Women in the Los Angeles region will also be gathering to pray for the Bahamas, alongside women in 180 different countries.
The first Friday of March every year is a day is Women's World Day of Prayer, a day in which Christian women all over the world, regardless of denomination or race, pray for the church's unity, and for peace and salvation in the world. This day of prayer is a legacy of Mary Ellen Fairchild James, the wife of Darwin Rush James, who was the chairman of the national missions department for PCUSA at the time. Mary James chose that day to pray for those who immigrated into the U.S. from such places as Europe and Asia beginning in 1887. Hence, this year would mark the 128th anniversary since the beginning of this tradition, and 180 countries will be joining in prayer together.
One of the distinct characteristics of this day is that a group of women from one country would write a letter of prayer, which would be read aloud at the prayer gatherings in all of the other countries, and those present in the prayer gatherings would gather offering and send it to that nation.
Korea in particular first became the focus of the international prayer gatherings in 1922, and currently, a group of women called Korea Church Women United (KCWU) continues to participate in this day of prayer. KCWU has sent letters multiple years thereafter, including its letter in 1930, titled, "Fixing our eyes only on Jesus"; in 1963, titled, "More than conquerers"; and in 1997, titled, "Like a seed that grows into a tree." Groups of Korean immigrant women in the U.S. have also been participating in the world day of prayer across 70 different regions in the U.S. since 1979.
The focus of this year's day of prayer will be on the Bahamas, which sent a prayer letter titled "Jesus said to them: Do you understand what I have done for you? (John 13:12)" to the groups of women all over the world who will be praying together.
The Bahamas, located near the U.S. and Cuba, had been under British rule for 325 years until it gained independence in 1973. A country that thrives on tourism, the Bahamas contains 29 islands and 661 islets. The population is some 330,000.
For the Los Angeles region, the prayer will be held on March 7, 10 A.M. at Mijoo Peace Church (170 Bimini Pl., Los Angeles, CA, 90004).
