WCC Ecumenical Prayer Cycle: Myanmar & Thailand

The ancient Buddhist capital of Bagan in Myanmar.

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 (3/10 - 3/16) are Myanmar & Thailand. While the paragraph below provides some recent information, check out their WCC page for additional prayer resources. 

This week we pray for the people of Myanmar as they begin developing just and humane political and civil system after decades of military rule.  We give thanks for new government efforts to end the ivory trade in Thailand.  We pray that recently announced peace talks between the Thai government and Muslim militants in the south of the country succeed in ending a nearly decade-long conflict that has claimed more than 5000 lives.

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.