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World Day of Prayer is traditionally held on the first Friday in March each year, the upcoming service is written by the women of a particular country. The 2012 serice wirtten by the women of Malaysia, under the theme "Let Justice Prevail," was well-received by all accounts. Thank you to all who participated in this powerful grass-roots movement of prayer.

A great way to generate excitement about the World Day of Prayer is to hold a Festival Day for your community. Please see our Festival or Preparation Day page, for more information on how to get started! May God bless you in your planning!

In Solidarity with those who work for Justice & Peace

The Women's Inter-Church Council of Canada has added its voice to those seeking answers regarding the issues surrounding the loss of Federal funding to Kairos and the manner inwhich it was handled by the Federal government. To read our response, click here.

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Your World Day of Prayer Dollars at work!

The Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada is pleased to announce the recent emergency grant of $1,000 each to the Anglican Church of Canada and the United Church of Canada for Horn of Africa Drought Relief. Our $2,000 donation is matched by CIDA.

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• 'Awakening'
  
  This beautiful painting has been donated to the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada to raise funds in support of First Nations Women’s organizations. We are delighted to announce a limited edition run of prints of this painting, signed and numbered by the Artist, David Alexander Risk for sale.  We have named this painting 'Awakening'.  All proceeds will go to First Nations Women’s organizations here in Canada.
  Your 'Awakening' print will be delivered by courier on acid-free cardboard backing with a full biography of the Artist and shrink-wrapped for safe shipping. The size of the print including a border is 27 x 19.5 inches.
  The cost of this print is $125 plus $15 shipping for a total of $140.
  
  About the Artist
  
  Although David Alexander Risk is an Algonquin Park wildlife artist of renown, he began a new style of painting a few years ago in order to honour Canada’s First Nations people who first inhabited the Park.  Awakening is the first limited edition print of this different direction in painting style. 
  
  Risk uses oil paints, acrylics, water colour, egg tempera, gouache, pen and ink and pencil to achieve the stunning effects he desires.  His great love of nature and life is shown in his extraordinary ability to capture the life and realism of his subjects.  His discerning eye for critical detail and remarkable realism make his paintings highly praised and sought after by private and corporate collectors.  David Risk’s original works and limited edition prints have also been presented and are hanging in such collections as the British Royal Family, a former Prime Minister of Canada, a former Premier of Ontario, as well as entertainer Bob Hope.  Risk is happily married and lives with his family near Algonquin Park.
  
  Please think about the value of this art as well as the gift to First Nations women. As with all art, this original investment of $125 has the potential to increase dramatically with time. To order your 'Awakening' print, contact the WICC office at 416-929-5184 or click here.

• Unplugged
  The Winter 2011 issue of Riding the Waves is typically our "Spirituality" issue. This current issue features a well-written and thought provoking artilce for The Rev'd Tara Livingstone on the importance of unplugging for worldly distractions and tuning in to God - an appropriate theme for Lent. Our readers have been introduced to three new Council members, on our Meet the Council page in the Fall 2011 issue. We will, as always bring you Council News, with up to date stories on what's happening 'behind the scenes.' The issue also features a book review, a bible study, a project profile on a World Day of Prayer grant recipient from 2010, our youth perspective page From the Mouths of Babes, our pop culture page, What's On Your Mind?; and other articles and features. To join our network and receive all three copies of Riding the Waves: Fall - World Day of Prayer; Winter - Spirituality; and Spring - Social Justice, click here.
  
• Prayer Concerns for 2012: Fellowship of the Least Coin supporters are invited to use our free monthly Prayer Concerns. To pray the 2012 Prayer Concerns, available as a free pdf click here. For more information on the work accomplished by pennies around the world, pleas visit our FLC page.
  
• Sisters in Spirit:
  The violence experienced by Aboriginal women and girls in Canada is both disproportionate and tragic. To date, more than 80 vigils have been held from Athabasca to Yellowknife. For more information on how to get involved, or organize your own Sisters in Spirit vigil, click here.
  
  
• Download resources on violence against women:
  Portions of Healing Waters: Churches Working to End Violence against Women can now be downloaded from this page. The excerpts include background information on violence against women, ways to respond to suspected survivors of abuse, as well as worship and Bible study suggestions.
  

Kelley Aitken, who designed the medallion graphics on this site, is an artist, writer and illustrator. She teaches art to women who have experienced long term poverty. She is the author of a collection of short stories set in Ecuador, Love in a Warm Climate, The Porcupine’s Quill, ‘98, and a co-editor of the anthology First Writes, The Banff Press, ‘05. She lives with her partner in Toronto.