connected, and that we must all take responsibility for the circumstances in the Holy Land. We must never give up on a commitment to peace, justice, and dignity for all the people living in the land. On March 1, 2024 the worldwide ecumenical community of women who celebrate the annual World Day of Prayer will engage a worship service written by our sisters from WDP Palestine, under the theme “I Beg You… Bear With One Another in Love,” based on Ephesians 4:1-3. This program calls us to bear with each other in love during troubled times. As often happens in the World Day of Prayer, a theme and writer committee that is chosen years ahead of time becomes timely and profoundly challenging in the year that it is celebrated. The World Day of Prayer is not just one day, and especially in this time of extreme violence, we call for prayer now, and in the days to come. Sitting with the discomfort of this moment is essential as we listen to the cries of the world and the call of God. God of Peace and Justice, We cry out to you with broken hearts and deep anguish for what is unfolding in Israel and Palestine. It is difficult to find the words to express the weight of this moment. We rest on your Spirit, who intercedes with sighs too deep for words. We ask that you heal every wound, and you give us wisdom for how to stop this cycle of violence. We pray especially for women and children, who are particularly vulnerable in times of war. Move our world quickly towards peace and justice. Amen. 
Honored by Chaplain's Council of Montclair Alumnae Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.  Paquita H. Roberts was a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a sister, an aunt, a friend, but most of all a Child of God. March 2, 1938 was a cold winter night when Clifton and Corine Rhue Hudson welcomed their first beautiful, vibrant, and healthy baby girl into their family. She was named Paquita Geraldine. Paquita gave her life to Christ as a young teenager and never looked back. She was a woman of God who shone her light everywhere she went. She lived her life believing that we are all charged with spreading the Gospel to others. Her faith never wavered, it only became stronger as an adult with her untiring service and commitment to her church, her family, her friends and her community. A Prayer Warrior. A woman who prayed for all without ceasing. Matthew 5:16 reads, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Some people you just love the moment you meet them and Paquita was that person, the epitome of a true, Christian godly woman, a beacon of light! This anointed servant leader of God was the Chaplain and Chairperson for the Chaplain’s Council of Montclair Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. As a Chaplain, Paquita ensured that the chapter’s members and community were provided with prayer, inspirational support, and assistance with strenuous life occurrences. She initiated Montclair Alumnae Chapter, celebrating the World Day of Prayer Annually, with Christian women around the globe as a chapter initiative. Paquita believed that your light shines by loving people and sharing and spreading the light and love of God to others. She would explain to her three children, that no one lights a lamp just to hide it under a basket but a lamp is meant to be placed to give light to everything and to everyone around it. Paquita passed away on July 9, 2022 and her light became brighter in the legacy she left behind. If Paquita H. Roberts was here on earth, she would say, “You are the light of the world; so go ahead and don’t be afraid to SHINE!” We are excited to announce the very first Young Women's Pilgrimage for our World Day of Prayer movement! This journey is open to women ages 21-35 who are engaged with, and passionate about World Day of Prayer. We will be accepting applications for a limited number of participants. The pilgrimage will include 14 participants from around the world, representing each of our 7 regions. The journey will be co-led by the WDP Palestine Committee and our WDPIC Executive Director, Katie Reimer. To apply, email us for the application form at [email protected]. The first round of applications will be reviewed after the deadline of Monday, May 15, 2023. With excitement and gratitude, Katie Reimer Executive Director, WDPIC 
O Holy Night has been my favorite Christmas carol for as long as I can remember. And yet, it was only this year that I noticed the line “the soul felt its worth.” What a powerful thought! The soul feels its worth when gazing upon the baby Jesus. The soul feels its worth when realizing that God chose to become vulnerable and small so that we could come close to God. The soul feels its worth when recognizing that God will do anything to help us see how profoundly loved we are. I think it is significant that God chose to come through Mary, who describes herself as lowly. Low in status and importance. In Mary’s famous song and prayer, the Magnificat, she exclaims: “My soul proclaims your greatness, O God, Mary felt her worth when being asked to bring God into the world in the form of Jesus. And even more than that, Mary recognized that God choosing a woman from the social margins had significance for all of us. Every single one of us is worthy in the eyes of God. We are not worthy in the eyes of God because of our social status, wealth or power. We are not worthy because of our talents or our wisdom or our achievements. We are worthy simply because we are God’s beloved creation. We are worthy simply because God loves us. After choosing to come into the world through the “lowly” Mary, God invites the “lowly” shepherds to be the first eyewitnesses of the newborn baby. It’s a striking choice. It wasn’t the religious leaders or the political leaders who received the first invitation. It was the shepherds. The shepherds - who stood on the bottom rung of the social ladder of the time. The shepherds - who were considered second-class citizens - detestable and worthless and untrustworthy. “When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see this event that God has made known to us.” They hurried and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Once they saw this, they reported what they had been told concerning the child. All who heard about it were astonished at the report given by the shepherds.” Luke 2:15-18 (The Inclusive Bible) The shepherds felt their worth at being honored with the first invitation to behold the Christ child. They hurried to gaze upon the baby lying in the manger. That gazing upon Jesus was a form of prayer. And that gazing upon Jesus changed them forever. Emmanuel! God is with us! After being profoundly moved by gazing upon the God who came close, the shepherds went and spread the good news to everyone they knew. And all were astonished. Perhaps astonished because God had come in the form of a baby. Or perhaps astonished because they were hearing the news from the “lowly” shepherds. My prayer for each of us this Christmas is that our gazing upon the nativity scene would be a prayer that changes us forever. That as we gaze, we would see that God longs for us to feel our worth. That as we gaze, we would recognize we are deeply loved by God. And that as we gaze, our souls would feel their worth. By Katie Reimer, Executive Director, WDPIC
The prophecy was fulfilled when the Messiah was born in the little town of Bethlehem. The angels announced it to the shepherds and a bright shining star led the three wise men to visit and give their gifts. Today we join in celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, but a critical question remains for us to answer: What does the birth of Christ mean to us as Christians in these trying times? I dare say that the birth of Christ gives us hope that God has come and will solve the problems that are impossible for us. The birth of Christ assures us that God will give us liberation from all forms of oppression - mental, physical, emotional or psychological. All we need to do is to surrender to God’s wise counsel. As we open our hearts to receive Christ, we can sing with the angels in Luke 2:14: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. I wish you all a joyous Christmas and a very prosperous 2023. Join me in singing one of my favorite carols, as we come together to adore Jesus the Christ: O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem O come and behold Him, born the King of Angels O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him O come, let us adore Him Christ the Lord By Joyce Larko Steiner, WDPIC Chairperson
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