Women unite

By Jason Gabak / Special to The Citizen

Friday, March 7, 2008 11:27 PM EST

CAYUGA - Across the globe, women of all faiths joined together Friday to recognize and honor the 2008 World Day of Prayer.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
John Chick remains silent while his attorney, Paul Carey, speaks with reporters outside U.S. District Court, in Syracuse, Thursday morning. Chick was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay $108,000 restitution for his role in the illegal removal of asbestos from the Cayuga County Board of Elections building.
Celebrated in more than 170 countries, the celebration was designed to bring together women of all cultures and faiths to affirm the belief and share their hopes and fears and prayers, starting from sun up to sun down on the first Friday of March.

The celebration has its roots in the 19th century when Christian women of the United States and Canada began a variety of cooperative efforts in prayer and it has grown worldwide from there, with the first official World Day of Prayer held in 1927.

This is an idea that ties in perfectly with the ideals held by the Church Women United of Cayuga County, which gathers together women from the surrounding communities and churches to meet and discuss these kinds of matters on a monthly basis.

“It is a nice group of ladies,” Nancy Rancier, president of the organization, said. “Each month we travel to different churches throughout the community; they are kind enough to let us host our meetings there. It is a really nice group to be a part of.”

Collectively, the group is geared not only to matters of faith, but also charitable acts in the community. Holding small fundraisers, such as the one they call the “least coin.” By taking donations of pennies or any other denomination, the group has helped raise funds for a variety of causes such as SCAT Van and Hospice of the Finger Lakes.

Rancier said that they also worked to raise money for children in New Orleans, and the group is currently working on school kit bags to provide supplies to children in the area.

Friday afternoon, the group gathered at Cayuga United Methodist Church for a simple lunch of sandwiches and desserts, before adjourning to the sanctuary for the World Day of Prayer service.

Rancier said that the group has been taking part in this service for the last six years at least, but said it may well go back further than that.

Each year, different groups are chosen from around the world to create the service. This year's main focus was based around the theme “God's Wisdom Provides New Understanding” and was prepared by the World Prayer Committee of Guyana.

The service combined songs, prayers and readings chosen to reflect on the ideas of creating greater understanding between people around the world.

Some of these reflections touched on the dangers of drugs and alcohol, health issues, fidelity, violence toward women and health concerns for women worldwide.

All of these ideas however can be consolidated into what could be considered the overall theme of World Prayer Day - faith in God and faith in one another.

“It is about celebrating our Christianity,” Rancier said. “But it is also about friendship and enjoying the service together, with women from all over the county and women from all over the word.”

To learn more

For more information on the Church Women United of Cayuga County, contact Nancy Rancier at 252-1064 for

more information on World Day of Prayer, visit worlddayofprayer.net

The Citizens' Say

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There are 1 comment(s)

karl L wrote on Mar 8, 2008 12:21 AM:

" YOU'RE WASTING YOUR TIME, LADIES!
gET OUT AND DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE WITH YOUR DAY!!! "

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