Anglicans called to pray

For 11 days this May, Anglicans are being called to a simple yet powerful task: prayer. From the Feast of the Ascension (May 10) to Pentecost (May 20), Christians around the world will pray together for more people to come to know Jesus Christ.

Thy Kingdom Come, started by the Church of England in 2016, has grown into an international and ecumenical movement. Its goal is to encourage Christians to engage in prayer that deepens their own relationships with Jesus and brings others to know Jesus better. In 2017, more than half a million people from 85 countries pledged to pray.

Last year, Anglicans in the Diocese of Toronto were among those who joined the global wave of prayer, encouraging each other to commit to daily prayer and hosting special services. “You can make this as simple or as complex as you want,” says the Rev. Douglas Woods, associate priest at St. Luke, Peterborough. “We took the simple option: we tied knots in a piece of string to make a ‘rosary’ to remember people we wanted to pray for each day.”

Mr. Woods promoted Thy Kingdom Come at St. Luke’s last year and coordinated his efforts with other churches in the diocese. He says one of the things he likes best is its focus on prayer as central to Christian life. “You can pray wherever you want. It’s nice to get together with other people to share the time of prayer, but if that’s not possible, you can just pray wherever you are,” he says.

Thy Kingdom Come’s website includes free resources for individuals, families and churches. Family activities range from blowing bubbles to launching prayers into the sky, while churches can find liturgical templates and ideas for prayer walks, stations and labyrinths. To learn more and sign up, visit www.thykingdomcome.global.