A world-wide collaborative effort to raise funds to be collectively used to provide grants for projects in Canada and throughout the world resulted in a successful World Day of Prayer service at the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Kamsack.
Milenna Hollett and Marj Orr were responsible for spearheading the initiative which brought this year’s service to fruition, and Rev. Nancy Brunt conducted the service.
The World Day of Prayer Committee of the Philippines wrote this year’s service which bore the title “Am I Being Unfair to You?” The same committee was responsible for creating a DVD, highlighting the severe hardships that have been endured by the women of the Philippines for more than a century, which was shown after the service.
Orr began the service with a processional, bearing symbolic items, that were placed at the church alter.
On display were: water, oil and leaves representing the annual harvest; the indigenous cloth representing the clothing of the workers; a scale which represented weighing the fruits of the harvest, and a tray holding many fruits, fish and dried rice which represented the harvest.
Lucille Aldip, a Kamsack resident originally from the Philippines, brought forward the national flag of the Philippines and draped it across the podium.
“It is really amazing to think that people all over the world are coming together today for one common purpose,” said Marj Orr, an organizer. “Just imagine events like this being held all over the world today. It is nice to be a part of something so large.
“It makes one realize how lucky one is to be living in a country like Canada. Sometimes we forget to appreciate the smaller things in life. We certainly don’t have to face the struggles of the women of the Philippines, depicted in the DVD, to survive everyday, and we have not had to endure a war.”
Organizers said they were pleased with the turnout for this year’s service, and indicated that a total of $404 was raised and will be sent on and added to the collective world total.
