WCC’S International Day of Prayer for Peace on 21 September

(August 20, 2012) The World Council of Churches (WCC) is calling on churches and congregations around the world to observe an International Day of Prayer for Peace on 21 September, the day the United Nations marks the International Day of Peace. WCC, which is a worldwide fellowship of 349 churches seeking unity, a common witness and Christian service, is urging participants to pray and act together for a just peace in communities, nations and the world. The Geneva-based group in its website encouraged participants to share their prayers online, including Facebook, Twitter and email. “Prayers for a just peace lift up social, economic, ecological or political-military aspects of peace,” the WCC said. Praying for Ceasefire is the theme adopted this year by On Earth Peace, a United States-based agency rooted in the Church of the Brethren. Observances of the peace prayer day began in 2004 as part of the ecumenical Decade to Overcome Violence (2001-2010) after an agreement between the heads of the WCC and the UN.