Prayer is pivotal to unity. Relationships are pivotal to unity. Prayer and relationships are the seedbed for effective and sustainable mission.
Jesus in his high priestly prayer in John 17 prays to the Father that those who follow him might be united in all they do.
It’s no surprise then that prayer is at the heart of unity.
We have seen evidence that where local and county (intermediate level) groups make time to pray together on a regular basis, they are more likely to be engaged in dynamic forms of mission.
A great example of this is in Highworth, a town close to Swindon that saw a partnership with Christians Against Poverty (CAP) grow out of a prophetic word at a Churches Together Prayer meeting.
Prayer also brought together thousands of Christians in the South West in 2021, gathering along the famous coastal path to pray for God’s Kingdom to come. Over 3,500 people took part as Christians from all sorts of denominations found spaces in fields, on beaches and in other public spots to pray and worship together.
The National Day of Prayer and Worship are behind the Shine Your Light initiative. During Christmas 2023, NDOPW brought together 65 denominations, networks and ministries and hundreds of local churches for the ‘Shine Your Light campaign’. With the backing of the Prime Minister, political figures and many national leaders, the campaign mobilised over 78,000 people onto the streets in the UK and Ireland.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is a key event in the ecumenical calendar. It began in 1908 and takes place from 18-25 January every year (although some areas observe it at Pentecost or another time of year).
An evangelistic initiative that has grown enormously in the last few years is Thy Kingdom Come, which is an ecumenical prayer movement bringing together a wide variety of denominations during the Pentecost season. Many of our Member Churches have taken a leading and active part in this initiative, with Beacon events happening all over the England. Read more on our Thy Kingdom Come page.