With just one week to go, preparations continue for Thy Kingdom Come.
Many events, big and small, will take place around the Diocese of Chester between Ascension and Pentecost (30 May - 09 June).
Prayer Maps
Over 18,000 Prayer Maps have been distributed to families and youth groups. It's not too late to order some to share with your parishioners and schools, contact Jonny Masters at Church House. If you have your Prayer Maps already, have a look at this brilliant tool. In the space of five minutes, you can create your own church marketing video to share on social media.
Events around the Diocese
Beacon events have been organised in various locations across the Diocese of Chester, including in the east of the Diocese where two local Vicars, the Revd Daniel Currie and the Revd Richard Pennystan, have organised an event on the outskirts of south-east Manchester.
Richard says: “We are wanting to make the 8 June a night to remember for our area, gathering Christians together to light a beacon of prayer and stir up the Church to see a passion for salvation and faith to see many souls come to an eternal relationship with Jesus.”
In a promotional video they prepared together standing on the hills overlooking Stalybridge, they invited people to join them. Their event takes place at All Saints, Marple.
In Chester, an ecumenical group from the Melbourne Centre will lead 100 hours of continuous worship and prayer on the streets of the city. The event is part of Burn 24-7 Chester, a group that gathers, regardless of denominational affiliation and ethnicities, to seek God through the continual outpouring of worship.
Prayer walks
In other parts of the Diocese, hundreds are expected to take part in one of the many prayer walks that have been arranged, some of which are listed here for the Chester region of the Diocese.
Light up the world
Altogether, hundreds of thousands of people around the world are expected to pray throughout the 11 days and beyond. A new collaborative tool on the Thy Kingdom Come website allows churches and prayer groups to register an event or a pledge to pray. As you register your involvement, your local area will light up. As more people register their commitment to pray, more of the country will be lit up across the world.
Get involved
Thy Kingdom Come is a global prayer movement which invites Christians around the world to pray between Ascension and Pentecost for more people to come to know Jesus Christ. What started out as an invitation from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in 2016 to the Church of England has grown into an international and ecumenical call to prayer.
Take a look at what's happening around the Diocese of Chester, and please do tell us about your event.