“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
We write with heavy hearts, compelled to lift our voices in prayer for our siblings in Guyana following the tragic capsizing of the MV Barima state ferry.
On June 18, 2026, the 87-year-old state ferry departed Georgetown for Port Kaituma with an estimated 179 passengers, far more than its manifest listed. When a large wave struck, the vessel rapidly took on water and sank in Atlantic waters. To date, 73 bodies have been recovered, 76 people rescued, and dozens remain missing. Survivors include a mother separated from her two-year-old child. At least 15 children were among those rescued. International teams continue to assist in the search.
The WCRC stands with the people of Guyana, with grieving families, traumatised survivors, affected communities, and a nation in mourning. As people of the Reformed tradition, we trust that God’s sovereignty is not distant but present in suffering.
We invite the communion to join in prayer for our siblings of Guyana as they grieve and support one another following this tragedy.
A Prayer for Guyana
Eternal and gracious God,
Sovereign over life and death, in whom all things hold together:
Look with mercy upon the people of Guyana.
Comfort those who mourn the loss of loved ones with the sure hope that neither death nor life can separate us from your love in Christ Jesus.
Heal the bodies and spirits of the survivors, and grant strength to those still searching the waters.
We confess our human frailty and the limits of our wisdom, yet we trust that your sovereign purposes are not thwarted by our failures or our grief.
Sustain the church in Guyana and throughout the Caribbean, that it may be a vessel of your compassion and hope to all who are crushed in spirit.
For you, O Lord, are the God of all comfort, whose mercy is new every morning, and whose faithfulness endures to all generations, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who suffered and died and rose again that we might have life abundant and eternal.
Amen.
