Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Centenary Service
Together, we prayed and we sang. Together we reflected on the grace of God. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity this year is celebrating its centenary and so in honour of this occasion representatives of a wide variety of Christians in Perth gathered at St John’s Lutheran Church in Northbridge for a celebration organised by the Council of Churches of WA.
The preacher for the Day was the Abbot of the Benedictine Community at New Norcia, Dom Placid Spearitt. Dom Spearitt invited us to look at the Church the way God see it -already One in Christ.
Readings and prayers were led by The Ven Kaye Goldsworthy, from the Anglican Diocese of Perth, Revd Dr Charles Waddell from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perth, Moderator of the Uniting Church in Australia Robert Watson, Revd Theo Issa from the Syrian Orthodox Church, and Lutheran Pastors Julian Bayha and Geoff Burger. Revd Eira Clapton, General Secretary of the Council of Churches of WA, reminded the congregation of the beginnings of the ecumenical movement and its significant moments in the past 50 years or so.
At the conclusion of the service we lit candles to pass the light of Christ between us all as an expression of our unity. Then we went out to feast on splendid refreshments provided by the Lutheran community.
