Despite a two-day headache and recovery from a COVID-19 infection, Madhur Lakra logged on at 19:30 local time to pray.

He not only participated in but led a Hindi prayer room for MWC’s bimonthly online prayer hour in July.

After a large group welcome in English with simultaneous interpretation, the 100 participants on the Zoom call break into “rooms” for small group prayer in English, Spanish, French, Hindi and Indonesian.

“Prayer is the act which God instituted that we should enjoy and must practice also with our global family members,” says Madhur Lakra, English pastor at Hastings Chapel, Kolkata, India, a part of MWC member church Bharatiya Jukta Christa Prachar Mandali (BJCPM).

“MWC prayer hour gives us a better understanding about other Christian brothers and sisters and gives us a sense of belongingness to the greater family.”

In his Hindi-speaking room, the diversity of the global family was evident in the 6 participants: from Brethren in Christ Odisha, Bihar Mennonite Mandli, BJCPM, Dhamtari Mennonite Church and BIC Nepal.

And by the end of the hour, his headache was gone.

Breakout room leaders called for prayer:

• for Christians in India experiencing increased government hostility;
• for church leaders in Austria who are struggling financially;
• for good governance in Indian Mennonite conferences;
• for people suffering from police violence in Colombia;
• for perseverance and hope amid rising COVID-19 cases in Indonesia;
• for vaccine availability in Nepal amid political and economic instability;
• for political leadership in Haiti;
• for the civil situation in Argentina;
• for the crisis flooding in Germany and Belgium;
• for those suffering violence in Ethiopia’s Tigray region; and
• that those who receive misinformation about vaccinations would know the truth.

“We shared words of gratitude for God’s loving care recognizing that our mutual love helps…to sustain our faith and to guide our healing,” says Pablo Stucky, MWC regional representative for Latin America – Andean region, reporting from a Spanish room.

“Hearing the cries from brothers and sisters in other places puts our own cries into perspective,” says Arli Klassen, regional representatives coordinator.

Many participants promise to share the prayer points raised in the meeting with their congregations or national church for ongoing prayer.

MWC’s Assembly team provides technical support while Deacons and regional representatives lead breakroom rooms and communications staff inform registrants of how to join.

Upcoming online prayer hour events:

• 17 September 2021
• 19 November 2021
• 21 January 2022
• 18 March 2022
• 20 May 2022

The prayer meeting happens simultaneously in the evening in Asia, afternoon in Africa and Europe and morning in the Americas.

Updated 12 August 2021: name spelling corrected