Lockdown doesn't stop us praying 'Thy Kingdom Come'

And this Diocese was no exception.

Many of our church congregations seized the opportunity offered by new technology to not only keep in touch with each other, but also reach out to every corner of the Earth, in concerted petition and praise for a better God-filled world.

Geoffrey Murray, one of our regular Dorset contributors explains what happened down on the coast:

"For those normally worshipping at the Weymouth town centre church of St Mary’s, for example, last Sunday after the normal virtual morning service, there was a chance to exchange experiences in a Zoom session hosted by Lay Minister Carl Whitehouse and his wife Rachel.

"They had earlier joined in Zoom worship with Christians in Uganda, where their daughter is a missionary, revealing that, long accustomed to deadly viruses like Ebola, Ugandans have easily adapted to the constraints created by Covid-19 and continued thanking God. Other participants had experiences from places such as Singapore and South Africa.

"I also participate in a weekly Zoom session hosted by old friends at St George’s Cathedral in Perth, Western Australia. Through this he saw the incredible power of the Holy Spirit to transform lives anywhere.

“I learnt about Connie, an American in her late 50s living in a remote corner of southern Japan. She was trying to prepare for confirmation, but this was proving a great struggle due to a number of discouraging factors, and she felt a failure.

“I placed her on my list of 5 people to pray for and exchanged almost daily email messages with her during TKC - as did others in the Perth group. Imagine our joy when we eventually got a message saying: ‘I’ve been a sheep wandering alone for so long, and it’s terrible. I’ve prayed for a genuine community for so long. Praise be to God that I have found one.’ That, to me, epitomises the spirit of TKC.”

The Revd Nick Clarke, Team Rector of Radipole and Melcombe Regis, commented:

“This is a hugely challenging time when anxiety, fear, and tragedy seem close. However, so many people are exploring prayer and discovering it brings not only comfort but genuine hope.”