WDP 2027 – 100th Anniversary Special Funding Application
For the 100th anniversary of World Day of Prayer, we are encouraging church communities throughout Canada to celebrate beyond our services.
To help support events, you are invited to submit a “Special Funding Application” .
The intention of these events should be to celebrate the 100th anniversary of World Day of Prayer and/or encourage the continuation of this world wide ecumenical prayer movement.
All events must take place by August 1, 2027.
Click here to access the Special Funding Form to fill out and send to communications@wicc.org
A message from Janet, our Communications Specialist: All of us connected to the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada love to hear about what churches and communities have been up to. We have amazing World Day of Prayer service coordinators and field reps who send us anecdotes, reports, photos of the service, photos of banners they have created, artwork, quilting and so on; the creativity is just wonderful.
As we celebrate our centenary, we want to hear more from you. If you have a personal history with World Day of Prayer going back many years, if it is a generational celebration you share with your family, or if you have attended any past celebrations. We also want to hear your experiences with the service, if you have attended a service abroad, or if you bring your children along so they can enjoy the children’s activities. We look forward to hearing from you. Please send your stories and pictures along to Janet – communications@wicc.org. It is also important to confirm that we have permission to share your stories on our website – wdpcanada.ca.
Centenary Challenge: WDP 2027 – 100 Different Ways
World Day of Prayer is celebrating 100 years, but this isn’t only about looking back. It’s about asking an exciting question: What could the next 100 years look like, and what part could you play in shaping them?
Challenge 100 is your invitation to celebrate an incredible legacy while creating something new for the generations still to come. World Day of Prayer has always been about informed prayer and prayerful action. The annual service is an important part of that but imagine what could happen if prayer began showing up in 100 different ways, in 100 different places, across the year.
It could be big. It could be small. It could be something completely new, or simply bringing a World Day of Prayer flavour to something you’re already planning. Think afternoon tea, a picnic in the park, a beach day, a creative prayer evening, a coffee morning, a community event or a full-on Centenary celebration. Bring together friends, families, churches, local schools, workplaces and communities. Share some food. Have fun. Start conversations. Explore the world. Pray.
There’s no formula and definitely no one size fits all. The best ideas will be the ones that work in your context, with your people, in your community. The ideas and resources on wdpcanada.ca are simply a starting point to help you create spaces where people can connect, discover, participate and pray. And when you do, remember to share the story. Social media, photos and hashtags are a great way to inspire others and show that World Day of Prayer is about so much more than one day.
World Day of Prayer Legacy Initiatives
As the World Day of Prayer approaches its Centennial milestone, the WDPIC Executive Committee is putting out a special call to the worldwide movement — one that honors nearly 100 years of women gathering across culture, language, and denomination, united by a shared commitment to prayer and action: Root, Reflect, Rise.
In Canada, we are encouraged to plant a special Centennial tree in communities throughout the country — a living symbol of what World Day of Prayer has grown to represent. Like the movement itself, a tree takes time to establish, sends roots deep into the ground, and becomes shelter and sustenance for those around it.
Other legacy initiatives can be established in Canada. Please consider the following for your church community:
- A history book of women in your church(es) over the last 100 years.
- A time capsule buried in a new structure or buried near an existing structure
- A “justice and peace” centennial garden
- A commissioned art piece
- A centennial quilt
- An endowment fund to support women studying social justice issues
- A special donation to WICC’s anniversary fundraising campaign, 100 Years of Prayer, 100 Years of Action and 100,000 Reasons to Hope
Speakers’ Corner – Sharing World Day of Prayer to Audiences Across Canada
Public speakers are in high demand.
Let’s think about audiences in Canada that would be interested in learning about the World Day of Prayer.
Many communities have historical societies. The history of World Day of Prayer can be an apt topic for a meeting. We have a 10-minute video, a slide show of pictures and a two-page summary sheet that can be shared with these groups.
Across Canada, there are many university and college campuses that offer courses that focus on social justice. Reach out and make a connection or two with instructors, and offer to share information about this 100-year-old prayer movement. Let them know about the resources on wdpcanada.ca
Offer to speak to a Probus group or any other group that meets and looks for speakers. PROBUS is one of the most popular social networks for retired and semi-retired individuals in Canada. Its entire purpose is built on three pillars: Fellowship, Friendship, and Fun. There are over 250 clubs across Canada boasting more than 35,000 members.
Ready to shine on camera or behind a microphone? Just like community clubs, local tv and radio stations are looking for content. If you want to be a guest on a local community TV station to let them know about your WDP service, you should call or email the Producer or Executive Producer of the specific show you want to appear on. If you are reaching out to the station generally rather than a specific program, ask for the Programming Director or Assignment Desk. Note: for WICC, only the ED and Communications personnel are authorized to speak publicly without further approval on the general topic of World Day of Prayer or any other facet of the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada.
Lastly, you may want to consider reading through FaceBook’s “Call for Speakers” to get an idea about conferences taking place that might be interested in learning about World Day of Prayer.
Above all, enjoy and keep WICC informed of your opportunities to share the news of World Day of Prayer.
Bessie MacMurchy (Bessie McMurchy) and the History of WICC and WDP
Bessie MacMurchy was a long time member of the Dominion Board of the Women’s Missionary Society (WMS) of the Presbyterian Church (Canada). In 1916, this group called a meeting for “united prayer for missions.”
On October 19, 1918, Bessie invited representatives of five Women’s Missionary Boards – Anglican, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist, and Presbyterian – to meet together to “promote the spread Christ’s kingdom by united prayer, united action, and a stronger voice in national questions.” This letter led to the formation of the group which later became the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada.
Discussions were interrupted by an influenza epidemic, but continued with a planning meeting on Feb. 15, 1919, resulting in the approval and drafting of a brief constitution. Two members were appointed from each cooperating board to the “Interim Committee on the Federation of the Women’s Missionary Society Boards of Canada”.
On May 16, 1919, this committee hosted the first of what would become many mass meetings supporting the distribution of Christian literature.
The first national inter-denominational women’s day of prayer was held on January 9, 1920, in Lindsay, Ontario. A suggested worship outline was prepared by a small committee and printed in the Women’s Missionary Society (WMS) magazine and also distributed by each Board. Letters appreciative of the day of prayer were first reported in the WMS magazine. The first offering was enough to provide for $100 to Christian literature, $150 to the China Famine Fund, and $141.98 for expenses! In the U.S., the first interdenominational day of prayer was held on February 20, 1920.
On Friday, March 3, 1922, millions of churchwomen in Canada and the United States celebrated a common Day of Prayer. By 1927, the service information was distributed beyond these two countries leading to the word “World” being included in the title of service material.
Bessie continued to be active with the World Day of Prayer, and the WMS Western Division, serving as President from1932 to 1935. Radio was in its infancy in the ’30s, and during this decade, Bessie delivered a dominion-wide broadcast preparatory for the Women’s World Day of Prayer. This was the first of similar CBC presentations during the following 20 years.
Bessie had two sisters — Dr. Helen, one of the first women doctors in Canada, and Marjory, a writer and later Lady Willison. Two of her brothers became lawyers. Her third brother died early in life. Their father, who came with his family to Upper Canada from Argyll, Scotland in 1840 was the Principal of Toronto Collegiate Institute (later Jarvis Street Collegiate Institute). He was also an author and editor. Bessie’s mother was quite involved in the Women’s Foreign Missionary Society and died when Bessie’s sister, Marjory, was a teenager.
Notes: Bessie’s surname has been spelled as “McMurchy” in a number of documents. Bessie has a cousin of the same era with the same name who was born and raised in Collingwood, Ontario. Upon graduation as a nurse, she entered the Presbyterian Missionary and Deaconess Training School in Toronto, to prepare for overseas work. In 1932, she was appointed by the Women’s Missionary Society (W.M.S.) of the Presbyterian Church in Canada to serve as a missionary nurse at the Jobat Christian Hospital, in the Bhil Field, India.
Sources:
- wdpcanada.ca
- Carmichael Family Reunion Notes of 1941
- an email from Margaret Carey whose grandfather was a second cousin of Bessie’s
- The book: Certain Women Amazed Us co-authored by Lois Klempa and Rev. Rosemary Doran. The title is a direct historical reference taken from Luke 24:22 (“Moreover, certain women of our company amazed us…“). [1]
