Dr. Yves Melle Presbyterian women from the African nation of Cameroon resident in Aurora, Colorado, USA present a map of Taiwan they assembled during services marking World Day of Prayer on March 26, 2023.
The World Day of Prayer is celebrated each year on March 1st. It’s a day that goes unrecognized in the world that we live in today.
The Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, as well as the Presbyterian Church USA (PCUSA), take the day and celebrations seriously. In the Denver, Colorado, USA neighboring city of Aurora, the community of Cameroonians wanted their prayers on the matter heard.
So, the Christian Women’s Fellowship group (CWF), affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon, along with a community of Christians from the Cameroonian homeland, gathered at the home of Elder Lucas Nkwelle to mark the day. They gathered on Sunday, March 26 to pray for the people of Taiwan.
Nkwelle serves in leadership at First Presbyterian Church in Aurora.
Christians Practice Forgiveness, Help Those in Need
Preaching from Ephesians 1:15–19, Nkwelle hailed his community for thinking about others, especially the people of Taiwan, as the island nation struggles with many sorts of oppression.
Reciting the Lord’s Prayer, Nkwlle exhorted the community to forgive one another, just as God has forgiven his children. He said this is how they are to live, by showing love for love another, and to those that they have never met.
“Often we are frustrated by difficulties and obstacles, and may even lose hope and faith, or rely on our weak human nature. However, we are called to keep our “hope and faith” in God’s kingdom and promises,” Nkwelle told the Sunday gathering.
The community read psalms and sang hymns of praise and adoration to God for Anglophone or English-speaking Cameroonians, whose current struggles Nkwelle compared to those in Taiwan that are fighting to free themselves from oppression.
Dressed in their traditional CWF attire, the women took turns reading statements of support for Taiwanese women around the world. The activities included a puzzle that challenged the ladies to put pieces of paper together to build a map of Taiwan.
The two-hour event culminated with an invitation to the kitchen for drinks and homemade Cameroonian dishes.
