Week of Prayer and Fasting

Join congregations across the Brethren in Christ U.S. as we pray, reflect, and seek God during the start of a new year.

January 8-15, 2023

Identity in Action: Practicing the Core Values of the BIC

In May of 1999, fifty-one people from throughout the Brethren in Christ of North America gathered to answer one simple yet critical question: what are our most central beliefs and values and how do we articulate them? After three days of lively discussion and Spirit-filled debate, they emerged with the ten Core Values.

Our identity in Christ precedes every other aspect of who we are and what we are called to do as God’s people. This Christ-centered identity impacts how we interact with the world and our fellow brothers and sisters in the faith. The ten Core Values help guide us in that pursuit, and all point to Jesus as the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

This year’s Week of Prayer and Fasting theme – Identity in Action – invites us to take a closer look at these Core Values. Since there are ten, we are going to split them up over two years: the first half now in 2023 and the second half in 2024. To fill out our full week of devotionals, we have added three topics that coincide with and support the themes found in the Core Values.

We hope that as you prayerfully reflect on these values over the course of these eight days you will find yourself drawn closer to Christ and continue to become more like him.

Devotional Materials

• Day 1 – Rooted in Identity
• Day 2 – Core Value: Experiencing God’s Love and Grace
• Day 3 – Core Value: Believing the Bible
• Day 4 – Keeping Jesus at the Center
• Day 5 – Core Value: Worshipping God
• Day 6 – Core Value: Following Jesus
• Day 7 – Going Directly to the Word of God for Guidance
• Day 8 – Core Value: Belonging to a Community of Faith

Download Printable PDF – English

Download Printable PDF – Spanish

Note: This PDF can be printed as a foldable booklet with each day’s devotional sized to fit a half sheet of paper.