2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Canadian resources
Introductory Letter from Canadian WPCU Team Chair
2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26)
INTRODUCTORY LETTER
The 2025 international and Canadian WPCU resources are available to download at: www.weekofprayer.ca (English) www.semainedepriere.ca (French)
Dear organizers of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Canada:
Greetings! On behalf of the Canadian WPCU Writing and Animation Team, I want to thank you for being a part of the 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Each year it is a privilege to work with the international WPCU materials from a community around the world, to flesh out the Canadian contexts around the theme, and to share these international and Canadian WPCU resources with you and your communities. None of this is possible without your support.
Each year our Canadian WPCU Writing and Animation Team meets with the same goal: to give all Christians across Canada ways to embrace the similarities between us in the name of the gospel. Over the years, we have received hundreds of stories from communities of all kinds about the worship services, Bible studies, and outreach work they have engaged in because they were able to see the ways their churches are unified in God’s love. You approach each other with kindness, with respect, and with love.
Some years it is easy to see where we will take the WPCU theme. However, this year’s WPCU focus on the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, and on the exploration of the Nicene Creed, is not an easy feat for any church, no matter the denomination, to engage. This is even more challenging because many of our churches do not structure their beliefs around the Nicene Creed. Our Canadian WPCU Team, I will openly admit, was unsure how we wanted to proceed in a way that respects our various beliefs and also asks us to genuinely engage with our Christian siblings around the world.
After months of discernment and dialogue, we have concluded that this year’s WPCU is an important opportunity for Christians across Canada to learn what our neighbours, and we, believe. Sharing our similarities is one thing. Sharing our differences is another level of courage, of willingness to listen with respect, and of love. In our willingness to share these beliefs, we can gain a deeper understanding of who we are, who our neighbours are, and how God’s presence moves through all of us in different and beautiful ways. The Body of Christ requires all of us to have our own talents and viewpoints to move together.
You will not have to do this alone! We have developed our Canadian 2025 WPCU Eight Days Bible study, children’s activities, annotated worship service, hymn suggestions, and other resources with care so you can explore this chance together. We also have resources for those who are interested in learning more about the Council of Nicaea and about the Nicene Creed. Being able to see the historical importance of our collective Christian origins and to appreciate where our paths merged and diverged is as important to our unity as is finding the similarities.
As the chair of the Canadian WPCU Writing and Animation Team, I express my utmost gratitude to my team members who have worked hard to craft the Canadian WPCU materials this year, and to all the churches that will be using them. We look forward to hearing about the 2025 WPCU events in your communities!
With blessings,
Rev. Roberta Howey
(The United Church of Canada) Chair of the Canadian Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Writing and Animation Team