The annual World Day of Prayer(WDP) worship service has been prepared for 1 March 2024 by Christian women of Palestine based on the call from Ephesians 4:2: "I beg you, bear with one another in love."

The WDP service is available to download in full, and shares the stories of three Palestinian Christian women of different generations and churches, who each witness ‘bearing together in love’. Amongst the three women is renowned Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian Christian 25-year veteran reporter who was shot and killed by Israeli Defence Forces in 2022 while working in Jenin.

The World Day of Prayer service centres on the symbol of an olive tree, while its background reading, Bible study materials and prayers help worshippers understand the challenge of building peace in the context of the land loss, bombardment, demolition of homes and displacement suffered by the Palestinian people.

Several songs in Arabic with English translations are provided with musical scores, and the Lord’s Prayer is provided with Aramaic words set to a traditional Syriac melody.

An important part of the World Day of Prayer services are their offerings for Christian ministry and mission, which this year will go to support:

– Christian World Service’s partner the Middle East Council of Churches’ Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR) for women’s cooperatives in the West Bank.
– The NZ Bible Society’s partner the Palestinian Bible Society ‘Child of Bethlehem’ Project, and
– The Interchurch Council for Hospital Chaplaincy in New Zealand.

This week Raewyn Dawson from the NZ Anglican Association of Women encouraged Anglicans to join with ecumenical partners in prayer for this year’s moving WDP service in each locality around Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia.

"I challenge you to hold the olive branch, read their history, listen to the music, and not want to weep."

"An utterly worthwhile use of our time, and a true chance to send some of our money safely where it will be used by women in great need."

World Day of Prayer service planners can find additional information about the 2024 background materials on the Aotearoa New Zealand World Day of Prayer website Resources page.