The annual World Day of Prayer, an ecumenical movement sponsored by Church Women United (CWU), is March 7th and two services are scheduled in Bladen County to commemorate the occasion.

The first service will be held at 4 p.m. at Clarkton First Baptist Church, located at 10233 North College Street. Another service is set for 5:30 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, located on Main Street in Elizabethtown.

The theme for this year's World Day of Prayer is: "Holy Spirit, Fill Us." It's purpose is to remind Christians throughout the world "that what God has made is good, and what God intends is abundant life for everyone."

The program of worship being used was developed jointly by Lebanon's three Christian families of believers: Catholic, Evangelical, and Orthodox.

It alludes to images found in the Song of Solomon, naming Lebanon and its cedars. The images help Christians "reconnect to the mystery of the action of the Holy Spirit and remember that God's love is inexhaustible and is still active today."

Local CWU leaders encourage all Christians in the area to join the women of Lebanon in prayer and song and to support women's ecumenical ministries toward peace and justice.

An offering to support the ongoing work of CWU (the national committee of the World Day of Prayer in the United States) will be taken. Portions of the offering are designated toward women's projects both internationally and in the United States, as well as to support the ongoing work of the World Day of Prayer International Committee that works with women around the world to prepare worship materials and resources.

To obtain material or more information, contact the national office of Church Women United at 475 Riverside Drive, Suite 1626, New York, NY 10115; 1-800-CWU-5551 or at the website www.churchwomen.org.

The origins of the World Day of Prayer go back more than 140 years, when Christian women of the United States and Canada first began to discuss establishment of missions programs.

As the movement began to form and gain momentum its focus centered on activities relating to the following:

* Concern for women and children, a central issue that led to the development of the women's mission programs.

* The role of prayer in mission work eventually resulted in the establishment of annual days and weeks of prayer by women's groups.

* Women had a vision of Christian unity that began to take shape in earnest in 1897 when women of six denominations formed a joint committee for a united day of prayer for home missions. In 1912 the Woman's Boards of Foreign Missions called for a united day of prayer for foreign missions.

* Study was everyone's responsibility resulted in the formation of interdenominational efforts to produce study material.

* The development of organized cooperative and effective interdenominational structures to promote home mission activities.

* After World War I, women incorporated a vision of world peace into their world mission efforts.

* The World Day of Prayer becomes a reality when it was officially established in 1927.

* In 1968 an International World Day of Prayer Committee was formed, which has since met every four years

Since its official beginning in 1927, the effort has grown into a worldwide endeavor that now includes participation and women's efforts from more than 140 countries worldwide.

The ecumenical Church Women United organization formed in 1941 and encompasses women from Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox and other Christian affiliation. It is composed of more than 1,200 local and state units working for peace and justice in the United States and Puerto Rico.

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