WCC NEWS: Let us pray together in the time of COVID-19

We pray in lament. We pray for our communities. We pray for our leaders. For protection. For healing. The World Council of Churches (WCC) will convene a global online prayer service on 26 March at 2 pm (CET) as part of “A Week of Prayer in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Photo: Marcelo Schneider/WCC; Mike DuBose/UM News 19 March 2021 The World Council of Churches (WCC) will convene a global online prayer service on 26 March at 2 pm (CET) as part of “A Week of Prayer in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, answering the request of its member churches and regional partners, the WCC is convening this time of prayer and reflection, of meeting and commemorating. “We will come believing that God hears and answers prayers,” said WCC acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca. “We will come with thanksgiving, keeping hope alive.” The global prayer, drawing on voices from diverse regions and communities, will touch upon the six facets of the week of prayer: lament, hurting and suffering communities, leaders, healing, protection, and hope. “We will bring a sense of lament—yet we express and experience hope,” said Sauca. “During what has been a year of unprecedented suffering, there also has been an extraordinary drawing together of churches in new ways to adapt, respond and accompany communities through mental, physical, economical, spiritual, and environmental crises.” Throughout the week, WCC member churches and ecumenical partners are sharing prayers and spiritual resources produced in response to the pandemic. A Week of Prayer in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic Follow the live prayer Publication: Voices of Lament, Hope, and Courage   See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 350 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 550 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC acting general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, from the Orthodox Church in Romania. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches 150 route de Ferney Geneve 2 1211 Switzerland