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An invitation to connect with rural ministries around the world

A man in Malawi plants crops in a field
“Helping Hands” was the Malawi presentation during Round the World Zoom Prayer 2022.
Credit: International Rural Churches Association (IRCA)
Published On: February 24, 2025

In 2022, the International Rural Churches Association (IRCA) was scheduled to hold its quadrennial conference, but due to the pandemic, the leadership team decided to hold a Day of Global Prayer on Zoom. For those 24 hours we moved around the world sharing stories and prayer, celebrating rural people, places, and ministries. 

The next quadrennial international conference will take place in Sibiu, Romania, in July 2026. The leadership team felt the need to connect, share our stories, pray together, and find encouragement from one another before that conference, so another Global Prayer has been organized. This year, the Zoom will be divided up into three sections on March 6, March 8, and March 10. Each section will include presentations on the important work being done in that region, with time for questions and prayers.

There will be three presentations of ministries in Canada on Monday, March 10.

  • Rev. Catherine Smith will bring news of Rural Roots Through the Holy, an event taking place from June 12–14, 2025 in Sackville, New Brunswick. Catherine will also share news from other ministries in the Maritimes.
  • The United Church Rural Ministry Network (UCRMN) will share our history and our ministry, bringing together rural congregations throughout the country.
  • Rev. Robin Haensel, a member of CiRCLe M (the Centre for Rural Community Leadership and Ministry, out of the Saskatoon Theological Seminary) and former staff of the western district of the Christian and Missionary Alliance will present his dissertation work on “sparsely-populated areas” and a follow-up project on spiritual care in his hometown, where there is no official church presence. Let us hear from him and consider how his ministry can relate to ours.

The Rural Church Network of the United States and Canada is a North American body once made up of representatives of the denominations’ Rural Desks. It has adapted to be a body of seminaries with rural ministry programs.

Register for one or all of the days of Global Prayer here:

  • Asia/Oceania – Thursday, March 6 from 1400 NZDT (0100 GMT) to 1800 KST (0900 GMT)
  • Africa/Europe – Saturday, March 8 from 0800 GMT to 1600 GMT
  • The Americas – Monday, March 10 from 10 am EDT (0500 GMT) until 6 pm EDT
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