Greetings,

Friday 8 March is International Women’s Day.  This prayer for women, especially from the Pacific, is written by Cath Taylor and was published in UnitingWorld Update.  You might like to pray it as a way of standing alongside some of our closest neighbours.

God of all people.
Today we pray for women –

   women who hold the hands of children through the night,
   women who sit on Boards and make decisions for our nation,
   women who give birth barely sheltered from the rain,
   and women who have the skills to save their lives in hospitals
   sometimes too far away when it matters most.

God of all people.
We pray especially for our sisters in the Pacific –

   women who are the centre of the families and their communities
   with so much to give,
   women who’ve been bruised by the violence of others,
   and those who stay strong for their families,
   women who’ve been silenced and those who continue to speak up with dignity
   revealing all you created them to be.

God of all people.

Today we pray for ministers and leaders in the Pacific church.
We ask that men will hear anew of your undiscriminating love for all people
   and commit to equality and an end to violence.

We thank you for the determination to stand alongside our sisters
   as your Spirit creates new possibilities for the people of the Pacific.

Amen.

Blessings – Heather (she/her).