Call to prayer in the face of lockdown

The Archbishops of Canterbury and York, along with a number of senior Church leaders, are inviting Christians across the country to make the second lockdown in England a month of prayer. They are encouraging Christians to pray daily for a specific area of national concern, culminating in a collective moment of prayer at 6.00pm each evening, with Cathedrals and churches across the country invited to ring a bell at that time.

The call to prayer has the support of other senior Church leaders, including:
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
Pastor Agu Irukwu, national leader of the Redeemed Christian Church of God and Churches Together in England’s Pentecostal President
His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, the Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London, and Churches Together in England’s Orthodox President
Pete Greig, Founder of 24-7 Prayer International and Senior Leader of Emmaus Road, Guildford
A selection of resources to suit Christians from across all denominations and traditions, and those exploring faith at this challenging time, have been made available to guide prayer during this period. The resources include several newly-written prayers for the nation from Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, Bishop N T Wright and Pete Greig. Prayers will be shared on social media with the hashtag #PrayerForTheNation. To access information and resources for the month of prayer, click HERE.

Cathedrals will ring a bell at 6.00pm each day through the lockdown as a call to prayer for the nation. The Very Revd Adrian Dorber, Dean of Lichfield Cathedral and Chair of the Association of English Cathedrals, said, ‘We know our cathedrals are places of assurance and inspiration for many people when life is tough and hope is short, and now more than ever, it is important to show our presence and mark each day of this lockdown with prayers, and keep a time each evening to ring our bells as a call to pray for our nation.’

The Evangelical Alliance has called a UK day of prayer on Friday 13 November. The EA says, ‘We are working with networks, denominations and churches to bring people together to pray. As communities across the UK face further restrictions and lockdowns, as many churches are forced to stop their in-person gatherings, as suffering and loss affect so many families, we hear the call again to unite and seek God together in this time of trouble.’ Access the EA prayer resources HERE.