Anglican Day of Prayer

ANGLICANS INVITED TO JOIN GLOBAL WAVE OF PRAYER

Prayer at Deenabandhu High School in Delhi

Plans are being finalised for an Anglican Communion Day of Prayer which could see millions of Anglicans taking part in a 24-hour wave of prayer around the globe.

The event, set for 30 November, is being co-ordinated by a team at USPG and has the support of the Anglican Communion Office and several Anglican mission agencies. The number of provinces signing up has been increasing since invitations were sent out in July. The date is significant: 30 November is St Andrew’s Day – a day where Anglicans focus on mission. It has historically been a day of prayer for the Communion. The organisers hope the Day of Prayer will honour this tradition as Anglicans around the world consider their contribution to God’s mission. USPG’s General Secretary, Rev’d Duncan Dormor, said, ‘We are very excited about the Day of Prayer. It is a new venture, and this is very much a pilot which will be developed in future years. I hope that Christians around the world – not just Anglicans – will join us in praying.’

'people can join online prayer and worship at convenient times, wherever they are around the world'

Rev’d Davidson Solanki, USPG’s Regional Manager for Asia and the Middle East, said the idea had come about through the Church’s response to Covid. ‘We saw how churches around the Communion were using technology to keep in touch and thought we could take advantage of this growth in ‘virtual church’ to bring everyone together to pray. Our virtual global gathering will take place over 24 hours so that people can join online prayer and worship at convenient times, wherever they are around the world. ‘Our vision is for the time to comprise a collection of authentic expressions of prayer and worship from provinces, extra-provincial churches and churches in full communion with the Anglican Communion. We believe this initiative will enable the churches of the Anglican Communion to experience deeper fellowship together in Christ. We hope that by uniting people and provinces in prayer, we will demonstrate our solidarity with each other at this challenging time.’ Regular updates on the Day of Prayer and how to get involved will appear on the USPG website and in editions of e-news. ■

Prayer in St Thomas' Church, Gweru, Zimbabwe