English – May Prayer List – Unity Women's Desk

Focus on Caribbean/Latin American Region of the Moravian Church

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I believe in Jesus, who compared himself to a hen
who shelters her chicks under her wings. (see Luke 13:34)
from the Creed written by Pastors Alay and Obed of Cuba

While Jesus cares for us as a mother hen for her chicks, or a shepherd for his sheep, he also calls us to care for one another: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” John 13:34, 35. This is a challenge and a blessing for a church as scattered and diverse as we Moravians! We love one another by learning about and praying for each other.

Please join us in lifting prayers for the region of the Moravian Church known as “The Caribbean/Latin American Region.” It stretches from Cuba to Peru and it includes Moravians who worship in English, Miskito, Spanish, Mayangna, and Garifuna. Remember especially the women and girls.

English-speaking provinces/areas:

1- The Eastern West Indies: 8 islands in the Eastern Caribbean: Antigua, Barbados, St. Croix, St. John, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, Tobago, Trinidad, 52 congregations, 16,000 members, 46 ordained.
2- Jamaica/Cayman Islands: 8090 members, 65 congregations, 33 ordained.
3- Suriname: 66 congregations, 30,000 members, 37 ordained
4-Guyana: 8 congregations, 900 members, 5 ordained
– Curaçao, Aruba & St. Maarten request prayers as they prepare to become an autonomous province.

Spanish/Miskito/Manyanga-speaking provinces/areas:

5- Costa Rica: 3 congregations, 1960 members, 3 ordained
6- Honduras: 94 congregations, 27620 members, 46 ordained
7- Nicaragua: 102,080 members, 226 congregations 106 ordained.
There are also 2 Mission Provinces in this region: Cuba, and Honduras Mission Province and 5 Mission Areas : Peru, Belize, Haiti, French Guiana, Garifuna.

Give thanks for strong church leaders like Rev. Phyllis Smith Seymour. In April, the Jamaica/Cayman Islands synod re-elected her as Provincial President. UWD Coordinators in Jamaica and many provinces ask for prayers for children suffering from abuse and for communities hurt by crime. Many Moravian families around the world have suffered from violence related to drugs and domestic abuse. Pray for comfort for those affected and for God to use the church to heal communities.

Pray for marriages and families where women and children feel safe and valued. In Feb. this year, Rev. Vicky Tatum, a Moravian Pastor in Nicaragua, married 28 couples on Valentine’s Day. The community ceremony took place because many couples could not afford their own wedding celebration.

Pray for more women to answer the call to ordained ministry. Remember Sister Judy Winspeare-Philip of Antigua in the East West Indies, Minister-in-training at the United Theological College of the West Indies in Jamaica. Pray for theology students the UWD is supporting in Nicaragua and Honduras.

The UWD currently supports girls/ women in Jamaica, E. West Indies, Peru, Nicaragua, and Honduras – studying law, nursing, engineering, theology, and secondary school. Pray for their future contributions.

In Peru and Cuba, 12 women and 16 men have taken theology courses offered by Moravian Theological Seminary and the Board of World Mission. Pray for Mission Area leaders and for work to strengthen the Body of Christ across cultures and languages. Pray for scholarship girls in Peru we happily support.

Pray for Women’s Groups throughout the region, including 10 active groups in Barbados, and all they do to help the youth in their churches and communities. Upward and Onward and Junos Movement, a girls’ organization of the Moravian Church in Jamaica, is over 119 years old! Give thanks! In Suriname Capacity Strengthening of Moravian Youth Workers, a project started in 2017 with funds from Woman World Days of Prayer, provides training for youth workers, “so youngsters will be lead into adulthood, to become worthy members of society with good Christian values.”

Pray for the women in Honduras Mission Province as they plan a retreat for pastors’ wives, and for the women’s groups in Nicaragua as they struggle with divisions in the church.

Pray for Moravian schools in Latin America and the Caribbean, for the students, teachers, technicians and administration, management authorities and parent associations, including 70 Moravian schools in Suriname! Pray for the “Colegio Moravo Secundaro,” founded in 1921 in Blue Fields, Nicaragua.

8 Mayangna women are among those working towards a Diploma in Theology at the Theologica Institute in Musawas. The Institute celebrates its one-year anniversary this May! Many women are also taking continuing education courses there. Pray for this new ministry among indigenous people.

Pray for the midwives in Honduras and the women who have worked to pack and distribute birthing kits. Pray for the Infant Feeding Program at the clinic in Ahuas. Pray also for the women starting new businesses with loans from the UWD. In Honduras these include a cafe and a secretarial school.

The Islands of the Caribbean are all classified as SIDS (Small Island Development States) and are threatened by sea level rising because of climate change. Pray for the islands and coastal regions as we enter hurricane season, while many communities are still recovering from last year’s storms.

Please continue to pray for the Unity Women’s Desk, and especially for our Coordinators in the Caribbean/Latin American Region who shared the needs and celebrations mentioned here. Pray for Sisters traveling to Winston-Salem for the Women’s Conference in June, and for those who were unable to come. The Lord is doing many things in this region and Moravians around the world want to stand with these Sisters and Brothers.We are grateful to all who support us through prayer, volunteering, and donating.

Please feel free to contact us! 336-725-6413 unitywomen2011@gmail.com
Unity Women’s Desk 459 South Church Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101 USA
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