Feb. 2020 Prayer List- English

2020 Watchword for Unity Women’s Desk:

Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.

Psalm 25 is a prayer for guidance and deliverance that begins: “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul. O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me (Psalm 25: 1-2). God has provided graciously in the past year and this is a great reason to offer praise and thanksgiving to our faithful Lord and Savior. As the Standing with Our Sisters capital campaign draws to a close, almost 100% of the donations pledged have been completed. Other donations were also very strong in 2019 and in the first month of 2020, and we are so grateful to the individuals, congregations, women’s circles, mission groups, and Sunday School classes that have supported the ministry of the UWD financially. It is our honor to share these gifts with Moravian girls and women everywhere.

This month we especially lift up prayers for Sisters in the Latin American/Caribbean Region.

English-speaking provinces/areas (see map):

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 -The islands of Curaçao, Aruba & St. Maarten.

Spanish/Miskito/Manyanga-speaking provinces/areas (see map):

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. Mission Provinces: Cuba, Honduras Mission Prov, and 5 Mission Areas:  Peru, Belize, Haiti, French Guiana, Garifuna.

Prayer topics italicized below are from 2020 Unity Prayer Watch topics suggested by the North American BWM and provinces.

For the Costa Rica province, pray for reconciliation between the Pavas congregation and the Province. Sisters in Nicaragua traveled to Costa Rica this past year to support the women there; strong international relationships help women lift each other up in service to Christ.

For the Eastern West Indies province, pray for the congregations and fellowships scattered in 8 islands under 5 different governments. Pray for the provincial board and its leadership in supporting women. Pray for the ongoing work following the 2017 hurricane. Pray for all women serving in ordained ministry including Rev. Cicely Athill-Horsford, the first Moravian woman ordained in the Caribbean.  Pray also for our EWI scholarship recipient studying law.  

Pray for congregations, pastors and lay pastors in the Honduras Province and for reconciliation between the Province and the Mission Province. Pray for the 6 Honduran women receiving UWD scholarships, and for those who have received loans for a cafe and a secretarial school. Praise for U.S. congregations preparing birthing kits for Honduras. May they be a blessing to mothers and their newborns.

Pray for our all our Sisters in Jamaica, and especially the secondary school girls, law student, and nursing student receiving UWD Scholarships.  Pray also for the Jamaican Sisters hosting a special Latin American/Caribbean Consultation in Sept 2020. This will be a chance for women’s coordinators from the different islands and provinces to meet and discuss closer collaboration to support women in their region.  Pray also for Rev. Sacha Lambert in her congregational work and her work with the Unity Youth Desk. 

Nicaragua province: pray for the many congregations and for a resolution to the conflict dividing the church. Our Moravian Sisters there are working to continue service to congregations in this uncertain time. Pray for God’s blessing on 3 new Helpers in the Moravian Church Ingnika Raya,  Sr. Daisy Fermin, Sr. Maria Fermin and Sr. Deyanira Rivera. Give thanks for Rev Jeanette Salley as she completes her 4 years of service there.

For the Suriname Province, pray for 70 elementary education schools, 3 homes for the elderly, 5 children’s homes, 3 boarding schools, and youth ministries; the evangelistic work in French Guyana, and in the Hinterland where there is a mission hospital; and the theological education program. Pray for UWD Advisory Board member Muriel Held as she helps plan the upcoming regional women’s consultation. Pray for the people of Suriname as their president has been sentenced to prison; a new election will not be held until May.  Pray for economic and social stability during this transition and pray for the church’s witness.

Pray for the Mission Province of Cuba and its board and president Rev. Tania Sanchez.  Pray for the day cares, sewing project, and other projects of women in Cuba to support their Moravian Church.  Pray for the Winston-Salem team visiting Cuba in February and for retired AB member Sallie Greenfield and Coordinator Julie Tomberlin to establish stronger relationships with the women and learn how to serve the worldwide Unity together and for Sister Barbara, whose ordination we hope to attend!

Pray for the 17 new communities in the Amazon region discerning a new connection with the Moravian Church. Pray for Sisters Ana-Maria Huaman and Elsa Sandoval, from the 2 congregations in Lima, traveling to Baja Canampa in the Amazon region in early February.  Sister Ana-Maria asks for prayers for her preaching about how communities can love and support young girls by encouraging age-appropriate relationships. Pray for safe travels for these Sisters and that they are able to develop strong relationships in Christ’s love.

In Peru, lift up prayers of praise for Sister Ana Maria as she completes her Bachelor’s of Divinity in February, for our university scholarship recipient Gabriela, and for our two secondary school scholarship recipients Anahí and Daniela.  Continue to pray for women in Peru and every province of the Unity who suffer from violence. More than 80 women in Peru have been killed by domestic violence in the FIRST MONTH of 2020.

Please remember our Focus Areas in your prayers – for your local area and worldwide: Education, Health, Overcoming Poverty, Violence against Women, Women in Ministry, Parenting for Justice. Pray for the UWD and our network of coordinators and supporters.

DEADLINE For North American Scholarship Applications: March 1, 2020