Prayer Bands

The C&MA has always had women of prayer and spiritual maturity, but in 1914, a group of women united to form "prayer bands" which became the basis for the missionary prayer fellowships. At the General Council of that year, Mary Rader, Cor Rudy, and Ella Rudy asked other women in attendance to come together to pray for world missions.

From that simple beginning, the movement spread to similar groups in local Alliance churches. By 1923, the Alliance headquarters recognized the significance of praying bands of women and published the first "Prayer Bulletin".

In 1929, the Alliance Board of Managers voted to encourage formation of women's prayer groups. By 1936, a total of 324 organized groups were meeting for prayer and providing help for missionaries. It was soon apparent that the best equipped missionaries going overseas were those who came from districts where there were many prayer groups.