A devastating earthquake hit Central Sulawesi, Indonesia on Friday 28 September 2018. It caused great destruction, loss of life and was followed by a similarly destructive tsunami. Areas affected include Donggala, Sigi and Parigi Moutong, the coastal city of Palu.
Many prayers have been offered by our member churches, partners and other church organisations. We encourage you to pray for the victims of the earthquake and tsunami, the people of Sulawesi, relief workers and the churches of Indonesia with the prayers below or find inspiration in your own prayers.
The Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia offer a prayer in Indonesian and English:
Tuhan empunya kehidupan,
tatkala bumi dan air bergerak dasyat,
mengambil kehidupan dan mereka yang kami cintai.
Kami datang kepada Mu dengan air mata bercucuran.
God of life,
when the earth and water moved violently,
took lives and those we love
We come before you with tears streaming down
Tuhan sumber kekuatan dan penghiburan,
tatkala tangan, kaki dan hati kami lemah,
karena bencana tsunami dan gempa.
Kami datang kepada mu dengan bersujud.
God, you are the source of strength and comfort,
when our hands, feet and hearts are weak
because of the tsunami and earthquake disaster.
We prostrate before you
Tuhan maha kasih,
kepada Mu kami berdoa.
Berilah kekuatan buat keluarga dan sahabat
yang telah ditinggal pergi oleh orang terdekatnya,
berilah penghiburan buat mereka
yang kehilangan tanah dan tempat tinggal
Merciful God,
we pray to you.
Give strength
to families and friends,
to those who have lost loved ones.
Give your comfort,
to those who have lost their land and houses.
Tuhan maha kuasa,
kami berdoa buat
Pemerintah Indonesia,
lembaga keagamaan dan kemanusiaan,
anggota masyarakat yang aktif membantu
supaya usaha mereka berhasil
dalam memberikan pertolongan
Kami naikan doa ini
didalam nama Tuhan yang senantiasa memberkati kita semua
Amin
Almighty God,
We pray for
The Indonesian Government,
Religious and Humanitarian agencies,
other communities who are in Palu and Donggala
may their efforts succeed in providing help
We offer this prayer in the name of the Lord who blesses us always. Amen.
Written by Rev. Dr Apwee Ting, National Consultant in the Uniting Church Assembly Resourcing Unit and a former National Director of Multicultural and Cross Cultural Ministry. He is the first person from an Indonesian background to be appointed to a senior national role in an mainstream Australian Christian Church.
Other Prayers offered in the media:
World Communion of Reformed Churches - http://wcrc.ch/prayer-requests/prayers-and-support-for-sulawesi-victims
World Council of Churches https://www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/wcc-calls-for-prayers-help-for-earthquake-survivors-in-indonesia
Christian Conference of Asia http://cca.org.hk/home/news-and-events/cca-urges-prayers-for-indonesian-quake-victims/
Anglican Church of South East Asia http://www.anglicannews.org/news/2018/10/primate-calls-for-prayer-as-death-toll-from-indonesia-quake-and-tsunami-tops-1200.aspx
This is not an exhaustive list. If you know of prayers in the media from your church please let us know by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
