There was great joy and thoughtful prayers across Canada as thousands gathered in person for World Day of Prayer (WDP) 2026 services featuring the theme “I will give you rest: come.” For many, it was a chance to not only pray and learn about Nigeria but also provided opportunities to “come together”, “dance” the offering down the aisle, hear guest speakers from who had lived in Nigeria, enjoy a “sense of community” (while eating butter biscuits” and be motivated by “the three stories by Nigerian women” and a “substantive” service.
From New Brunswick: “Coming together with six different community churches and praying together; definite community spirit surrounded us all–United, Anglican, and Catholic with three ministers. Also, learning about women of Nigeria through service bulletins, videos and a female guest speaker from Nigeria who now lives in our community.”
From Alberta: “The message of the Gospel, “I will give you rest”, the opportunity to join with members of other churches, learning about Nigeria. We had a 10 member group from our local Catholic High School provide the music ministry! These young people were fantastic.”
For those who used the printed service and live speakers, many coordinators told us that the country background video was very much enjoyed and appreciated. WICC is grateful to Nigeria Tourism for allowing us to share pictures and video clips from their beautiful country.
The Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada (WICC) provided many resources on the WICC website to ensure that the service was available to all, including those not able to gather in person. One-hour and 30-minute WDP services were produced by WICC, with the Board members assuming the reading roles. Booking free time on TV Channels across Canada was possible after encouraging positive feedback in previous years. Overall, the WDP 2026 service video was broadcast on 17 community television channels and was often aired on multiple dates and times. This video service continues to be available on wdpcanada.ca and via the WICC YouTube channel.
Thanks for all your feedback. It helps us plan for next year. We carefully read each evaluation and make decisions accordingly.
WICC is committed to keeping service coordinators informed about World Day of Prayer. The WDP Field Reps played an essential part in supporting planning teams again this year. They provided help to those who were new to the coordinator role, challenged by technology, or needed ideas for promoting WDP.
Over 300 individuals attended online events in November and January to learn about WDP 2026 resources. It was encouraging to hear from the WDP evaluations that we provide a wide range of avenues to become informed and stay engaged: following the WICC Facebook and Instagram pages, scanning wdpcanada.ca for answers, and getting in touch with the WICC office. Our quarterly online newsletter will aim to provide content that best suits the needs and interests of our readers.
Donations from World Day of Prayers services are used to fund WDP for next year and support grant projects designed to bring social justice to women and families in Canada and internationally. By distributing WDP service information online rather than in print format, the saved revenue goes towards grants. $100,000 in WDP grants have been approved for 2026. See https://wicc.org/grant-programs/grant-stories/ to read the inspirational grant stories of projects started in 2025 and completed by early 2026.
The World Day of Prayer International Committee wrote the 2027 World Day of Prayer service – “United in Prayer for Justice and Peace” based on 1 Samuel 2: 1-10 and Luke 1: 39-55. Please join others on or around Friday, March 5, 2027, for the 100th anniversary of this worldwide prayer movement.
