Bluffton Area Ministerial Association, BAMA, invites the community to join together during Week of Prayer and Christian Unity Jan. 18 to 25.

In recent years, the BAMA pastors marked the week with an annual pulpit exchange.

“In the exchange, congregations welcome a pastor from another local church to lead worship, demonstrating the importance of strong ecumenical relationships within the body of Christ, the universal Church,” said Rev. Karol Farris Schilling, pastor of Bluffton Presbyterian Church.

“In 2021, with churches’ worship plans varied in response to the pandemic, BAMA created an alternative approach to its tradition,” she said.

“Similar to projects completed in 2020 for the Good Friday Cross Walk and the Thanksgiving service, BAMA ministers will be partnering to create a brief worship video of prayers, scriptures, and messages of Christian Unity.”

The video will be shared during Sunday, Jan. 17, worship with:
• Bluffton Presbyterian Church 
• English Evangelical Lutheran Church
• First United Methodist Church
• St. John’s United Church of Christ

The video will be shared during Sunday, Jan. 24, worship with:
• Emmanuel United Church of Christ
• First Mennonite Church 
• St. Mary's Catholic Church 

Following those services, the video may be viewed on BAMA Facebook Page. 

Along with the video project, daily readings for the Week of Prayer may be found by clicking here.

BAMA ministers of the churches involved are Rev. Karol Farris Schilling, Rev. Kevin Mohr, Pastor Bob Clinger, Rev. Katherine Beckett, Rev. Jeremy Mann, Rev. Wanda Stopher and Rev. John McLoughlin.

Jeff Bowlus of Emmanuel United Church of Christ recorded and edited the current and other recent video projects.