The National Committee

The National Committee for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, consists of one representative from each of the participating denominations, each chosen by their denomination to represent it on WDP.

These representatives are appointed for a term of nine years, reviewable every three.

If during that time a member is elected to become a Trustee, her denominational status ends and the denomination will be requested to appoint somebody else to represent it. The newly appointed Trustee will serve a further two years as Vice-chairperson, two years as Chairperson and two years as President. (Effective from 2018 in accordance with the revised constitution. During this period of transition, the current Chairperson will remain in post longer than the two years.)

We are a working committee of volunteers and all members are expected to take a full part in the year-round activities.

What the National Committee does

The members of the National Committee in England, Wales and Northern Ireland meet in January, March, May and September for their ordinary committee meetings.

In November, they attend a four day residential meeting. During this time, materials received from the country preparing the service in 15 months time, are discussed and edited.

After the four days most of the material is still at draft stage. Over the following weeks the material is worked upon resulting in the order of service, background, bible study and the children’s leaflet, together with a teachers’ guide, which are then printed ready for the Link Day, which is held in London in July.

At the Link Day, preparation day organisers from all over the UK are informed about the country that has prepared the service for the following March, given a taste of the service and led in a study of the scripture passages.

Preparation days are organised in order to inform local WDP groups about the country that has prepared the service and the materials available. Materials are available to purchase. Some materials are free of charge.

These days take place from September until early February. Most of the meetings are held in October and November. Members of the national committee attend most of these meetings.

The National Committee of the WDP also has links round the world, with other committees of the WDP. Frequently we are asked to pray for the situations in various countries.

All members of the committee work on a voluntary basis and only claim expenses.
 

The Welsh-speaking Sub-Committee

2021/2022

LLYWYDD: MIRIAM LEWIS

TRYSORYDD: MARGARET M. MORGAN

YSGRIFENNYDD: MARY A. THOMAS
 
Welsh-speaking WDP Facebook page
 
Y CEFNDIR:

Cynhaliwyd gwasanaeth cyntaf Dydd Gweddi Chwiorydd y Byd yng Nghymru ym 1933 yn Eglwys y Drindod, Abertawe.

Ym mis Mawrth 2008, yn Neuadd y Brifysgol Llanbedr Pont Steffan, cafwyd gwasanaeth cenedlaethol, wedi ei drefnu gan y Pwyllgor Cymraeg, i ddathlu saith deg pum mlynedd ers sefydlu’r mudiad yng Nghymru. Detholiadau o’r gwasanaethau rhwng 1938 a 2008 ddewiswyd fel patrwm i’r gwasanaeth, gan ddechrau gyda’r gwasanaeth a luniwyd gan Seland Newydd yn 1938. Roedd naws Cymreig i’r dathlu gyda phartïon o bob rhan o Gymru yn canu cerdd dant, siant, plygain a’r pwnc. Yn bresennol hefyd roedd swyddogion Pwyllgor Cenedlaethol Cymru, Lloegr a Gogledd Iwerddon ynghyd â chynrychiolwyr yr eglwysi Saesneg yng Nghymru.

Wedi ymweliad â’n Pwyllgor Blynyddol ym mis Mai 2016 gan swyddogion o’r Pwyllgor Cenedlaethol bu inni ddod yn Is-bwyllgor Cymraeg.

BETH MAE’R IS-BWYLLGOR CYMRAEG YN EI WNEUD:

Y mae’r Is-bwyllgor yn cynnwys 12 aelod, un o’r gogledd ac un o dde Cymru yn cynrychioli’r enwadau canlynol: Y Presbyteriaid, Yr Annibynwyr, Y Bedyddwyr, Yr Eglwys Fethodistaidd, Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru a’r Eglwys Gatholig. Mae’r Is-bwyllgor yn cyfarfod ddwywaith y flwyddyn, ym mis Mai a mis Medi. Gwaith yr Is-bwyllgor yw cyfieithu’r gwasanaeth Saesneg ac eitemau amrywiol i’r Gymraeg a’u cyhoeddi. Mewn blwyddyn arferol dosberthir tua 5,500 o daflenni Cymraeg ynghyd â llenyddiaeth Saesneg megis ‘Together in Prayer’ i tua 200 o ganghennau lle cynhelir oedfaon Cymraeg neu ddwyieithog.

Trefnir dwy Gynhadledd Paratoi ym mis Tachwedd, un yn y de a’r llall yn y gogledd. Trefnwyr y cynadleddau yw aelod o’r Is-bwyllgor neu wirfoddolwr lleol. Bydd y ddwy yn mynychu’r “Link Day” yn Llundain ym mis Gorffennaf gan rannu gwybodaeth ym mis Tachwedd. Bydd ein cynrychiolydd ar y Pwyllgor Cenedlaethol yn mynychu’r ddwy gynhadledd ynghyd â’r ddau bwyllgor ym Mai a Medi.

Cynhelir holl waith yr Is-bwyllgor drwy’r iaith Gymraeg. Yn Gymraeg y cedwir yr holl gofnodion ac unrhyw ohebiaeth. Gwneir y gwaith yn wirfoddol. Beth bynnag yr ydym yn ei wneud, ar air neu ar weithred, gwnawn bopeth yn enw’r Arglwydd Iesu, gan roi diolch i Dduw, y Tad, drwyddo ef.

OUR HISTORY:

The first Women’s World Day of Prayer service in Wales was held in 1933 at Trinity Church, Swansea. In March 2008, at the University Hall, Lampeter, a national service to celebrate seventy-five years of the movement in Wales was organized by the Welsh Committee. Extracts from the services from 1938 to 2008 were chosen as the pattern for the service, starting with the service created by New Zealand in 1938. There was a Welsh atmosphere to the celebration, with parties from all over Wales singing various forms of Welsh music. Also present were officials of the National Committee for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as representatives of the English churches in Wales.

Following a visit to our Annual Committee in May 2016 by National Committee Officials, we became a Welsh Sub-Committee.

WHAT DOES THE WELSH SUB-COMMITTEE DO:

The Welsh Sub-Committee is made up of members from north Wales and south Wales, representing the following denominations: The Presbyterians, The Independents, The Baptists, The Methodist Church, The Church in Wales and the Catholic Church. Members of the Sub-Committee meet twice annually, in May and September. The sub-committee’s work is to translate the English-language service and various items into Welsh and publish them. In a typical year approximately 5,500 Welsh leaflets and English literature such as ‘Together in Prayer’ are distributed to around 200 branches where Welsh or bilingual services are held.

Two Preparation Days are organized in November, one in the south and one in the north. The organizers are members of the sub-committee or a local volunteer. They usually attend the “Link Day” in London in July and share information in November. Our National Committee representative attends both Preparation Days as well as the committee meetings in May and September.

All of the Welsh Sub-Committee’s work is conducted through the medium of Welsh. All records and any correspondence are in Welsh. The work is done on a voluntary basis. Whatever we do, in word or deed, we do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God, the Father, through him.

2021/2022
President: Miriam Lewis
Treasurer: Margaret M. Morgan
Secretary: Mary A. Thomas

The Northern Ireland Executive Committee

2022/2023

Chairperson: Judith Anderson

Treasurer: Esther Millar

Secretary: Olivia Martin

 
OUR HISTORY:

The first service in Northern Ireland was in May Street Presbyterian Church, Belfast in 1943. Started in the crucible of war it continued to grow in strength and not least through the years of the Northern Ireland ‘Troubles’. There are currently approximately 90 branches in Northern Ireland with about 16 of those branches in the Greater Belfast area.

On 12 May 2018 we celebrated 75 years of Women’s World Day of Prayer in Northern Ireland in the Assembly Buildings in Belfast and our guest speaker was the Reverend Dr Heather Morris.

You can contact us through our Facebook page via the link below:
 
Northern Ireland WDP Facebook page
 
THE WORK OF THE NI EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The committee is made up of members from all parts of the province, representing the following denominations: The Presbyterians, The Methodist Church, The Church of Ireland, The Roman Catholic Church and The Salvation Army.

The committee meets three times a year and organizes Two Preparation Days in the autumn (October/November) which are designed to give as much support and information as possible to all the NI branches in order to facilitate their preparation for their services in the first week of March. Usually one Preparation Day is held in the centre of Belfast and the other has been held in various locations in the more Westerly parts of the province, e.g. Omagh and more recently Dungannon. Since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020 we have introduced a Zoom Preparation Day, the first of which was held in November of 2021 and which was very well received. We plan to use the Zoom platform again this autumn as we feel it will open up more opportunities for attendance to those branches situated in more remote parts of NI.

We thank God that we have the privilege of sharing in this precious gift of Women’s World Day of Prayer and we pray that it will continue to bind women together throughout the world in the love of Christ.