The Ecumenical Council of Churches in the Czech Republic has opened the twentieth edition of its annual “Prayer for Home” initiative, inviting congregations across the country to pray for families, neighbours and the communities they live in. The campaign, held each autumn, includes an art competition for children, a shared act of worship and a live broadcast on 28 October. This year’s theme is “God with us”.
“Prayer for Home” has been organised for two decades by the Ecumenical Council of Churches (ERC), the body that brings together the Czech Republic’s main Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox churches. In a letter of invitation, ERC general secretary Marián Čop described home as more than a building: a place where people long to find safety, acceptance and love, and a space shaped by relationships, by the people around us and by the country in which we live. He said the prayers would give thanks for what is good while asking for help “where we experience pain, uncertainty or division”.
Congregations are free to shape the initiative as they wish — a single service, a longer series of meetings, or a local gathering — with Sunday 25 October suggested for local observances. A live broadcast prepared by an ecumenical group of representatives from ERC member churches will run on 28 October from 15:00 to 16:00. Čop asked churches to remember families, children and the elderly, the lonely and “all who lack a home”, and to pray for peace in relationships and for the willingness to build a home in which everyone has a place. He added that even a small act of kindness can help someone feel accepted and know that they belong.
(Originally published in Czech. Summary translated by CC / Connexion.)
Source: Ecumenical Council of Churches in the Czech Republic (ERC) — modlitbazadomov.cz
