Day of Prayer

invitation

A Time to Shine A day of prayer ending with a service at Eton College Chapel.

Saturday 14th April 2012 Guest speaker: The Right Revd Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham

‘The Olympic Games are the greatest show on earth and offer churches all sorts of possibilities to raise our game as communities.’ The Right Revd Alan Wilson

prayer stations

briefing

for all churches You are invited to take part in a day of prayer ound the area across the Diocese of Oxford. Our aim is to surr be prayer stations around Dorney Lake with prayer. There will urage you to set up at local churches. We would like to enco transport to cover either walk, run, drive or use other means of the area in prayer.

Where s and Eton, Eton Wick, Dorney and Windsor Churche lved invo ches chur the surrounding area (a map of the will be provided).

Time Prayer activity: 10am - 4pm Service: 5pm - 6.30pm be Refreshments will be served at 4pm location to

advised

contact: For further information and to register please 77 Revd Janet Binns: Tel: 01753 8312 Email: janet.binns@oxford.anglican.org .uk or Revd Lucy Holt: Email: revlucy@tiscali.co

‘Let us run the race that is before us and never give up.’

Hebrews 12.1

A day of prayer to take place on the 14th April 2012 A Time to Shine is More Than Gold’s year-long prayer initiative — a call to pray for our communities and the nations. Under the theme A Time to Shine we are inviting every church, group and organisation to explore creative ways to pray for all that will take place in the months leading up to, during and after the Games.

To this end The Race Before Us is organising a day of prayer across the Oxford Diocese to take place on the 14th April 2012. The day will start from 10am and our aim is to surround the area around Dorney

Lake with prayer. Prayer stations will be set up at local churches and people are encouraged to either walk, run, drive or use other means of transport to pray for our communities and events leading up to the Games.

The day will end with refreshments at 4pm and a service of prayer at Eton College Chapel starting at 5pm.

We would like as many churches as possible to produce a 2012 prayer and think of creative ways in which to get your prayer to the service at Eton College Chapel on the day. For example you could take part in a relay that involves running, cycling, rowing swimming or other means as part of the journey to Eton during the week leading up to the

prayer topics

14th April, the choice is yours.

In view of the size and geographic nature of the Diocese we appreciate that not everyone will be able to make the journey to Eton but would like to encourage those unable to come to take part. Therefore could you think creatively of how you might get your prayer to The Race Before Us team. For example you might like to post prayers online, using the Race Before Us website, www.racebeforeus.org.uk or social media such as Facebook and Twitter or email creative prayers to Revd Janet Binns. We will ensure that all prayers received are incorporated into the event in some way.

The service itself will include presentations from parishes across the Diocese, when churches may wish to dramatise, sing, use puppeteering, or other forms of creativity to deliver a prayer.

Bishop Alan Wilson will be our speaker during the service itself and we hope as many churches across the Diocese will take part in this event

‘When we learn to enjoy and trust the presence of God, we will naturally turn to that presence in prayer’ Richard Rohr

More than Gold has developed a range of prayer topics related to the 2012 Games arranged into five categories.

However, these are by no means exhaustive. Please use them as a starting point and feel free to add to them. Prayer stations will cover the following areas. Further information available on the More than Gold website.

1. Planning Pray for the planning and delivery of the Games, that everything will run to time, to budget and most importantly to God’s will.

2. Places Pray that the places touched by the Games will be places where people find the presence of God. 3. Participants Pray for all those participating in the 2012 Games, that they will compete honourably, and encounter the living God in a powerful way.

4. Power Pray that the UK church will seize every opportunity to get involved in the Olympic celebrations in 2012, speaking and living the love of Jesus, and standing together as one united body.

5. Purpose Pray ‘your Kingdom come, your will be done’ over every aspect of the 2012 Games.

A Prayer for 2012 Father, creator of light, you shine over us in blessing and power, Jesus, Light of the World, you shine as the Word of Life to guide us, Spirit, fiery presence of God, you shine on us to bring hope and boldness.

As this year progresses, with all its potential and possibilities, We invite you to shine in our lives, in our communities and in this nation, That all will see the light of your glory and discover your unfailing love.

Amen

St John the Evangelist Church Close, Eton SL4 6AP Parking: Eton shopping area Prayer station topic: Planning

Eton Wick St John the Baptist Eton Wick Road, SL4 6JA Parking: On street parking available Prayer station topic: Places

Boveney St Mary Magdalene Boveney Lock Parking: Car park available Prayer station topic: Participants

Dorney St James the Less Court Lane, Dorney, SL4 6QP Parking: Car park available Prayer station topic: Power

Windsor St Andrews Mill Lane, Clewer, SL4 5JG Parking: Street parking Prayer station topic: Power St John the Baptist High Street, Windsor, SL4 1LT Parking: Windsor shopping area Prayer station topic: Purpose Windsor Methodist Church Alma Road, Windsor, SL4 3HH Parking: Car parking available Prayer station topic: Purpose Churches in the area not mentioned above are also welcome to set up prayer stations. Please contact Revd Janet Binns on 01753 831277 for guidance. www.racebeforeus.org.uk • www.morethangold.org.uk

prayer station churches

Eton