It’s not long until this year’s ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ prayer event, with a special launch service for our Diocese taking place at Blackburn Cathedral on May 9. Don't miss it!

For the third year running, Christians across the country and the world are accepting the invitation, originally given by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York in 2016, to set aside time from Ascension Day to Pentecost, and to pray specifically for people they know to come to know Jesus Christ.

The hope of the Archbishops is that as Christians pray together we will:

• be transformed through prayer
• be given new confidence and encouragement by the Holy Spirit
• be effective witnesses to Jesus Christ.

This year Thy Kingdom Come is ecumenical and it will take place from May 10 – 20.

•  The event website www.thykingdomcome.global includes prayer pledge links and other links to loads of useful resources.
•  Archbishop Justin Welby talks about his faith journey in this video available on our Youtube channel to share with friends and family and play in your church if you can
•  Then there is this video, again featuring the Archbishop, reflecting on whole of the 2017 event and featuring clips from our 2017 launch service at Blackburn Cathedral alongside other events in this country and around the world.
•  In our Diocese, on Wednesday May 9^th at 7.30pm, there will be a beacon prayer event at Blackburn Cathedral to kick off the activities in Lancashire and all parishes are invited.

Rt Rev. Philip North, the Bishop of Burnley, writes about Thy Kingdom Come, and personally invites you to our launch service, in an article for the May edition of the diocesan magazine The See, out soon. You can read the article now on our website here: 

• Bishop Philip: Thy Kingdom Come 2018

Bishop Philip says: "Our time of focussed prayer for the Spirit should send us into the world with fresh energy and joy as we proclaim that Jesus is alive through our words, our lives, our love, our service and our generosity. 

"‘Come Holy Spirit.’ It is a dangerous prayer; for if you pray it with all your heart there is no saying what might happen next or where the Spirit will send you! During May, why don’t you dare to pray that prayer?"

To get a flavour of what the service on May 9 will be like, watch (and share) the highlights video below of the 2017 event ... and SUBSCRIBE to our YouTube channel for more videos. 

Booking for the launch service

More details about what will happen at this year's launch event will be available soon. In the meantime, and to make sure we have sufficient resources for the service, we ask that you use this booking link https://thy-kingdom-come-lancashire-beacon-prayer-event.eventbrite.co.uk to give us a rough idea of how many are coming from each church.

Church action; individual action

•  Pledge to pray (#pledge2pray) as an individual and with people from your church by visiting www.thykingdomcome.global
•  On the same website ... www.thykingdomcome.global ... you can also add your local event to a national map of events to promote it far and wide and you can also download a whole range of resources (from social media banners to posters for your church) to help you plan how you, your family and your church can be involved.