The World Day of Prayer event in California, Friday, March 6, was hosted by the First Christian Church. The focus was on The Bahamas. The Bahamian World Day of Prayer Committee (WDPC) identified a number of justice issues important to their community through their worship services and wrote the program used by the groups gathered for the occasion. The Bahamas are a chain of islands covering about 100,000 square miles of water in the Atlantic Ocean with a population of less than 354,000. Nearly 250,000 live on the island of New Providence. Only six other islands have more than 3,000 people. The language is English with a special Bahamian dialect known as "Smokey Joe."
The theme for 2015, selected by the Bahamian WDPC was based on the Gospel text of John 13:1-17. In that section, after washing the feet of the disciples gathered, Jesus asks, "Do you understand what I have done for you?" That was the theme selected for this year's event. The focus was on a number of justice issues with special importance to the Bahamian community.
"Radical love" was the theme that weaves together all the components of the worship resources. The Bahamian's told those gathered that Jesus is God's presence of radical love in the world. They were asked to follow Jesus' example of washing his disciple's feet, to continue the gesture of love in The Bahamas and in other communities. This is a means of making informed prayer and prayerful action move around the planet.
A statement of the purpose of the event said, "As we listen to our Bahamian sisters throughout the worship service, we realize that transformation is seen when a teen mother does not feel alone as she finds support to continue her education and to raise her child, when a breast cancer survivor or people living with HIV and AIDS find strength to live out their journey, and when the chains of oppression and enslavement are broken. Also, let's not forget the call for responsible stewardship of God's creation shared by all; whether it is those who step in the pink sand or swim in turquoise water of the archipelago, or those who enjoy whatever natural beauty has been gifted by God to your corner of the world."
The countries and themes in previous years were:
• 2014 - Egypt, "Streams in the Desert"
• 2013 - France, "I was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me"
• 2012 - Malaysia, "Let Justice Prevail"
• 2011 - Chile, "How Many Loaves Have You?"
• 2010 - Cameroon, "Let Everything That Has Breath Praise God"
• 2009 - Papua New Guinea, "In Christ There Are Many Members, Yet One Body"
• 2008 - Guyana, "God's Wisdom Provides New Understanding"
During the event this year, the singing of verses of "To God Be the Glory" were interspersed among different sections of the speaking portion. "Praise Him" was sung before the Prayers for Intercession. The closing hymn was "He Touched Me."
The event is worldwide and involves different denominations of Christian women in over 170 countries. On the first Friday of March, a common day of prayer is observed each year. The ecumenical movement includes women from a wide variety of backgrounds.