Christians seek unity during prayer week

COEUR d’ALENE — Faith leaders and community members recently gathered at St. Luke's Episcopal Church to lift their voices in prayer, along with fellow Christians around the world. 

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an ecumenical Christian observance celebrated internationally, typically between Jan. 18 and 25, during the Octave of the feasts of St. Peter and St. Paul.  

Each year, ecumenical partners in a particular region can produce an introductory liturgical text on a biblical theme, which is ultimately prayed all over the world. 

The Rev. David Gortner said the week offers Christians from different traditions an opportunity to pray together for the world and to draw closer to one another. 

“Like any organization, we tend to operate in our silos,” he said Friday. “We focus on the work of the individual congregations that we’re a part of. That’s a shame, because there are opportunities for partnership that could really increase impact and a sense of cooperation.” 

Gortner said that North Idaho, like many communities, faces challenges in coming together. 

“It’s maybe more fractured than I’ve seen in other places,” he said. “We pray for unity for a reason.” 

The Inter-Church Relations Department of the Armenian Apostolic Church prepared the prayers and reflections for 2026. 

This year’s theme comes from Ephesians 4:4: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the hope of your calling.” 

According to the World Council of Churches, which organizes the international event, the verse is a reminder that all believers are part of the “one body” of Christ. 

Gortner said the road to unity is a long one. In the meantime, it’s possible to find common ground. 

“This is what we pray for,” he said. “Jesus’ prayer for his disciples was that they would be one, that they abide with each other, which doesn’t necessarily mean being absolutely conformist or uniform with each other on all things. But it does mean having respect and a relationship.”