‘On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.’ Revelation 22:2 (TNIV)
The Federation Prayer: Creator God, rooted in your loving care, nurtured through your Son Jesus, challenged by your Holy Spirit, we are in the world to bring peace with justice, reconciliation in love, and hope for all people. May our lives extend as the branches of our Tree of Life, bearing fruit of Unity and Love. We offer praise and thanksgiving through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
This month we celebrate World Federation Day. On October 26th, 1939, the first Constitution of the World Federation of Methodist Women was signed in Pasadena, California USA. We pray for all those women around the world who will gather for their own Federation Day 2018, praising God for guiding us in the ways of hope, justice and peace. We thank God for the study day material on Poverty and Justice SDGs 1 and 16 that many will use, prepared for us this year by the women of Europe: Continental Area.
We give thanks for those who work through the United Nations to bring peace with Justice, opportunity and hope to those who are oppressed. We give thanks for María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés from Ecuador, the first woman president of the UN General Assembly of 193 member States, which was held in New York at the end of September. We pray for success in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and ask God to show us how to play our part.
Rev Jemima Amanor, Area President for West Africa, will represent the WFMUCW at an event organised by World Council of Churches to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Ecumenical Decade of Churches in Solidarity with Women. We pray for those attending this Global Consultation “Walking Together Serving Justice and Peace”1-6 October in Kingston, Jamaica. Those working in gender justice issues and representing women’s organizations, church leaders and young leaders will together evaluate the journey in the churches in the last 20 years, looking at achievements and the many challenges we are still facing.
We are shocked to hear news of the devastating earthquake and tsunami on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. We pray for all those suffering the storms of life; destructive natural disasters of hurricane, typhoon, earthquake and storm as well as devastating experiences of a personal nature; loss, bereavement, divorce, gender violence, injury or illness, physical or psychological. We pray for all those who have lost their homes through conflict and now seek a new life elsewhere. May they experience a welcome and discover hope as they make a new start. We pray for those who are stateless and have nowhere to call home.
We give thanks for four successful and inspiring Area Seminars held in 2018: in Myanmar, Belfast, Fiji and Ghana. We pray for those preparing for Area Seminars in 2019 and for the World Executive meeting in Hong Kong in March.
Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer, for we offer it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen
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