麻豆传媒AV

The annual World Day of Prayer was held at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, North Battleford March 7. The service was attended by members of 13 different churches.

The World Day of Prayer is a global ecumenical movement celebrated in more than 170 countries. This year the service was prepared by the Women of Egypt who invited the world to join with them, praying under the theme "Streams in the Desert."

The symbols of the service were the Ankh or Key of Life and the White Lotus flower. The worship included scripture passages, hymns and Egyptian music.

Nine readers represented their respective churches and four women in costume presented the story of the Women at the Well from the Gospel of John, Chapter Four.

Elaine Lane shared a reflection on the story, revealing that all people are valuable to God and that Jesus desires that we demonstrate love and respect to everyone. The story illustrates a breakdown of cultural barriers, religious differences and prejudices; the "Living Water" is offered to all.

Special guest, Dr. Mary Rofail, an Egyptian-Canadian and member of the Coptic Christian Church, spoke of Egypt as a land in transition. The population is approximately 85 million, nine to 10 million of whom are Christian. Coptic Christianity in Egypt dates back more than 2,000 years to the visit of the Holy Family. Three liturgies are celebrated weekly on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. There are 210 "fast" days when no animal products are consumed. Traditionally men sit on one side of the church and women on the other, however today families do sit together on occasion. It is noteworthy that many Egyptian farmers still use the ancient Coptic Calendar. In her closing remarks Dr. Rofail challenged the congregation as Christians to work together to encourage young people to attend church.

In Canada, the World Day of Prayer is sponsored by the Women's Inter-Church Council. The offering is forwarded to the WICC to support project grants that benefit people in need in Canada and around the world.

At the close of the service, everyone was invited to share refreshments and fellowship in St. Andrew's Church Hall where a variety of Egyptian fare was on offer.