Ecumenical Prayer Cycle: Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen

As I wrote about in a recent post, part of my vicarage at Saint Peter's Church this year is providing a supplemental paragraph about countries in the weekly Ecumenical Prayer Cycle created by the World Council of Churches. We pray for each country listed in the prayer cycle during the Intercessory Prayers at Saint Peter's on Sundays and the paragraph is included in our bulletin insert to provide context for those intercessions.

This week's countries (1/6 - 1/12) are Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. While the paragraph below provides some basic information, check out their WCC page for additional prayer resources.

Despite continued civil unrest, human rights violations, violence and threats of war in many of the Middle Eastern countries we pray for this week, there is much to give thanks for. Iran has slowed its uranium enrichment efforts in recent months, indicating its leaders may soon seek to end the nuclear standoff with Western countries. Iraq ratified the Additional Protocol of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty this past October, indicating its commitment to a world without nuclear weapons. Qatar will hold its first national legislative elections in mid to late 2013. We also pray for Christian minorities in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Yemen and the countries listed above.

God's peace,
Dustin

Dustin is currently a vicar at the Lutheran Office for World Community and Saint Peter's Church in Manhattan, having recently completed his second year of a Masters of Divinity program at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. While seeking ordination in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, his focus is on the intersection between worship, service and justice building in de-centralized faith communities unencumbered by a traditional church building. In his free time, Dustin likes playing frisbee, hiking and pretending to know how to sing.