On Saturday, February 13th, the Prayer Week for Christian Unity began in Egypt. Leaders from a number of denominations gathered at All Saints’ Cathedral at the center of Cairo in Zamalek to pray and worship together. Leaders from the following churches were present:
- The Anglican Communion
- The Armenian Catholic Church
- The Armenian Orthodox Church
- The Catholic Church
- The Coptic Evangelical Church
- The Coptic Orthodox Church
- The Egyptian Council of Churches
- The Greek Orthodox Church
- The Middle East Council of Churches
These many leaders prayed and sang together and gave short messages on the meaning of “rolling the stone together”, in reference to removing the stone from the tomb of Jesus. Some of these messages highlighted the many different stones that must be removed in life, others spoke to the stones that so often guard our hearts, and others still showed how these stones can be used to build bridges.
The service was accompanied by the All Saints’ Cathedral Choir and attended by a large number of people.
By praying and worshiping, all to the same purpose, these diverse denominations were brought together in unity. At the height of the service, bread was broken amongst all the great leaders present. As the service concluded, this much-blessed bread was passed out to many of the congregants. The service was a powerful reminder that sometimes the strength of the Church can arise from even division itself when churches come together in loving, passionate, and world-changing unity.
The Prayer Week for Christian Unity will continue with a variety of events throughout the week.