*Editor's note: This event has been canceled, as of Feb. 28. 

Christian women of Columbia will join in prayer with women from around the globe on Friday (March 1) for the World Day of Prayer.

The international prayer day happens every year on the first Friday in March. Women of many Christian denominations from more than 170 countries participate. 

Each year, a different country is responsible for developing the topic for the prayer service. This year, women in France wrote on the theme "I was a stranger and You welcomed me," which focuses on migration. 

"To have women of the world all praying for each other, and for peace, especially, is significant," said Barbara Wyatt, the chairwoman for Columbia's gathering.

Along with meeting on the World Day of Prayer each year, some Columbia women from different Christian denominations meet monthly through the group Church Women United. Wyatt said the group's next meeting is the World Day of Prayer event, but women don't have to be part of the group to attend. 

The local World Day of Prayer event will be held from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Friday at St. Andrew's Lutheran Church on West Boulevard in Columbia. Women are invited to bring a dish to share for the lunch that will follow, though a dish is not required.