Dear Friends,

Here I am with a few bits of info for you – opportunities for prayer which you might like to take up yourself, or which you may like to pass on to your congregations/groups/networks.

If you’re not familiar with the concept of a Week of Accompanied Prayer, this description from the attached poster will help:

The week will begin with an opening service at 3.00 on Saturday 5 October, and finish with a closing celebration at 3.00 on Sunday 13 October

Each day you are encouraged to set aside up to 30 minutes on your own for private prayer using the focus of a short passage of scripture, and also to meet with your Prayer Guide in the crypt for about half an hour to reflect together on your prayer time.

If you’d like to know more or book a place, please email Janet Macdonald on:

[email protected]

(Poster attached)

Christian spirituality is concerned with relationship with God and others, but these relationships are impacted by mental health and wellbeing, and involve discernment of inner voices and experiences of what it means to hear God. Sometimes it can feel as though it is a struggle to make sense of it all – even that we are struggling with God. Drawing on some of the themes of his recent book, Struggling with God, written jointly with John Swinton and Isabelle Hamley, Revd Prof Chris Cook will explore some of these struggles in relation to Christian pastoral ministry, and will give space for reflection and discussion of pastoral work of those participating. The day will be suitable for all involved in pastoral work in Christian churches, lay or ordained.

Chris Cook is Emeritus Professor in Spirituality, Theology & Health at Durham University, chair of the Spirituality & Psychiatry Special Interest Group at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, and Honorary Chaplain for Tees, Esk & Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust. He was awarded the Canterbury Cross by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 2020 for his work on theology and psychiatry, and the Oskar Pfister Award by the American Psychiatric Association in 2021 for his work on religion and psychiatry. His books include Christians Hearing Voices (2020), and (with Isabelle Hamley & John Swinton) Struggling with God (2023).

Join us at 9.30 for a 10am start, the day ends at 3pm. Hot drinks and biscuits are provided; please bring your own lunch. There is no fixed charge for the day but a suggested donation of £15-£25.

To book:

[email protected]

Bishop Rose is gathering clergy from across the diocese to spend a few days exploring the subject of prayer, with the help of visiting speaker Sr Dr Gemma Simmonds. There will be plenary sessions, workshops, worship times, and space for retreat. 120 clergy have signed up, and we are thrilled at the evidence of such a hunger to go deeper in prayer.

Bookings for the event have closed, but we would be really grateful if you would commit to supporting this event in prayer. We may invest in all sorts of strategies and plans, but we know that it’s when God’s people take up the invitation to commune with God in prayer that we really begin to see renewal.

We’ve written a prayer, and you might like to copy it out and keep it to hand to pray each day, up to and during the gathering. It will also appear in the Calendar on Tuesday 8th October, the day the event begins.

Praying together for ‘Together in Prayer’, 8th-10th October

Loving God, who gave your people the gift and privilege of talking with you in prayer, we pray today for all who will gather for ‘Together in Prayer’.

As members of the clergy step away from their day-to-day responsibilities, we pray that they will find space to breathe, rest and enjoy one another’s company, and that they will experience the presence of God in fresh ways as they explore the theme of prayer. We pray too that they will return home inspired and equipped for the next part of their journey in ministry.

We pray for those who have been invited to teach in main sessions and workshops, and for those who will lead worship: help them to hear clearly the prompting of your Spirit, and to bring exactly what is needed. We pray that the time together will be an opportunity for all to discover more of the joy and wonder of prayer.

We pray that the event will be a seed-head which scatters seeds of prayer to every corner of our diocese – seeds that will bear fruit in renewed lives and transformed communities. Amen.

If you know anyone who’d like to receive regular prayer updates from Canterbury Diocese, please ask them to complete the form at:

[email protected]

Blessings,

Lyndall Bywater

Changing Lives Prayer Network Co-ordinator

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