Hundreds of thousands of Christians worldwide are gearing up to take part in the sixth ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ – a global ecumenical prayer movement for evangelisation that occurs annually from Ascension to Pentecost, and this year runs from May 13 – 23.

Founded by former Archbishop of York John Sentamu and the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ has expanded to include many denominations in its call for each Christian to pray for the world and for five people close to them to come to know Jesus.

Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell believes the wave of prayer is urgently needed in this time of global pandemic,

“When I think of all those who have struggled [from stress and loss during the pandemic].. I long for them to know the gift of abundant life Jesus offers, to have their burdens carried by him, and to discover the deep and trustworthy peace he pours out.”

“Thy Kingdom Come is about prayer: praying for those on our hearts, praying for those who don’t know Jesus - to find him, praying for our Church as we seek to be simpler, humbler and bolder.”

‘Thy Kingdom Come’ takes the form of services and events ranging from outdoor Pentecost celebrations to prayer walking, from continuous prayer events (online and in person) to family-friendly activities. In 2021, churches worldwide are taking part in a variety of innovative ways of adapting ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ to different COVID-19 contexts.

In this Province, Bishops are challenging their churches to take up a daily rhythm of prayer for ‘Thy Kingdom Come,’ plan prayer events over the weekend of Pentecost, or take part in Thy Kingdom Come intergenerational Zoom prayers or other karakia online. Strandz, the Tikanga Pākehā children's ministry network have produced local 'Pray for 5' resources: a prayer puzzle and Pentecost flame which can be found on the Strandz website. While in Aotearoa services can be in person, in the Diocese of Polynesia with Fiji under Covid-19 lockdown, families and individuals are being encouraged to pick up on the prayer wave in their homes.

In the UK where in many places lockdowns are only now easing, ecumenical groups of churches and dioceses, for example Edinburgh Churches Together and the Diocese of London, will host continuous prayer events online using the Upper Room, a virtual prayer room resource created by 24-7 Prayer – based on the Book of Acts.

This year ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ organisers in the UK have created an interactive Escape Room in collaboration with Winchester Diocese called ‘CaThedral PuRRsuits’, that is designed to have wide appeal including with young people and those on the fringes of faith.

With a presence in more than 170 countries worldwide, Thy Kingdom Come continues to grow internationally with resources being translated into languages such as Finnish, Korean, Tamil and Sinhala in Sri Lanka and Cantonese in Hong Kong.

In 2021 ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ organisers around the Communion have confirmed the prayer wave will take place in many provinces this year, with countries taking it up including: South Sudan, Greece, Sri Lanka, Japan, Australia, Canada, Trinidad, the USA, South Africa, Brazil and Burundi.

The campaign continues to be supported by prominent denominational leaders including His Holiness, Pope Francis as well as the leaders of Anglican Provinces around the Communion.

While ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ was initially a call to prayer by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York back in 2016, the movement now engages more than a million Christians in prayer, from more than 85 different denominations and traditions.

Thy Kingdom Come organisers in the UK have created a range of digital resources for all ages many of which are focused on a UK audience and a northern hemisphere context.

One ready-to-use resource with broad application is a simple and effective ten-day prayer journal downloadable in PDF that prints out to enable Christians to join the prayer wave between May 13-23.

Introduced by the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell, the 2021 journal features ten double-page spreads each with a short scripture reading, a reflection and a prayer that helps focus on one aspect of life and faith as people pray for those near to them to come to know Christ.

The 2021 ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ journal is downloadable in English as a PDF through this link.

For more information and an extensive range of videos and other resources, Thy Kingdom Come local organisers can visit: Thy Kingdom Come