CHARLESTON — South Carolina Lutherans, Anglicans, Roman Catholics and United Methodists (LARCUM) will gather for an ecumenical prayer service at 4 p.m. Jan. 29 at St. Barnabas Lutheran Church, 45 Moultrie St. The public is invited to attend the service and the reception that will follow in the social hall.
Bishop David A. Donges, S.C. Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, will be the host bishop. The Rev. Kara Joy S. Huff will be the host pastor, and the Rt. Rev. Dorsey F. Henderson Jr., bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Upper South Carolina, will be the main speaker.
Other LARCUM bishops will share leadership in the service, including Bishop Robert J. Baker of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston; Bishop Edward L. Salmon Jr. of the Episcopal Diocese of S.C.; Bishop William J. Skilton, suffragan bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of S.C.; and Bishop Mary Virginia Taylor of the S.C. Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Begun in 1908, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is celebrated each year in cities and towns across the country and around the world. The annual South Carolina LARCUM Prayer Service traditionally follows the week.
The theme and text for each year’s observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity are chosen and prepared by representatives of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and representatives of the World Council of Churches. This year’s theme is “Where two or three are gathered together” (Mt 18:15-22). This year’s resources are intended to evoke a sustained reflection on Jesus’ invitation to gather in his name and on the meaning such gatherings have for the unity of the church and the renewal of the human community.
This year’s materials were prepared by the churches in Ireland. Over the past 25 years the draft texts for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have been prepared in Ireland, against the backdrop of a decreasing level of violence and an increased hope for a Christ-filled peace.
The international texts are developed and published for use in the USA by the Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute, which invites contributions from members of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA and other ecumenists. Information on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity can be found on the Graymoor Web site at www.geii.org.