The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU), which traditionally runs from 18 to 25 January, is one of the key events in the worldwide ecumenical calendar.
Each year across the country, and indeed the globe, Christians meet together to pray, share fellowship and learn about and from each other.
“The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity rarely makes headlines but it makes a real difference to those involved and is a great example of Christian witness in communities up and down the country,” says CTE’s Principal Officer for Ecumenical Development and Relations Doral Hayes.
In 2025, we hope that WPCU will have a slightly higher profile than usual thanks to it being the subject of Songs of Praise on Sunday 19 January (at 1.30pm on BBC One). CTE was delighted when our General Secretary Bishop Mike Royal and representatives from our Member Churches were invited to be part of the programme, some of which was filmed during our Enabling Group in October 2024. Jenny Sinclair, the founder of Together for the Common Good (a Charity and Network in Association with CTE), also features in the broadcast.
Another Charity and Network in Association with CTE, Premier, supports WPCU each year. The edition of Prayers of Hope on Sunday 19 January at 7pm will be all about WPCU and include prayers and reflections from young ecumenists from across the traditions. These will also be broadcast one a day across Premier Radio output. (Details to follow)
Premier will launch its coverage of WPCU with an interview with CTE’s Min Shermara Fletcher-Hoyte in the breakfast programme around 8.30am on Thursday 16 January.
A prayer for WPCU
Doral Hayes, who leads on supporting local and regional ecumenism for CTE, has recorded a video message and a prayer for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Please feel free to use and share the prayer with your own networks.
Download a pdf version of the prayer.
Sharing your WPCU activities
We would love you to share your WPCU events and activities too. You can show your support for Christian unity by posting messages and details of your events to the WPCU X wall which is hosted by our friends at Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. Simply add the #wpcuwall hashtag to your X post (note there is a delay before they appear). You can also find updates about the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity across the social media channels by following the #wpcu2025 hashtag.
Download the WPCU resources which are prepared by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.