World Day of Prayer

  Saturday 8th Mar

Kia orana'

Kia orano is from the Maori language and means hello but also may you live long and may you live well , may you shine like the sun and may you dance with the waves .

This was the opening to our ecumenical World Day of Prayer service in Lenzie Union church for the Lenzie / Kirkintilloch area but written by the Christian women from the Cook Islands

The ladies taking part were from the various local churches, dressed in bright colours and wore garlands of flowers .

The communion table was decorated with a blue cloth , a bowl of water and seashells to represent the sea . A plant in place of a palm tree and coconut shells and bright flowers as seen on the islands . We even had a full size canoe in the vestibule as that is their main mode of transport.

The main part of the service focussed on the stories of three women, different ages and different backgrounds but all with very strong Christian Faith.

A fifteen year old, anxious through Covid, discovered, “God knows me , and God knows you and God knows everything we are going through.”

A lady in her sixties who had spoken Maori language but, forced at school to learn and speak English, felt devalued, but she knew God was still with her.

The third was a Paediatrician from the Cook Islands who graduated in Fiji but returned to work back home . She has tried to improve services on the islands and says that, “God created me wonderful by blessing me with the motivation to study medicine.”

We all joined and said -

“I am fearfully made and wonderfully made

Marvellous are Gods works that, we now know very well

And we'll praise you all our days”