Chapel by-the-Sea hosts World Day of Prayer 2011
“For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.”
— Luke 12:48
There are few places in the world like Sanibel and Captiva, and while they provide an abundance of natural gifts, the philanthropic spirit of the human inhabitants of these barrier islands makes the area all the more unique.
For the 2011 World Day of Prayer, representatives from six island churches will gather together at the Chapel By-the-Sea on Friday, March 4, to celebrate their many blessings and to contemplate how they can better serve and give back to the community.
“World Day of Prayer is annual event celebrated all over the globe, and each year the service is hosted by one of the island churches,” said local World Day of Prayer Chairwoman Nathalie Pyle. “The Chapel first got involved in 1992, and then we did it again in 2004, but the event is very much shared by all of the island congregations. The World day of Prayer is a very nice ecumenical, global program that is shared by all the Christian faith communities on the islands and it sits very well with what the Chapel is,” Pyle said, referring to the non-denominational tradition of the Chapel By-the-Sea.
Each year, a different country serves as the writer of the World Day of Prayer worship service and this year the women of Chile have written the service based on the theme, “How many loaves have you?”
“Bread is very important in the Chilean culture, and the theme of this year’s service relates to how you share what you have with your local, and maybe your global community,” Pyle said. “Having a host country tends to bring more awareness to the particular geographic and cultural uniqueness of the country, and part of the service will focus on the customs and values that are important to the Chilean people.”
The service, which begins at 10 a.m. on March 4, will last approximately one hour, and will be followed by Chilean-themed refreshments in the Chapel yard.
“One of the things I like about world day of prayer and what I enjoy about being involved, is that it’s the same sermon, the same scripture, the same message being shared all over the world,” Pyle said. “It creates a wonderful synergy and energy to know that congregations all over the world are celebrating in a similar way.”
Participating in the 2011 World Day of Prayer are clergy and 16 women from the six Churches of the Islands: St. Isabel’s Catholic, St. Michael’s and All Angels Episcopal, Sanibel Congregational, Christian Science, Sanibel Community and, of course, the Chapel.
The Chapel By-the-Sea is located at 11580 Chapin Lane, behind the Captiva Memorial Library.