General News
15 March, 2026
Churches unite for World Day of Prayer
CHURCH members across the Pyrenees district came together last week to mark the annual World Day of Prayer, an international Christian initiative bringing denominations together in prayer and reflection. The global event, held on the first Friday in March and observed in more than 170 countries, is guided by the motto “Informed Prayer and Prayerful Action”.
It aims to unite people of different races, cultures and Christian traditions in a shared day of prayer while encouraging ongoing understanding and action throughout the year.
In Avoca, Pastor Joan Hall led the local gathering, where participants reflected on the lives of women in Nigeria facing religious persecution, poverty and systemic oppression.
“It’s so important we may pray for people during the year and we pray out of our heart, but we don’t know until we actually see what it’s really like, what they go through,” he said.
Pastor Hall said the event also highlighted the importance of unity between churches. “It was awesome that they came together. I love seeing churches come together,” she said.
“To me, because we’re one body in Christ, so even though, just like your brothers and sisters have different ideas of how to do things, churches do things differently, they still come together, just like brothers and sisters.”
In Beaufort, parishioner Genevieve Johnston led the service and said the day provided an opportunity for churches to unite in faith.
“It’s very important that all churches come together like this. I think people hold back with their religion, they don’t share that much.”
Mrs Johnston said hearing the stories shared during the service also encouraged reflection.
“We realise with those stories how lucky we are to be here,” she said.
“It’s enlightening because we are all busy with our daily things and we don’t get to stop and think about these people and what they are going through.”
