Someone mentioned the other day that an appetite for united prayer has taken Christians by surprise. I'm not quite sure what was meant by this but I thought it would be worth exploring the theme and to see what I could find.
The obvious place to start is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This is an international movement and started in 1908. It is an octave (8 days) towards the end of January in the northern hemisphere (the southern hemisphere are usually on vacation at that time and so choose other dates). Since 1968 the World Council of Churches has produced an annual booklet for churches. The 2010 booklet is available and covers the centenary of the 1910 Edinburgh Missionary Conference, usually seen as the start of modern ecumenism.
The World Council of Churches has also introduced a weekly world ecumenical prayer cycle. You will find this in the right hand side bar of this blog.
Taize is a place many people associate with prayer and I was reminded of it when I found the photo with this post. The photo is by Damir Jelic and shows prayer in Taize Church. The link will take you to an account of the origins of this community, origins which include a deep commitment to the unity of the church.
I encountered Prayer Without Ceasing as a Methodist young people's Initiative in 2005 - 6, the website continues as a resource for Methodists. It acknowledged its connection with the international 24-7 Prayer movement. This was founded in Chichester, England in 1999 and is now a worldwide movement, involving most traditions and supporting many mission and justice initiatives.
Finally, I picked up a leaflet at the recent Churches Together in England Forum, produced by Prayer Forum of the British Isles and Ireland. This aims to connect and equip all Christians so that all nations can eb united to prayer.
I am sure I have made some serious omissions and would welcome suggestions of other organisations promoting ecumenical prayer. I have tried to provide some idea of the bona fides of these movements. So, please if you suggest a little known movement, I would appreciate some supporting information to show it is an authentic ecumenical movement.
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