Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

By The Revd Rosemary Donovan

Pray Without Ceasing

2008 is a special year, marking the 100th anniversary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

The aims are:

To pray as Christ prayed “that they may be one”.
To pray for the unity of all Christian people as we share in Christ’s ministry.

Readings and meditations focus on Paul’s advice to “pray without ceasing”. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland produces resources for the week, including a service pamphlet, prayer cards and poster. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity traditionally takes place between 18 and 25 January but may be observed over a different period. It lasts for eight days and was originally called an Octave of Prayer.

The Week of Prayer offers opportunities to meet and pray with fellow Christians of different denominations in your locality. Often new local initiatives emerge out of meeting and praying together in this way.

Here in Moseley we are hoping to undertake prayer walking again meeting at Riverside House on Monday 21 January, St Mary’s on Tuesday 22 January and St Agnes on Wednesday 23 January. There will also be the united service held at Calvary Chapel on Sunday 20 January at 11:00 a.m.

Many churches, one purpose

There are many different Christian churches and denominations, but all have the same basic calling — to worship God, to share the good news about Jesus Christ and to work for the good of all people.

So they often need to work together, as well as co-ordinate the work they each do separately. When they do, they are acting as Churches Together. But being Churches Together means more than that. It means commitment by each church and denomination to deepen its fellowship with the others and, without losing what makes each interestingly different, to work with them towards a greater visible unity.

Many issues facing the church benefit from a unified approach. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland works with member churches to co-ordinate responses, share resources and learn from each other’s experiences. Check out the website www.ctbi.org.uk

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