Displaying items by tag: Archbishop of Canterbury

Christian and other minority faith group persecution in Manipur worsens. By 26th May 70+ Christians were killed, 10,000 forced from homes, 300+ churches burned or demolished, and 1,000 Christian homes destroyed as Hindus sought Christians to kill or convert to Hinduism. The Supreme Court ordered the military to maintain peace in the region, but the Hindu nationalist government has done nothing to stop the violence. Open Doors said, ‘If the situation continues civil war is inevitable, with more lives lost, properties destroyed and further open persecution of religious minorities.’ Those who have fled don't have food or shelter and face threats of physical violence. Justin Welby is distressed to hear about these attacks on indigenous tribal Christians, saying, ‘Kailean Khongsai is training for Church ordination and is from Manipur. I join him in praying that regional authorities would protect all minority groups, including Christians and their places of worship, and that justice and peace would prevail.’ See

The Archbishop of Canterbury visited Bucha and saw evidence of atrocities and civilian killings by Russian troops, as millions of people remain without power or heating after attacks on Ukraine's power grid. The most senior cleric in the Church of England was highlighting the need for support for Ukraine ahead of a tough winter. ‘I am clear that Putin chose to start the war and release the evil that comes from that’, he said. It is proper to support a ‘victim nation’ that is ‘being overrun by aggression’. Stating that the international community had a ‘duty of care’ to protect weaker nations, he said that the consequences of letting Ukraine down would be ‘infinitely worse’ than carrying on the support for Kyiv. ‘It would be more expensive and politically catastrophic because it would prove that Putin was right when he thought the West would not stand together for long enough for this to end justly and fairly.’

Anglican and Catholic leaders have made a joint submission to the Foreign Office’s independent review, requesting support for persecuted Christians. In a letter accompanying the submission the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, said that in many places ‘our Christian sisters and brothers face persecution of an intensity and extent unprecedented in many centuries.’ However, these threats to freedom of religion or belief are not restricted to Christians alone, but are widely experienced by followers of other faiths. ‘We ask the Government to take note of the practical recommendations offered in this submission and to take meaningful action not only in protecting Christians facing persecution but also in promoting freedom of religion and belief more widely,’ they said.

Justin Welby has spoken of his daily discipline of praying in tongues and seeking words of knowledge and prophecy from others, in an interview with Premier at the launch of ‘Thy Kingdom Come’, now in its fourth year. He said, ‘It’s not something to make a great song and dance about. Usually it’s extremely early in the morning and not an immensely ecstatic moment.’ Speaking in tongues, words of knowledge, and prophecy are common practices in Pentecostal and charismatic churches. ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ has united over a million Christians from more than 65 different denominations and traditions, in 114 countries, to pray for evangelisation. During prayer times many noticed that God’s Spirit came.

Justin Welby has told the Lords that if Parliament fails to back a deal with Brussels, it will have shown itself to be ‘unfit for the job’. He warned that a no-deal Brexit could hit the ‘poorest and most vulnerable’ communities the hardest, and MPs have a ‘duty to build a compromise, even if it is unwelcome to some’. He urged MPs to show leadership and put the interests of their constituents first: ‘Parliamentarians must be able to look back at this time and say honestly to the people of this country that we put them, their choices, their welfare and their communities above the politics and ideology that can seem so all-consuming here in Westminster.’

In January Archbishop Justin Welby tweeted his sadness about the killings and displacements in Nigeria. Writing to the country’s primate, Nicholas Okoh, he offered to contribute towards negotiating peace. He has now repeated that offer, saying, ‘My condolences go to those who have lost loved ones and property. I urge the authorities to seek for ways to ameliorate their sufferings and losses. I call on all people of goodwill to continue to pray for the peace of Nigeria. I mourn with this great country and stand with them in prayer. I once again exhort President Buhari and other authorities, civil and religious, national and international, to build a coalition to end this violence immediately.’ Since January 175,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Benue State and are now living in refugee camps.

‘Thy Kingdom Come’ is a global prayer movement, which invites Christians around the world to pray between Ascension and Pentecost for more people to come to know Jesus Christ. What started out as an invitation from the Archbishops’ of Canterbury and York in 2016 to the Church of England has grown into an international and ecumenical call to prayer. The hope is that: 1) people will commit to pray with God’s worldwide family - as a church, individually or as a family; 2) churches will hold prayer events, such as 24-7 prayer, prayer stations and prayer walks, across the UK and in other parts of the world; 3) people will be empowered through prayer by the Holy Spirit, finding new confidence to be witnesses for Jesus Christ. See Justin Welby’s video invitation on

We want to encourage you, as part of the World Prayer Centre family wherever you live in the world, to support The Archbishop of Canterbury’s call for Christians to join a wave of prayer across the UK and around the world. WPC will be providing resources and updates and will be working with church leaders in Birmingham to provide prayer points and prayer events in the city.

It’s not complicated – Thy Kingdom Come are simply asking people to pray in whatever way they want and with whoever they want for others to come to know Jesus Christ.

• Everyone is asked to Pledge2Pray by visiting www.thykingdomcome.global where there are resources to help and inspire. You can sign as an individual, family, church group, church, group of churches or organisation
• As Thy Kingdom Come falls in half term week in England resources are being prepared to help families engage wherever they are on holiday

The aims are:
• For people to pray with God’s world-wide family from 25 May – 4th June - individually, as a family or as part of a church

• For prayer events to be held across churches in the UK and the world. This will culminate in many larger ‘beacon’ events in cathedrals where communities gather to worship and to pray for the empowering of the Holy Spirit for effective witness.

• For people to be transformed through prayer by the Holy Spirit, finding new confidence to be witnesses for Jesus Christ.

Last year in May 2016 the Archbishops of Canterbury and York invited people to join a wave of prayer between Ascension and Pentecost. The response in May 2016 was overwhelming as hundreds of thousands joined in from churches of many denominations and different traditions around the UK and across the world.

For 2017 the vision is even bigger. The hope is to see at least 80 per cent of Church of England churches and cathedrals taking part as well as many other denominations and the churches of the world-wide Anglican Communion. Leaders from the international Methodist church, the Free churches, the Roman Catholic Church, Pentecostal churches and several of the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches in the UK have all signalled their support.

“This is not a Church of England thing, it's not an Anglican thing, it's a Christian thing! “ World Prayer Centre see this as a very significant element in a fresh call to pray for our nation and expect a great move of God.
What can you do?
We would love people to champion “Thy Kingdom Come” at a local level. In February 2017, further resources and information will be available on www.thykingdomcome.global including tips and materials to download on prayer and details of prayer events and how to organize your own. Please look at these and ensure local clergy and church leaders are aware. Encourage them to engage.

UsePledge2Pray and you’ll be kept updated on new resources and information and if you’re on Facebook or Twitter reminders will be posted there.

Pray for a great wave of prayer to hit our nation and your local area. This is a really important time to keep praying – “Your Kingdom come, your will be done.”

“Jesus prayed at the Last Supper that we, those who follow Him, might ‘be one that the world might believe’. We are invited to make a lasting difference in our nations and in our world, by responding to his call to find a deep unity of purpose in prayer.” Archbishop Justin Welby

As more information becomes available we will keep all WPC family updated. It is a privilege for us at World Prayer Centre to partner with Thy Kingdom Come and for me to serve on the national steering group.

Jane Holloway National Prayer Director

“Thy Kingdom Come” is the invitation of the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby to Christians around the world to pray during a focused time between Ascension and Pentecost from 25th May – 4th June 2017 that people might know Jesus Christ

The hope is that:

∙             People will commit to pray with God’s world-wide family - as a church, individually or as a family

∙             Churches will hold prayer events, such as 24-7 prayer, prayer stations and prayer walks, across the UK and in other parts of the world

∙             People will be transformed through prayer by the Holy Spirit, finding new confidence to be witnesses for Jesus Christ

How did it begin?

In May 2016 the Archbishops of Canterbury and York invited Christians from across the Church of England to join a wave of prayer between Ascension and Pentecost. The response was astonishing as hundreds of thousands joined in from churches of many denominations and different traditions around the UK and across the world.

For 2017 the vision is even greater as more church denominations across the UK are getting involved and the invitation has gone to churches of the world-wide Anglican Communion. Participating nations that are taking part to date are: USA, Canada, Cuba, Bermuda, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, Egpt, Sri Lanka, Australia, Mauritius, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Portugal.

You can join as an individual, church, network or group - the Archbishop’s invitation is simply asking people to pray in whatever way they want, with whoever they want and wherever they can, that others might know Jesus Christ.

Anyone can sign up on the website now and pledge to pray and get more information:   www.thykingdomcome.global

If you are happy to represent your denomination /network in your nation please email Nicola Martin to get more information: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

“In praying 'Thy Kingdom Come' we all commit to playing our part in the renewal of the nations and the transformation of communities." Archbishop Justin Welby

Jane Holloway, World Prayer Centre, Birmingham part of Steering Group of Thy Kingdom Come