Yellowknife (Mar 03/04) - Yellowknifers will join people around the world for prayer on Friday.

The annual World Day of Prayer, which takes place Friday, will be hosted by the Salvation Army, with Major Karen Hoeft leading the service.

Major Karen Hoeft of the Yellowknife Salvation Army will lead this year's World Day of Prayer service March 5. This year's theme is "pottery." - Dorothy Westerman/NNSL photo

This year's theme for the service is 'In faith, women shape the future' which was written by the women of Panama.

Hoeft said she expects the usual 30 to 40 dedicated parishioners to attend the service, which is held in a different church each year.

"It is now a piece of the North, it has a long history here," Hoeft said of the service.

World Day of Prayer is said to have originated in the 19th century, when Christian women from the United States and Canada initiated a variety of co-operative activities in support of women's involvement in missions at home and abroad.

It evolved into the international World Day of Prayer in 1922, celebrated each year on the first Friday in March.

Today, Hoeft said it is a way of bringing the Christian community together.

"Some think we are divided, but when we celebrate the World Day of Prayer, we can stand in solidarity," she said.

"It opens us to see a broader perspective of peace and justice."

This year, with the theme coming from Panama, Hoeft said the focus is on pottery -- a traditional craft often made for export.

Such a display and symbol of the country is arranged in the chapel for the service.

The prayer service, which begins at 7 p.m., also raises awareness of the people themselves.

"Once a year, we can join together and hear the stories of the people themselves," said Hoeft.