In conjunction with all churches in the Cobram area, Cobram Uniting Church is hosting a special event on Friday, March 1, for World Day of Prayer.
World Day of Prayer is an international event, and in Cobram each church takes turns hosting the annual event.
The 2024 service is being prepared by Women for Palestine, which is an ecumenical (meaning made up of different denominations) Christian group.
The group will be praying for peace in Israel which has been involved in war since October 7, 2023.
The 2024 event will include a special speech by guest speaker Gail Parkinson.
Ms Parkinson is from the Albury area and recently travelled to Israel and will be discussing her trip around the Holy Land.
Talking to the Courier, Ms Parkinson said she travelled in a tour group for 12 days before leaving Israel on October 7 last year.
She said the trip itself was a peaceful experience, and visiting the places where Jesus lived, walked and ministered was an awe-inspiring experience that made the Bible come alive.
“The trip was very easy, which unfortunately isn’t the case now,” she said.
The event will also comprise a unique offering to help support the Bible’s Society work in Palestine and a light lunch and coffee after the service.
The service, which begins at 11am, is open to all, and Cobram Uniting Church president Margaret Watson hopes that as many people as possible will attend.
“It is a day that we come together, and for this service, we will be thinking especially about the people of Palestine,” she said.
The latest round of heavy fighting began when Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, launched a massive attack on October 7, 2023, which killed more than 1000 civilians and has since caused the loss of thousands of lives in bombardments and heavy urban fighting.