Prayers for Worldwide Links

The Mothers' Union Wave of Prayer 11th - 15th August 2008 for the dioceses of SOUTHWARK, ABA, CALABAR, NIGER DELTA NORTH, UYO, NORTHERN TERRITORY, AND BUTERE.

Prayers are included for our Link Diocese Oxford, for Zimbabwe, and for our members in Burma suffering from the after effects of the cyclone.

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Leader: We meet in the name of God.
All: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Leader: As we meet for this wave of prayer let us say the Mothers' Union prayer.

Loving Lord
We thank you for your love so freely given to us all.
We pray for families around the world.
Bless the work of the Mothers' Union
as we seek to share your love
through the encouragement, strengthening
and support of marriage and family life.
Empowered by your Spirit,
may we be united in prayer and worship,
and in love and service
reach out as your hands across the world.
In Jesus' name. Amen.

Leader: The Wave of prayer is carried out every day throughout the year as an act of thanksgiving and intercession, by and for members of the MU throughout the world. Each diocese in the UK is linked with other dioceses worldwide and a special effort is made to think and pray for each other during this time.

Leader: Heavenly Father, help the Mothers' Union to open the eyes of people and nations everywhere, to the everlasting and infinite love that you have for us all. Strengthen our work throughout the world.

Reading: John 15:12-17

Leader: Let us pray:

Southwark diocese covers the area between the south bank of the Thames, through the suburbs of London, the villages and towns of East Surrey, to the borders of Gatwick airport.

We pray for Ann Wright, Diocesan President and all the members. We pray for both ongoing and new Mothers' Union projects in our diocese. We pray for all our MU officers and members and we give thanks for the continuing growth of new branches in our diocese.

Aba is situated in the south east of Nigeria in the rain forest region with a population of more than one million, scattered over an area of 5,000 square miles.

Our prayers are offered for Diocesan President Mrs. Stella Ezuoke and for Mrs. Jane Nwogu acting MU Worker. We for pray for God's mercy on them to reduce untimely deaths, through HIV/AIDS, and inadequate medication. We give thanks for all projects set up by the Mothers' Union to improve the lives of families.

UYO in Nigeria is known as the Missionary Diocese.

We pray for Mrs. Grace Orama and MU Worker Mrs. Furo Ojekwu and all MU members .We pray for the provision of an evangelism bus for the women to enhance their activities and programmes. We join our prayers with theirs for growth in their diocese after three years of crisis.

Butere is a small but heavily populated diocese in rural Kenya.

Our prayers are offered for Mrs. Jesca Sande Diocesan President and the Rev'd Margaret Were Mothers' Union worker. We give thanks Lord for the new members. We pray for the care shown to the bed ridden and for the widows programme. We also pray for the money needed to complete the building of rental homes project.

Calabar in Nigeria a diocese with 23 churches.

We pray for the work of the MU under the guidance of their president Lady Dorothy Tunde-Adeleye. We give thanks Lord for the Mary Sumner Clinic, and pray for the ongoing work of the Girls' Guild and Girls' Brigade.

Niger Delta North in Nigeria with 80% of the churches in rural areas and 20% in the urban city of Port Harcourt.

We pray for Lady Franca Comfort Chinda Diocesan President and for all MU members .

Northern Territory covers one sixth of Australia with less than 1% of the nation's people.

We offer our prayers for Pam Powell Diocesan President, and for Robyn Pinkerton Overseas and Outreach Links Co-ordinator. We pray for the MU support fund for indigenous women - education, health care and bibles for Aboriginal Australians.

Zimbabwe Lord we pray for the people of this country. We pray for food for the hungry and shelter for the homeless, we join our prayers with the people of Zimbabwe for peace and reconciliation.

Burma We hold up to you Lord our members in Burma as they seek to bring relief to people suffering as a result of the terrible cyclone, may our members and those they serve be embraced by your love and peace and feel there is hope for the future.

Oxford Diocese We pray for our MU neighbours in this diocese, and for all their work done in the name of the Mothers' Union.

Leader: As members of a worldwide society, we bring our prayers and concerns for the world, to Jesus our Saviour and friend, confident that he will hear us.

Lord Jesus make us ever mindful of our sisters and brothers throughout the world, with whom we are members of your Christian family.

Heavenly Father, you call people of every race and every age, every culture and every tradition, to share in prayer and fellowship; help us to become aware of the whole world, to take up the burdens of other people, and use our talents in the service of society, always working to your honour and glory, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, and in the power of the Holy Spirit Amen.

Leader: Gathering our prayers and praises into one,
Let us pray as our Saviour taught us.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory, are yours, now and for ever. Amen.

Leader: Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love towards us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever. Praise the Lord. Psalm 117.

As we conclude our worship let us share the grace with each other.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all today and always.

Amen.

Books used in compiling this sheet were: The Prayers we Breathe, Worldwide Voices, both published by the Mothers' Union, New Patterns for Worship published by Church House, and Prayers for worship by Bill Hughes.