Week of Prayer unites evangelical Christians in Europe

Prayer is central to every Christian church. It shows dependence on God and it brings renewal. This is why the Week of Prayer was one of the first projects started by the Evangelical Alliance just one year after it was founded, in 1847.

Nowadays, hundreds of churches take part of these days of reflection in many countries across Europe and the world.

This week is organised in every country by its national evangelical alliance. The theme of this year’s theme is “The return of the lost sons.” The prayer guide was prepared by the Czech Evangelical Alliance.

French Christians will join the initiative. / CNEF

“Besides spiritual meditation about this passage, which is a challenge (probably) for everyone, this prayer guide is dedicated especially to praying for people, who have, for various reasons, abandoned God or the church”, the General Secretary of the European Evangelical Alliance Thomas Bucher said.

“It is an open secret that for many Christians prayer is more of an obligation and burden, something that a good Christian should do, but for which he usually does not find the time, and thus his feelings of guilt grow”, Bucher said.

Spanish Christians are also called to pray. / AEE

This is why the Week of Prayer can be a good opportunity to have “less of the outward appearance and more creativity, as well as the honest longing to let yourself and your community be changed into the image of Jesus Christ.”

“If there is to be a spiritual renewal in our nations and particularly the church, it cannot happen without the renewal of a joyful and deep life of prayer as a part of our multi-faceted life of interacting with God.”

Germany will also organise events. / DEA

SCHEDULE

In all countries, Christians can find a church near home to unite with other believers to reflect on these topics:

Sunday 10 – “Lost” Luke 15:11-12

Monday 11 – “Everything wasted” Luke 15:13-16

Tuesday 12 – “Turning point Luke” 15:17-19

Wednesday 13 – “To Become a Father” Luke 15:20

Thursday 14 – “Celebration” Luke 15:21-24

Friday 15 – “The Older Brother Syndrome” Luke 15:25-30

Saturday 16 – “All I have is yours” Luke 15:31-32

Sunday 17 – Church Service for the prodigal sons Philippians 2:5-8

The week is also organised in Italy. / AEI

LAST YEAR’S EVENT

In 2015, the Week of Prayer was organised by the Association of Evangelicals in Africa. To know about how believers in Italy, the Czech Republic and Spain experienced those days praying for answers to the financial crisis, corruption, and future evangelistic efforts; read this article.

You can find the full prayer guide for this week in English, German, French and Spanish, here.