Home > News > Latest News > Thy Kingdom Come - Global Prayer Wave

Thy Kingdom Come - Global Prayer Wave

02 March 2017

Don’t miss this wave – pledge to pray!

Have you ever been caught in a wave and felt the surge of the water swirling around you as you’re swept to the shore? Waves are a powerful force, a bit like prayer. They may start small on a distant horizon and build into a huge breaker. But unlike waves, with prayer anything is possible. And that’s what happened in May this year when hundreds of churches and individuals joined in a wave of prayer called Thy Kingdom Come. The initiative began when the Archbishops of Canterbury and York invited churches to pray in fresh and focused ways during the days between Ascension and Pentecost - a time when the church traditionally focuses on prayer. They encouraged everyone to ask for the Holy Spirit to help them be witnesses to Jesus Christ and to pray for others to discover that living faith.

Thy Kingdom ComeWhat started as an idea gained momentum and last year more than 100,000 Christians from different denominations and traditions took part from the UK and across the world. They joined in more than 3,000 events and services to pray for others to come to know Jesus Christ and for God’s kingdom to come. The time of prayer culminated in six national Beacon Events over Pentecost weekend at cathedrals in different parts of the country. At Winchester demand was so great overspill areas with big screens had to be organised and at Canterbury a live stream was set up for people to join in on the internet.

By July it had received 300,000 views. Churches up and down the country, from every tradition, from inner-cities to rural areas, got involved and people joined in wherever they were, praying the way they wanted, in schools, homes, via twitter and even on a church roof. Many churches hosted whole weeks of 24-7 prayer – some for the first time or in partnership with others. Others hosted prayer days, special events and half nights of prayer.

Thy Kingdom ComeProject leader for the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Evangelism Task Group, Emma Buchan, said, “We were astounded by the take up, which was definitely God’s doing. What Thy Kingdom Come did was give people time and space outside their normal worshipping patterns to come closer to God. Some people got up to pray at 2am and said they didn’t know that an hour of prayer could change their life. I think some of us have forgotten the importance of praying regularly and intentionally for our friends to come into a relationship with Jesus Christ and this has helped many discover new ways of praying.’

This year the wave is starting to build again as preparations begin for Thy Kingdom Come 2017. Emma believes the 2017 wave of prayer will be even bigger than 2016. “We’re hoping more people will join us in Thy Kingdom Come next year between 25th May and 4th June,” she said. “We’re inviting people to pledge to pray with the whole family of God during that period and to pray for the Holy Spirit to empower them as witnesses to Jesus Christ.”

Last year there was interest from Christians across the world from New Zealand, the Falkland Islands, Brussels the USA and many others. Emma said, “Stories continue to pour in and we know from diocesan champions that what we’re hearing about nationally is only the tip of the iceberg.” This year all the churches of the Anglican Communion have been invited to take part and the hope is that beacons of prayer will light up the globe as the wave of prayer breaks over the days from Pentecost to Ascension.

Don’t miss out on this God-given wave. You can find out more on the website ThyKingdomCome where you can also view a video message from the Archbishop of Canterbury, who says: “With God the impossible is possible…”