This year marks the tenth anniversary of the ecumenical, global prayer movement for evangelisation – Thy Kingdom Come.
Initiated by the then Archbishops of Canterbury and York in 2016, what started off as a call to prayer for evangelisation for the Church of England, has since united tens of millions of Christians, from across 85 different denominations and traditions – in many nations across the world to pray in the precious days between Ascension and Pentecost.
Inspired by Acts 1 and 2, when the disciples gathered in the upper room praying constantly from when Jesus ascended to Pentecost, Thy Kingdom Come draws on the richness of this historic tradition, renewing our commitment to pray for a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit so that those do not yet know Christ, will encounter his life-transforming love and become his disciples.
Over the last decade, we have been astonished to see how this kernel of an idea has mushroomed – uniting Christians – Catholics, Anglicans, Orthodox, Pentecostals, Methodists, Baptists and more – in praying together- even when, at times, our calendars are not aligned, such is the commitment to unity!
One of the key things we have discovered is the power of unity in prayer, where instead of focusing on our differences, we can stand alongside one another, shoulder to shoulder, and look to God for the renewal and transformation of nation and of our world.
Looking back over the last decade, here are 10 ecumenical highlights:
- In 2019, Trafalgar Square was turned into Trafalgar Prayer- with more than 10,000 Christians gathering in prayer and worship on Pentecost Sunday with various contributions from across the Church. One of the most profound moments was seeing the presidents of Churches Together in England kneeling together in prayer for nation.
- Each year, we are blessed by the diverse and nourishing contributions from senior ecumenical leaders in our films and print resources. This includes past and present CTE Presidents such as His Eminence Archbishop Angaelos (Coptic Orthodox), Cardinal Vincent Nichols (Catholic), Pastor Agu Irukwu (Redeemed Christian Church of God), Rev Canon Helen Cameron (Free Churches) and many others from other churches such as the Salvation Army, Vineyard Churches and in 2025 from the Apostolic Pastoral Congress, CTE General Secretary Bishop Mike Royal.
- In 2019, in a beautiful demonstration of unity, the late His Holiness Pope Francis shared a stunning Pentecost message for the global church, for Thy Kingdom Come. “Come Holy Spirit. And to Jesus, Thy Kingdom Come. Thy Kingdom Come of the Father that you came to announce. And to my brothers and sisters…I want to tell you, we walk alongside you in this prayer – Thy Kingdom Come.”
- Over the years we have produced a range of ecumenical resources including resources for the Catholic church – such as Journey with Mary devotional (print and audio formats) to the annual ecumenical Prayer Journal featuring a variety of voices from across different denominations and networks. In 2024, churches in Scotland created their own version, featuring Scottish ecumenical voices.
- It has been a real blessing to witness the many wonderful ecumenical gatherings which have and continue to happen across the country and globally! From tiny villages to big cities, we have witnessed churches from different denominations coming together to host times of prayer & worship during the 11 days. For example, in England this includes locations such as Nottingham, St Albans, Chester, Birmingham, Exeter, Manchester, Swindon, Sheffield, Eastbourne, Cornwall and beyond.
- Our flagship resource for children and families, the Cheeky Pandas cartoon series (and accompanying activity packs) has previously featured a range of influential Christians from across the Church including Rev Nicky Gumbel, Bear Grylls, CBeebies Gemma Hunt, Mary Berry and many more. The resources have been used by hundreds of thousands of children in churches, homes and schools to nurture their faith.
- For the last few years, we have broadcast special online services for Pentecost Sunday. For example, in 2020, the national Pentecost service online for the Church of England – featured many ecumenical contributors including the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Methodist Youth President, prayers led by children and young people and worship by Matt Redman.
- In 2023, we held our first nationally organised in-person event, following the COVID-19 pandemic, which was also broadcast online to audiences worldwide, for Ascension Day. The ecumenical service held at the Salvation Army’s Regents Hall, featured ecumenical contributions from some of the presidents from Churches Together in England and many others including: Shermara Fletcher-Hoyte (Principal Officer for Pentecostal, Charismatic and Multi-cultural Relations, CTE); representatives from charities Open Doors and Transform Work – an ecumenical membership body and young people from HTB. Worship on the night was led by the Spirituals (Gospel Choir) and the Salvation Army Band.
- Over the years, many charities, organisations and networks from across the Church have been involved with Thy Kingdom Come. This includes Churches Together in England, Transform Work, 24-7 Prayer GB, Defence Christian Network, Mothers Union, Hope Together, LICC, Open Doors, and CAP to name a few.
- We have received numerous testimonies over the years from across the church – (through our annual feedback survey and other means) – of what God has done through Thy Kingdom Come. Testimonies of people coming to faith; of ecumenical collaboration amongst churches who wouldn’t ordinarily; of churches becoming more missional and outward looking; of churches growing; of people going deeper with God in discipleship, of reconciliations among families and friendships, of prodigals returning, of individuals exploring faith when there was no previous interest …
As we prepare for the tenth Thy Kingdom Come, with hearts full of gratitude for all He has done and look with great expectation for all He will continue to do in the future, our hope and prayer is that this may long continue.
Find out more about Thy Kingdom Come 2025 and the focus on The Lord’s Prayer.