During the worship we will hear the real-life stories of women rejoicing in their faith while coping with poverty, discrimination and violent conflict. Christians in northern Nigeria feel under threat from neighbouring communities, and groups of girls have been kidnapped from their schools by rebels. Every day mothers are anxious until their daughters return home, and women face great inequality in work and society, particularly if they are widowed. Their daily battles to survive and thrive are reflected in the choice of ‘I will give you rest, come’ as the theme of their service. Grace, a widow who has managed to start her own business, says “We are not just coping, we are living by faith”. The service that Nigerian women want to share with the world is a celebration of God’s love and care in good times and bad.

WDP services are lively and creative: they are written each year by a group of women from different churches in the designated country, who also commission a piece of artwork and a new song to be sung during the service. The core material they produce is adapted by each gathering around the world. In the Algarve, annual services had been held in individual churches until 2020, but the need to take WDP online saw several groups come together in a spirit of unity. Post-pandemic, three services have been held in person in different churches in the Algarve, but the organisers would love to bring together more churches and individuals. WDP was originally called the Women’s World Day of Prayer, but since the word “women” was dropped a couple of decades ago, the participation of men has been increasing, and everyone is welcome to this year’s services in Praia da Luz and Tavira, women and men, young and old, from whatever church background or none. If you haven’t been before, why not come along this year? There will be a music group to enliven the worship, and a chance to get together afterwards over a coffee and some refreshments inspired by the flavours of Nigeria.

Throughout the world, these special services close with the hymn The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended, which seems a strange choice when many WDP services take place in the middle of the day, but the words have a wonderful sense of the purpose of WDP - a wave of prayer moving around the earth over the course of this special day:

As o’er each continent and island

the dawn leads on another day,

the voice of prayer is never silent,

nor die the strains of praise away.

World Day of Prayer 2026 services will take place at 11am on Friday 6 March in Praia da Luz at the Sal?o Paroquial behind the church of Nossa Senhora da Luz, and in Tavira at Mehfil Restaurant, Pra?a Dr. Ant?nio Padinha. More information: worlddayofprayer.algarve@gmail.com