In the national office of WDP USA, we hear from you often with questions and concerns.  We wanted to answer some of your most popular queries all in one place.  And so, we bring you WDP USA Mythbusters!

MYTH: World Day of Prayer Worship Services must be held at 12 noon.
FACT: World Day of Prayer Worship Services can be held at any time of day!  Schedule your service for the time that works best for your community.  Some communities find that a brief service combined with lunch works for people who work nearby.  Others consider the availability of working folks, teens and college students, and decide to hold services in the evening.  Some communities do a morning service and an evening service, acknowledging that one or the other might work better for individuals.  If driving at night is of concern for your community, engage new participants by asking them to drive.

MYTH: World Day of Prayer Worship Services must be held on the first Friday in March.
FACT:  Although the first Friday in March is technically World Day of Prayer, you are free to hold your service on another day in symbolic solidarity with women around the world.  Some communities find that Saturday services are easier for more people to attend.  Other communities incorporate elements of the WDP service in their regular worship service the following Sunday.  Scheduling a  “rain date” is practical in many parts of the country where heavy snows are common in March.  Feel free to schedule your own “rain date” and hold your service on day when it is safe for your community to be out on the roads!

MYTH: Men are not allowed to attend World Day of Prayer.
FACT: All people are welcome to attend WDP services!  The focus of World Day of Prayer is on women’s leadership and honors women’s theological and liturgical work in the service that is developed each year.  It would be our goal that your planning and leadership teams would be made up of women, but men are certainly welcome to take part in World Day of Prayer.  Sometimes, they might have the most to learn from what is shared.

MYTH: Materials distributed by World Day of Prayer USA cannot be altered.
FACT: Although it is important to remain faithful to the worship service women in another country have worked hard to put together, there is no rule against your community adapting it in a way that would make it more effective where you are!  If making changes will allow your community to engage more deeply with what other WDP women are sharing, by all means, make them!