Two churches in the Steinbach area, one Protestant, the other Catholic, joined forces this past week to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. 

It's something that St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Steinbach and St. Joachim Catholic Church in La Broquerie have done for the past six years.

The week-long ecumenical observance takes place annually between January 18 and 25.

The two Manitoba churches take turns hosting a unity service each year. This year, the service took place Tuesday evening at St. Paul's in Steinbach.

Pastor Terry Gudmundson of St. Paul's Lutheran says at a time when there is so much disunity in the world, it's wonderful to focus on the many things churches share in common.

He adds it's good to reflect on the one who makes us all the same family, noting we all worship the same god, we are all drawn together by Christ in the same way and it's a good time to focus on that.