Every year, a group of women from nine southern Ocean County churches prepare and celebrate an ecumenical prayer service on the first Friday in March. The locations rotate through the churches and this year it will be held in St. Francis of Assisi Church, 4700 Long Beach Blvd., Brant Beach, on March 7 at 1 p.m.

Every year, a country is chosen by the World Day of Prayer International committee as the focus for the prayer service. The women in that country spend three years creating a prayer service that will be used in churches throughout the world. With an emphasis on both prayer and action, the services reflect the concerns of the women and the offerings received during the services are used to provide to non-profit organizations that deal with the issues identified by the country.

This year’s focus is Egypt and is entitled “Streams in the Desert.” Even though the past three years have been tumultuous in Egypt, the voices of the women give praise for the gifts of water in a desert land and pray “that peace and justice will gush forth like streams flowing in the desert.”

In addition to St. Francis of Assisi Parish, other participating churches are St. Mary Parish, Barnegat; Holy Innocents Episcopal, Beach Haven; Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran, Brant Beach; Manahawkin United Methodist, Manahawkin; Terrace United Methodist, Beach Haven Terrace; Kynett United Methodist of Beach Haven; Waretown United Methodist, Waretown, and Zion Lutheran, Barnegat Light.

For more information, call St. Francis of Assisi Parish Office at 609-494-8813.