UniteBoston

Nurturing Relational Connections Across Boston's Christian Community

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an international initiative where Christians worldwide are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (John 17:21). Locally, UniteBoston coordinates evening collaborative gatherings of fellowship, prayer and worship from January 18-25 annually.

This Year’s Theme: In 2025, Christians mark the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea, where key doctrinal disputes about the Trinity and the nature of Christ were resolved, resulting in the Nicene Creed—a foundational statement of Christian faith and unity. The Nicene Creed is the Christian “symbol” of agreed doctrine and also the statement of faith for UniteBoston. This commemoration invites Christians to celebrate what unites them through the Creed while reflecting on the divisions that still persist today.

Mark Your Calendars – You are invited to mark your calendars and plan to attend the evening gatherings! In this time of Epiphany, we encourage you to receive the manifestation of Jesus Christ through those of different denominations, races and cultures. Let’s make the most of these opportunities in order to truly be the family of God and serve as the body of Christ in the world. Let’s also pray with our feet – consider how our beliefs can come together in common action and witness.

Spread the Word – We also appreciate help spreading the word to people in your congregation, family, friends, and neighbors. A personal invitation goes a long way.

Calling to mind our common commitment to ‘love thy neighbor,’ may the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18-25, 2025 be full of moments of conversion of heart through our encounters, so that “all may be one.”

Click above to watch a reflection on the significance of the Nicene Creed from Dr. Elizabeth M. Woodard, Catholic theologian, musician, author, speaker, spiritual director, and ecumenist. She is a member of our Christian unity cohort and considers her vocation as bringing people to God and to each other.

Resources for Your Week of Prayer Experience from The Initiative:

Litany for Christian Unity

Daily Prayer Guide

PDF Schedule for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 

Introduction on the Theme from Greymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Initiative

Schedule for Gatherings in Boston & New England

Saturday January 18 – Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Prayer Service

11:00am to 1:00pm at Noroton Presbyterian Church, 2011 Post Road, Darien CT

Join pastoral leaders in Connecticut for liturgical prayer using the International Week of Prayer for Christian Unity worship service.

Sunday January 19 – Love Casts Out Fear: An Inauguration Eve Vigil

5:00 to 7:00pm at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 138 Tremont St. Downtown Boston, MA 02111 or via the Cathedral’s YouTube Channel

Join Episcopal Bishop Julia E. Whitworth and ecumenical leaders for this prayer service to hold sacred space for leaning into the Christian teaching that love casts out fear, the church stands with the marginalized, and love in practice looks like justice and peace.

Monday January 20 – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day 

We encourage you to join into many different opportunities to remember the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Events listed with Meet Boston, City of Cambridge, or VisitMA.com 

Various volunteer and service opportunities listed through Boston Cares and City Year

Tuesday January 21 – Noontime Prayer Gathering 

12:00 to 1:00pm at Tremont Temple, 88 Tremont Street, Downtown Boston MA 02111 

Join pastors and business leaders for a prayer gathering in downtown Boston for the good of the city. To RSVP or for more information, contact Craig Parker, craig.parker@navigators.org

Thursday January 23 – United in Mission Worship and Prayer Night

7:00 to 8:30pm at NewCity Church, 1135 Walnut St. Newton, MA 02461

Join us for a powerful worship and prayer night as we focus on the mission of the Church, coming together as one body to reflect the unity Jesus prayed for in John 17:21 in alignment with the theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the Nicene Creed. Childcare will be provided! 

Friday January 24 – Dorchester Neighborhood Dinner and Prayer

7:00 to 9:00pm at Cleo’s House near JFK/UMass in Dorchester

Join Cleopatra Muhammad for a meal, conversation, and prayer to celebrate what unites us in Jesus Christ and reflecting on the divisions that still persist today. Email Cleo at cmuhammad85@gmail.com to RSVP and for the address.

Sunday January 26 – Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Prayer Service

7:00 to 9:00pm at  Sanctuary at Woodville, 249 Wood St. Woodville MA, 01784

Join local ecumenical leaders in the Metrowest for liturgical prayer using this year’s International Week of Prayer for Christian Unity worship service. Scott Brill from The Initiative will be preaching.

Sunday February 9 – Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Prayer Service

2:00 to 3:30pm at St Barbara’s Parish, 138 Cambridge Rd, Woburn, MA 01801

Join local ecumenical leaders in Woburn for liturgical prayer using this year’s International Week of Prayer for Christian Unity worship service.

Photos from Previous Years

In 2017, we coordinated a large worship service on January 21st in alignment with the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, that had over 8 co-sponsors and was attended by over 800 people.
Here are many of the leaders hosting gatherings for the 2019 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
UB City-Wide Dinner Launch – November 2017
UniteBoston dinner at Sally’s house in West Roxbury
Prayer Gathering at the Greek Metropolis of Boston
Neighborhood Dinner at Adam’s house in East Boston
Co-presiders from various Christian traditions at the 2017 Week of Prayer Anchor Gathering

A call to participate in the National Day of Prayer

This coming Thursday, May 1st, churches and individuals across our city will be joining together for the Annual National Day of Prayer gathering in downtown Boston. Sheila Donegan, the UniteBoston Journalist, had the opportunity to sit down with Latonya Brown to hear more of the history behind this year’s event.

——————–

We have a rich history of prayer as a nation. The National Day of Prayer was first signed into law by President Harry Truman on April 17th, 1952. He asked that the people of the United States would come together on this day and collectively turn our hearts to God in prayer and meditation. But the call to pray goes back much further than this. In fact, days of prayer have been called for in the United States since 1775, when the Continental Congress designated a time for prayer as the new nation was forming.

In his 1983 declaration, Ronald Reagan said, “From General Washington’s struggle at Valley Forge to the present, this nation has fervently sought and received divine guidance as it pursued the course of history. This occasion provides our nation with an opportunity to further recognize the source of our blessings, and to seek His help for the challenges we face today and in the future.”

As a country, we are celebrating the 63rd year of this event with over 40,000 gatherings across the United States. LaTonya Brown, this year’s coordinator for Massachusetts, told us that this year the focus is on mobilizing and equipping the Body of Christ to pray for sustained worldwide revival, reformation and restoration. LaTonya shared that in Massachusetts, we will be joining the millions across our country as we pray and seek the face of God on behalf of our city, state, and nation. There are currently fifteen prayer gatherings scheduled across the Commonwealth.

There will be two strategic events in the city of Boston:

National Day of Prayer Noonday Prayer Gathering at the State House

Gardner Auditorium, 12pm – 1pm

“That They May Be One” Clergy and Intercessors United in Prayer for Massachusetts

7pm – 8pm

Location: Congregation Lion of Judah, 20 Reed Street, Boston

(Worship lead by Zenzo Matoga)

“There is a move of the Holy Spirit happening across the earth and it is being strongly felt within Massachusettes and New England. We are here to call the body of Christ in our communities to come together and stand in the gap on behalf of our city, our region and our nation.” LaTonya shared. “We hope that all that are a part of the Body of Christ in the Boston and Greater Boston area will join us in this most significant time as we come together as one and lift up the Name that is above all names…the Name of Jesus over our city. May we see His Kingdom come here and his will be done on this earth as we do!

For more information on the National Day of Prayer in Boston and how you can be a part, watch the video below or email: latonya@praymassachusettes.org

United Together, Hand in Hand

Today, Megan Lietz, Administrator at Abundant Life Church and member of the The Greater Boston Minister’s Prayer Summit team, shares her reflections from 10 Days Boston’s Cambridge service. This article was written for and initially published in ALC’s monthly electronic newsletter.
image
Photo credit: Lydia Maxwell
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
John 17:20-21 is often quoted as an ideal for us to strive for, but the week of Oct. 4th – 14th, as churches gathered together for worship, we got a glimpse of this in-breaking reality. 

For the 10 days between the Jewish holidays, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, churches came together across the greater Boson area to fast, pray, and host collaberative worship services. Each evening was hosted by congregations of a certain ethnic group, tradition, or geographical location that was encouraged to lead the greater Body in worship in a way that reflected their own community. These same churches opened their doors for prayer during the day and gave people the opportunity to participate in local evangelistic outreach. What made the gatherings so beautiful is that they were not the fruit of any single church, but the result of diverse churches working together to worship God in a way that reflected their experience in the Body of Christ.

image

Photo Credit: Lydia Maxwell

 Abundant Life was honored to participate in the 10 Days by hosting the Cambridge gathering on Friday Sept. 6th, 2013. We gladly welcomed ministers and laypeople of diverse cultures, ethnicities, and ages to lead worship and prayer.We used a concert of prayer format, small group intercession, scripture reading, musical worship, and personal reflection to lift up the Church, our city, and especially the youth of our community. 

Ministries that participated included A Place to Heal Ministries, Cambridgeport Baptist Church, First Holiness Church, Journey Church, Pentecostal Tabernacle, Rush Memorial Zion Church, Spirit of the Living Word Ministries, St. Paul AME, Union Baptist Church, The Greater Boston Vineyard, and Young Life. It was a beautiful expression of the diverse members of the Body of Christ in Cambridge. As we concluded the night, hand in hand as a sign of unity, there was expectation for what God would do. As we work together, may people know that Jesus was sent by God and encounter his transformative love in their lives.
Please explore the following links to learn more about 10 Days Boston or other 10 Days Gatherings across the country.  

image

Photo credit: Kelly Steinhaus

Give to Further Christian Unity

DONATE!