A month of prayer

 

The Bishop of Coventry, the Right Reverend Dr Christopher Cocksworth, is calling the people of Coventry and Warwickshire to pray for our nation.

In a video message, recorded in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, Bishop Christopher said:

"The Archbishops of Canterbury and York have invited the whole country to pray over these days, especially this month of lockdown.

I echo that call to prayer, and I know that other churches in Coventry, Warwickshire and throughout the country, are calling people to prayer.

This is how we can hold on to the hand of God, to the light of God.  I invite you to join in that prayer.

It's an invitation to all Christian people, an invitation to all people of faith, and an invitation to all people of good will."

The invitation is to pray at 6pm each evening during lockdown.

There is a simple seven-day prayer cycle, praying for a specific area each day including the NHS and frontline workers, the bereaved, and those struggling with physical and mental ill-health, and for children and young people.

 


Throughout the month, people are encouraged to pray daily for a specific area of national concern, wherever they are, culminating into a collective moment of prayer at 6pm each evening, with cathedrals and churches across the country invited to ring a bell at this time.
 
Prayers and other resources will be shared on social media with the hashtag #PrayerForTheNation.
 
The prayer call has the support of senior church leaders including Churches Together in England (CTE) Presidents Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales; Pastor Agu Irukwu, the CTE Pentecostal president; His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, the Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London, and the CTE Orthodox President; and Pete Greig, Founder of 24-7 Prayer International and Senior Leader of Emmaus Road, Guildford. 

It is also being supported by the House of Bishops.
 
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said:

“On the brink of this second lockdown we might understandably feel helpless, anxious and vulnerable. And we do what we can to halt the spread of this virus – but we can still feel powerless.

"Is there anything else we can do? Really do?

"Yes. Yes there is. We can pray. Prayer is my first response when I feel out of my depth, when I need help, when I am worried, when I am concerned for those I love.
It is a gift that God gives to all - whether you are a regular pray-er or not - bring your cares and the cares of the nation to God. For God loves and hears and holds. Prayer changes things.

 
To find out more information about the invitation to pray visit: churchofengland.org/PrayerForTheNation.

First published on: 5th November 2020
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