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HOW THE WORLD
DAY OF PRAYER BEGAN
123 rd year: 1887-2010
The burden for a day of prayer
came in 1887 from Mrs Darwin R James, then president of the Women's
Board of Home Missions of the Presbyterian Church (in the USA).
She sent out a call for a national day of prayers, asking particularly
for a "prayer chain". In 1890 two Baptist women visiting
the Far East saw a great need for the salvation of women in that
part of the world. Upon their return to the United States, they
established a day of united day of prayer for foreign missions.
By 1919 these two national days of prayer were combined into one
and and it focused on missionary work. A committee composed of
representatives from inter-denominational home and foreign missions
planned and promoted the day, and it became known as "World
Day of Prayer for Missions". By 1927 the name of the day
became simply "World Day of Prayer".
This annual WDP, fixed on the first Friday of March, was observed
originally for the purpose of calling on the Lord of the harvest
to send recruits and messengers to evangelize the world and reap
His harvest in obedience to Christ's Great Commission. With the
coming into being of the Ecumenical Movement, however, the WDP
has in recent years often been used by the World Council of Churches
to promote its nefarious one-world church movement without regard
for spiritual unity base don the purity of the faith.
The International Council of Christian Churches has observed the
WDP, from 1969. Each year a Theme is selected from the Bible.
In keeping with the original purpose of the WDP, we will be praying
for Christian missions. We will also pray for our Government and
people; and for preservation of the historic Christian faith,
relief of human sufferings and showing of social concerns which
go hand in hand together in the promotion of a truly Biblical
missions programme. May God revive our hearts for His work and
use us mightily in the remaining years before Christ returns!
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The World Day of Prayer
(WDP) has been organised by the Singapore Council of Christian
Churches (SCCC). Zion BPC, under the ministry of Rev Quek Kiok
Chiang has been the main person behind the WDP in Singapore. If
you can make it for this event, set aside the first Friday of
March every year to attend this gathering.
From this year (2010-11), Rev Philip Heng has been elected as
the President of the SCCC and I have been elected as the Vice-President
. They are responsible for organising the events such as the Reformation,
Easter Sunrise Service, etc. As such, I have to be involved with
them. Pray for us.
Pastor
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