Women's World Day of Prayer 2011
Informed Prayer, Prayerful Action

HOW MANY LOAVES HAVE YOU? This was the theme of the service this year held on the first Friday in March, the 4th at St Andrew's at 7 pm. This service was prepared by women in Chile. Four ladies dressed in colourful costumes came in at the beginning of the service carrying a Bible, a Cross, a bowl of soil, a jug of water and ears of wheat, placing them on the Communion Table along with "panera", the name that Chileans give to their everyday bread basket. Bread is central to their daily life and sharing bread is a universal sign of hospitality.

Enduring a devastating earthquake in February, 2010, and two other earthquakes since January 2011, the women of Chile further encouraged us to enter a process that draws us into the bible, into the context of Chile and into the real situations of our lives and communities. How many loaves have you? What are your gifts? What can you share? These are questions we were asked to ponder, especially during the address given by Sheila Telfer who developed the meaning of the theme, How Many Loaves Have You? We then were invited to write on the paper "loaves" something that we could offer in service to God and these were collected and placed on the Table.

We were fortunate to have Karen Lamb, a Spanish speaker and singer who sang the Song from Chile in Spanish and was joined by one of her pupils from Roundhay School.

In the spirit of unity around the world, which is a feature of the Women's World Day of Prayer service, it was great that friends from Lidgett Park, Immaculate Heart and St Edmund's took part in leading the service together with members of St Andrew's. I felt as though we were truly fulfilling the words of the song
"Offering our love to God, we can work for him.......
Freely my heart full of love, I give to Jesus".

As our service in Roundhay ended, many others in distant parts of the world were only just beginning. Along with the home-made brioche bread, we enjoyed refreshments of Chilean muffins, empanadas (pasties) and Chilean Christmas Bread which was really more a fruit cake but very tasty! I am grateful to all the ladies who baked and prepared all this for everyone.

Sheana Dudley, St Andrew's Women's World Day of Prayer Rep.