A highlight of the year for Baptist women worldwide is the Day of Prayer, traditionally held on or near the first Monday in November. This annual observance is a way for women around the world to link together supportively and fund various Christian projects.

European Baptist women started the ball rolling in 1948. After the devastation of the Second World War, they felt compelled to begin the healing processes for women isolated by war and national loyalties.

The first Day of Prayer was promoted as “a means to reunite Baptists separated by the pain and devastation of war, and to strengthen the spiritual bonds in years to come.”
The word soon spread to women on other continents, however, and the Day of Prayer is now observed annually in nearly every country where there are Baptist groups.

In some parts of the globe women are known to walk several miles, some over and down mountains, to reach appointed places of prayer. In parts of Asia and Africa women have swum small rivers and streams to participate in the Day of Prayer. Is it any wonder the movement has grown?

A different continental union writes the program for the annual Day of Prayer each year. The meeting usually begins with a meal, includes a Bible study or special presentation, and concludes with prayer requests that encircle the globe. A special offering is taken up on each occasion.

In New Zealand, Day of Prayer meetings are held in various cities. In Auckland, for example, we’re providing four different times and places for this year’s meetings, so each woman can choose one convenient for her. This year we’ll include pictures and a brief report of my recent trip to Papua New Guinea.

Saturday October 30
• Lunch, noon – 2:30pm at Windsor Park Baptist Church, 550 East Coast Road, Mairangi Bay
• Dinner, 6:30 – 9pm at Remuera Baptist Church, 641 Remuera Road
Reserve for either by October 26

Saturday 13 November
• Breakfast 8 – 10:30am at Manurewa Baptist Church, 9 Lupton Road
• Dinner 6:30 – 9pm at Mt Albert Baptist Church, 732 New North Road
Reserve for either by November 9 

The cost per meal is $15. Please register with Lee Bell,  (09) 278-1716 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

A Day of Prayer meeting can be as simple as a coffee with a group of believers. If you’d like to organize one in your town next month, resources can be downloaded from our website, www.bwuswp.com – we can even email you a PowerPoint.

• Julie Belding ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) is president of the Baptist Women’s Union of the South West Pacific.