Centennial 2027
“United in Prayer for Justice and Peace”
1 Samuel 2:1-10 & Luke 1:39-55
March 05, 2027
As we approach the World Day of Prayer Centennial in 2027, we stand at a remarkable threshold. For one hundred years, women have led the world in prayer, transcending boundaries of nation, culture, and denomination. The 2027 materials invite us to celebrate this milestone by listening to two voices from scripture whose songs still resonate today—Hannah and Mary.Â
Through an exploration of Hannah's song (1 Samuel 2:1-10) and Mary's Magnificat (Luke 1:39-55), the World Day of Prayer International Committee illuminates how these women's bold prayers proclaimed God's justice and called for concrete change. Their stories remind us that prayer takes on special meaning in times of suffering or crisis, and that informed prayer combined with prayerful action can lead to transformation.
This centennial year marks a significant milestone in a much larger stream of faithful witness. Our prayers join a timeless chorus that transcends boundaries, singing of a God who transforms the world. When we gather in prayer, we experience the joy of Elizabeth and Mary—a recognition that something new is growing within our movement, bringing life and hope.
​Root, Reflect, Rise​:​
​Celebrating 100 Years of World Day of Prayer
​As the World Day of Prayer approaches its Centennial milestone, the WDPIC Executive Committee is putting out a special call to the worldwide movement — one that honors nearly 100 years of women gathering across culture, language, and denomination, united by a shared commitment to prayer and action: Root, Reflect, Rise. We want to hear what you do. Share your stories with us by email, tag us on social media, and use #RootReflectRise so we can celebrate everything this call inspires around the world.
ROOT
Plant a special Centennial tree in your community — a living symbol of what World Day of Prayer has grown to represent. Like the movement itself, a tree takes time to establish, sends roots deep into the ground, and becomes shelter and sustenance for those around it.​​
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By planting this tree, you are making a promise: that WDP will continue to take root in communities around the world for the next hundred years.
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​When you plant, share a photo with us — tag us on social media or send us an email — so we can see the movement taking root, one community at a time.
REFLECT
Every movement is carried forward by the people who gave it their care and love. This Centennial year is an opportunity to share and celebrate those stories. Write the history of World Day of Prayer in your country.
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Sit down with the elders of the movement — the women who showed up year after year, who organized and prayed and led when no one was watching — and listen. Record what they remember. Honor the faithful work of women whose contributions have built this movement and preserve their legacies for the generations of women who will follow.
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Then share what you find with us. Send us your histories, your photographs and your memories. These stories belong to the whole movement.
RISE
To carry World Day of Prayer into its next century, we must invest in the next generation. The newly established WDPIC Young Women's Fund exists for exactly this purpose: to open doors, create opportunities, and equip young women to take their place in this movement.
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Our Centennial goal is bold: $1 million for the next generation. Initiate local fundraisers and direct the proceeds to WDPIC. Make your own gift. Invite your congregation, your community, and your corner of the worldwide movement to contribute.
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For instructions on how to contribute funds, reach out to us at admin@wdpic.org. Together, we can meet this goal. And as you do, tell us about it — use #RootReflectRise, tag us, or send us an email so we can celebrate what this movement makes possible together.
​Root. Reflect. Rise. One hundred years of prayer — and the next century begins now.
WDPIC Centennial Grants
Each National Committee is invited to apply for up to $750 USD to support your WDP Centennial year plans. Whether you're organizing a special event, creating promotional materials, taking on a Centennial project, or investing in equipment that will strengthen your work for years to come, we want to help resource what you're building in your country.
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Applications are open to National Committees only, with one application per committee. They will be received and reviewed on an ongoing basis through January 31, 2027.
To learn more about the application process or if you have questions, reach out to us at admin@wdpic.org.
Our Origins
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The soil from which the World Day of Prayer grew was the world missionary movement. Women were first part of it as wives who accompanied their missionary husbands to foreign lands. Conditions in foreign lands were reported back home through letters. Individual and common prayer became a way for people at home to overcome the sense of separation and to turn to God for help. At the same time, these reports revealed the dire conditions under which women and children lived. With the burden of their families, missionary wives were unable to take up teaching children and supporting women. What was needed were single women who could carry out these responsibilities.
​From 1860 onward, denominational women's missionary societies were founded in the United States and Canada in order to find, train and financially support single women missionaries. These societies developed annual denominational days of prayer to unite the women for the work at home and abroad. Similar days were established for home missions that focused on immigrants, minorities and migrant workers in North America. The offering taken up at these days of prayer became an important part of financing these activities. Through the Days of Prayer, women developed joint projects and experienced more and more the benefits and joys of working together.
The United Day of Prayer Begins
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When World War I was over, these streams of praying, learning, and acting came together with new power. The Federation of Women for Foreign Missions and the Council of Women for Home Missions together called for a united day of prayer across the United States that was to be celebrated ecumenically in churches all over the country. It began in 1920 on the first Friday of Lent.
The response was overwhelming, and attendance grew every year. The Canadian women who started their united day of prayer in 1920 took the same day as their American sisters in 1922 and the same program by 1925.
The Federation and the Council shared responsibilities in the enormous work needed for this nation-wide united day. The office of the Council printed the programs and distributed them. A program committee of the Federation prepared the annual program, which for 1927 had the theme "Pray Ye Therefore," prepared by Chairperson Mary Hough.
The Circle of Prayer Embraces the World (1927)
1927 - Pray Ye Therefore; Writer: Mary Hough, USA
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A small committee of six women from The Federation of Women for Foreign Missions and the Council of Women for Home Missions had the inspiration to send out the 1927 program to all the missionary contacts that they had around the world. The immediate and strong response from many countries was also owed to the study book for 1927, which had already been published in 1926.
​This book by Mary Schaufler Platt described the devastating conditions under which children had to suffer worldwide, including immigrants and minorities in the United States. The call to join the Day of Prayer reached the leading women in China, Japan and Latin America who had already studied the book. Within an amazing four months, women from everywhere had responded to the call to join the Day of Prayer, and the Committee could print on the finalized program: "World Day of Prayer for Missions."
The echo was unexpected and overwhelmingly big. Unprompted, numerous, impressive reports came from India, Burma, China, Korea, Japan, South America, Africa, Syria, Europe and from the Caribbean Islands, Canada and the United States. In the words of Mary Hough: "We have made the great new experience that we pray with and set free the energies we need for mastering our big tasks."
For decades, women had been praying together, learning together, and acting together. They had built networks of support across denominations and across oceans. They had discovered the power of education and the strength of unity. Now, in 1927, these many streams flowed together into a worldwide river of prayer. The World Day of Prayer was born.
A New Logo (1982-1986)​
At the fifth International Meeting, 120 women from 65 countries gathered at the Evangelical Academy in Tutzing, Germany under the theme "Women Empowered in Prayer and Action." The Bavarian setting provided a rich backdrop: the women worshipped at the Theatinerkirche Roman Catholic church and were received at the Bavarian State House. An evening Bavarian feast with traditional music and dancing by a local youth group gave the gathering a festive character. Delegates could choose from excursions to the Rococo Church in Wies, Castle Linderhof, a farmhouse in Glenleiten, or Dachau — each in its own way a window into Germany's layered history and culture.
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A memorable Bible study, "Women in the Wilderness — a Spiritual Journey of Silence, Solitude, Seeing," led by Beclee Wilson, invited delegates to bring scraps of cloth, which were stitched together during the session and presented as a quilt to the German Committee — a tangible symbol of unity across difference.
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At this meeting, the symbol developed by the women of Ireland was adopted as the official logo of the International Committee for World Day of Prayer, presented by Joan Nicoll of Ireland. Its design brings together arrows converging from the four compass points, figures kneeling in prayer, the Celtic cross, and a circle representing the world — together expressing the movement's unity across all its diversity.
2012 Wood carving made by WDP Samoa
Our Centennial Year (2027)
In 1927, a small committee of women sent out a call to pray, and women around the world answered. One hundred years later, that circle has grown to encompass women in more than 135 countries, praying together on the first Friday of March in countless languages, traditions, and contexts. The centennial is not only a moment to look back with gratitude — it is an invitation to widen the circle once more, to pass the light to the next generation, and to trust that the seeds planted now will bear fruit for another hundred years.
As World Day of Prayer approaches the centennial of the first worldwide day of prayer in March 1927, the movement is preparing to mark this milestone with celebration, reflection, and renewed commitment to the future.
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Root, Reflect, Rise: A special call is going out to the worldwide movement. Root — Plant a special Centennial tree in your community. Reflect — Write the history of World Day of Prayer in your country. Rise — Support the newly established WDPIC Young Women's Fund.
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Centennial Projects: Music Book - a musical treasury of the movement's voice across cultures and generations. Prayer Book - One hundred prayers from the hundred years of World Day of Prayer. Conversation Circles on the Guiding Principles - A series of recorded dialogues, one for each of the 9 Guiding Principles.
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WDPIC Young Women's Leadership Institute: A special opportunity for young women ages 21-35 from all regions of the WDP movement. Selected participants from across the worldwide network will gather together in the Fall of 2026, deepening their leadership and their connection to the global ecumenical movement they are being invited to help carry forward.
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Centennial SNC Grants: Each National Committee in the movement may apply for up to $750 USD to support their work in building up World Day of Prayer during the Centennial year.
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15th International Meeting - Accra, Ghana, June 21-28, 2027: The fifteenth International Meeting will gather in Accra, Ghana from June 21-28, 2027 - and because of the special significance of the Centennial year, the meeting is opening several new categories of participation - Stewards Program, WDPIC Choir, Observers.
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About the Art & Artist
The painting, River of Prayer, was created for the World Day of Prayer’s Centennial in response to the team's beautiful vision and guidelines. It portrays women from around the globe, each representing different cultures and regions, united in worship and prayer, standing together in strength and humility.
At the heart of the artwork flows a river, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, peace, and the continuous movement of God's presence. The river gently surrounds the women, connecting them in one body and one spirit. Their posture is lifted in prayer, and their faces reflect faith, hope, and resilience.
The colors are vibrant and diverse, echoing the richness of every nation and the beauty of unity in diversity — a visual call for justice, peace, and spiritual togetherness.
Shams Saad is a Lebanese artist, worship leader, and proud mother of three. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts from the Lebanese University and is the founder of Shams w Fann, a unique creative space where fun meets skill, and people of all ages explore their artistic potential through guided art experiences.
With a passion for both visual and musical arts, Shams has been active in the local art scene, winning several prestigious awards such as Fabriano, L'Enfant des Cèdres, and L'Orient-Le Jour competitions, and many more. Deeply connected to the mission and vision of World Day of Prayer, she is honored to contribute her artistry to this global movement.
