On January 18th, the Feast of the Confession of St. Peter, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins. During these eight days, Christians around the world, from various denominations, join together in prayer for the unity of Christians, to reflect together on scripture, to participate in jointly-organized worship services, and to share in acts of outreach and fellowship. The theme for 2025 is drawn from John 11:26, “Do you believe this?”
"Lord Jesus, You prayed that Your Church might be one. Grant that we may work together in love, proclaiming Your truth to the world. Help us to seek unity, guided by Your Spirit, that all may come to know You as the Christ, the Son of the living God. Amen."
Jesus prayed for unity in John 17:21: “That they may all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.” The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity invites believers worldwide to join together in worship, prayer, and acts of reconciliation, reflecting the shared confession that Jesus is the Christ.
Ways to move through the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Use the wonderful guide provided by the World Council of Churches to pray over the next eight days for Christian Unity.
Involve your children in the prayers for Christian unity with this simple woven heart basket activity. Every part of the craft is filled with meaning:
green and white for the season of Epiphany
hearts for the love that Jesus calls us to
construction paper that is not very strong yet becomes strong when woven together.
eight baskets for the eight days of prayer for unity.
After you have made the baskets, print out the scriptures I provide, cut them out, fold them up, and place each one in a heart basket. Optional: Add a piece of candy for each child in each basket. Every night, gather as a family, bring down the appropriate heart, read the scripture, and pray. After you are done praying, let your children enjoy the treat!
Woven Heart Baskets
5 sheets of green construction paper (1 sheet is for the handles)
4 sheets of white construction paper
Scissors
Glue
Printed prayers (print out the Scriptures for Christian Unity below)
Candy (optional)
How to assemble:
Take 4 sheets of green and 4 sheets of white construction paper, and fold each one in half width-wise.
Fold each sheet in half width-wise again.
Cut in half.
Cut a rounded edge along the open side of each piece of construction paper.
Turn to the folded side of the paper and cut three strips of equal size, stopping about an inch before the rounded top.
Label the tips of the 3 strips. This will make it much easier to follow the succeeding weaving steps. Use a pencil to label the left-hand template with C-B-A and the right-hand template with 1-2-3.
Place the right-hand template under the left-hand template. Rotate the two templates so that they are at right angles to each other. To start weaving, take Strip 1 and weave it through the loop of Strip A.
Next, weave Strip 1 around Strip B. Continue by weaving Strip 1 through the loop of Strip C. Move Strip 1 up until it touches the top of the slits.
Now take Strip 2 and weave it around Strip A. Weave Strip 2 through Strip B. Then weave Strip 2 around Strip C.
Weave Strip 3 similar to Strip 1 and like Strip 2.
Gently ease the strips towards the edges. Erase any pencil marks.
Cut a strip of green construction paper to make the handle.
Glue the ends on the inside of the heart basket.
Once the glue dries, mark each heart basket with the numbers 1-8 for each day of prayer.
Print and cut out each scripture.
Place a scripture and candy in each basket.
Hang the hearts on a branch from your yard and place the branch in a pitcher or vase.
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