More than 60 Uniting Churches in Victoria and Tasmania will join in a global day of prayer this Friday for stronger action on climate change.
On the first Friday of March every year, Christians from more than 170 countries participate in World Day of Prayer, an international initiative organised by laywomen.
This year’s theme – All God’s Creation is Very Good – was chosen by a committee in the tiny South American nation of Suriname, which has a population of just over 500,000 people.
Suriname World Day of Prayer chairperson Rosana Pindon said the women of Suriname want to remind all people that they are caretakers of God’s creation.
“God prepared and created a world for us that was very good. Unfortunately we did not appreciate what we got as a gift, and treated it very poorly,” she said.
“Today we, and also the whole creation, suffer from the damages that we have brought to it mostly because of our greed and strive for comfort and convenience.
“Our rivers, oceans and air are polluted, the ozone layer is damaged, and many countries suffer from terrible disasters such as hurricanes, tsunamis and so on.”
Approximately 90 per cent of people in Suriname live near the coast, in areas that are vulnerable to flooding.
The mining industry has also contributed to significant environmental problems in the country through their use of mercury to extract gold. This has resulted in high levels of pollution in Suriname’s rivers and mercury in their fish.
While Suriname has achieved significant economic and social progress since gaining independence in 1975, many children are still vulnerable to abuse, family violence and forced labour in the gold mines.
Next year’s World Day of Prayer will be organised by Slovenia and focus on the theme ‘Come, Everything is Ready’.
Is your congregation hosting a World Day of Prayer service this weekend? Send us your photos to Crosslight@victas.uca.org.au.
Image: World Day of Prayer/Facebook
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