World Day of Prayer at Unity Westlake

How important is prayer to you? For Unity churches worldwide, World Day of Prayer is a sacred tradition, a 24-hour prayer vigil held annually on the second Thursday in September. Come celebrate the power, strength and energy of prayer with Unity Spiritual Center of Westlake's World Day of Prayer (WDOP) from Wednesday, Sept. 7, starting at 7 p.m., through Thursday, Sept. 8, 7 p.m.

Twenty-four straight hours of prayerful activities will be dedicated to the action, and non-action (meditation) of praying. You can join in for five minutes, or 24 hours. Design the time around your schedule, but be sure not to miss this sacred event.

Our activity schedule will be interwoven with those in Unity's headquarters of Unity Village, Missouri, in a collective effort to "Discover The Power Within/Unleash Your Divine Potential." Our regular Wednesday 7 p.m. Prayer Hour will offer a variety of activities at prayer stations for all ages, created especially to unleash and spark your creative side. Activities include: creating a prayer card for one of the organizations we are holding in prayer; write your intention on a prayer ribbon, unleash it to nature and tie it to a tree on Unity's grounds; or design a prayer stone with your personal intention.

At 7:45 p.m. we will live-stream with the Unity Village keynote speaker, Reverend Sylvia Sumter, senior minister of Unity in Washington, D.C. Walk the large outdoor labyrinth, or the smaller one nestled near a charming garden, at anytime.

At 9:30 p.m. Wednesday evening, special intentions for peace will take place with a meditative and silent candlelight peace walk using the outdoor labyrinth, inside if raining. At 10:30 p.m. there will be an energizing yoga class.

Prayers for many organizations such as Westlake's schools and safety departments begin early Thursday morning. At 6 a.m. our prayers will be for Westlake High School, 7 a.m. for Lee Burneson Middle School, 8 a.m. for Dover Intermediate School, etc. In the afternoon, prayers will be offered for Westlake's police and fire departments. To round out the day, leash up your dog, harness your cat, or just bring a photo of your pet for a special pet blessing outdoors, Thursday from 4-5 p.m.

At 5 p.m. dance and drum your prayers. This sacred 24-event will wrap a closing ceremony at 7 p.m. on Saturday. All events take place at Unity Spiritual Center of Westlake, 23855 Detroit Road. All faiths are warmly welcomed. For a complete schedule of activities, visit unityspiritualcenter.com.