Christians in over 170 countries will gather on tonight, Friday, March 4, in observance of World Day of Prayer. In the Lehighton area, a service will be celebrated at All Saints Episcopal Church, Second and Coal streets, Lehighton, at 7 p.m. It is sponsored by the Lehighton Interfaith Fellowship.

Participating in the service from the host church will be: the Rev. Jane Bender, John Kadilak, the organist and the choir, Fern Behler, Robert Behler, Pat Cook, Shirley Creitz, Kathy Kriner, Rick Kriner, Mary Fay Levendusky, Raymon Swatt, Jenny Vandermer and Noel Zellner.Other persons participating include Shirley Stamm of the First Presbyterian Church; Jenny Keiper and Joan Mertz of Grace Lutheran Church; Emma Weaver, SALM of Grace/Zion Lutheran Church; Rose Marie Austin of Saints Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church; Josephine Rhyder of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church; and Janet Algar, Mabel Fritz and Barry Shupp of Zion United Church of Christ.All are welcome to attend the service and in the World Day of Prayer, which begins at the sunrise in the Pacific until sunset.Refreshments and fellowship will follow the service.World Prayer Day services began in 1887, by Mary Ellen James, a Presbyterian laywoman. She hoped to bring together international women from all backgrounds and cultures.Since 1941, Church Women United, a grassroots ecumenical movement of Protestant, Roman Catholic, Orthodox and other Christian women have sponsored World Day of Prayer in the United States. Each year a different country writes the service.This year, the Christian Women of Chile wrote the service focusing on the theme "How Many Loaves Have You?"For more information, contact Shirley Radler at (610) 377-4278.