One of the silver linings of lockdowns has been the opportunity to join in prayer together online. Charles & Liz Chalmers, OMF area representative for Wales and West of England, have been leading a monthly online prayer meeting for the Philippines. It’s one of several OMF-led groups which meet regularly online to pray for various countries and peoples in East Asia. We asked them a few questions about their work and what the prayer meeting involves.
What inspired you to pray for the Philippines in particular?
We served with OMF in the Southern Philippines among the Manobo people for 19 years, until we left in 2009 to come to Bristol and serve as the Area Representative here. Over the years, we’ve discovered how important and valuable prayer is and have seen many answers to prayer.
How did the prayer meeting come about?
We hosted an event about the Philippines on Zoom last year, which 60 people attended. Our hope was that some of them would be interested in praying regularly for the Philippines. We were thrilled when 24 people signed up to pray with us!
That’s so encouraging to hear. For anyone interested in joining, how and when does the meeting run?
Our meeting is only 45 minutes long, from 10:00am on the third Wednesday of each month on Zoom. We divide the time into three fifteen-minute slots: we listen to stories, hear some prayer points, and then pray.
Some people might never have prayed for the Philippines or may not know much about the country. Is the meeting for them?
Absolutely! Usually we pray through the monthly Philippines 5 Lines prayer booklet, which gives up-to-date prayer news from all over the country. And sometimes we’ll get news from those attending who have a particular people or area on their minds. So it’s a great opportunity to learn more about what’s happening in the Philippines right now and how we can be praying.
Charles Chalmers
OMF Wales & West Area Representative
Get involved
To join this prayer meeting and find out more about our other online prayer groups, visit omf.org/uk/pray/onlineprayer