This October, listeners to BBC Radio 4 Extra are invited to join a special week of Daily Services that bring The Lord’s Prayer to life.
From Friday 3 October to Friday 10 October, six services will be shared, each led by voices from across the North of England and the Isle of Man. Together, they will reflect on the words of this well-loved prayer and on what they mean for our lives today.
The series opens with Archbishop Stephen Cottrell, who has invited others serving the church in different contexts across the Northern Province to share in leading worship. Each service takes a line from The Lord’s Prayer and connects it with everyday faith, hope, and challenge.
The services include:
- Friday 3 October – Archbishop Stephen Cottrell: Who is God our Father?
- Mon 6 October – The Ven Miranda Threlfall-Holmes: Where is God’s kingdom now?
- Tues 7 October – The Revd Dave Ho Young: What does “enough” look like?
- Weds 8 October – The Revd Alex Brown: Why forgiveness matters
- Thurs 9 October – The Revd Amy Bland: How do we stay on the right path?
- Friday 10 October – Bishop Philip North: Living to glorify God
The week concludes on Paulinus Day (10 October), with a special event at Blackburn Cathedral. Archbishop Stephen will be speaking about the continuing power of The Lord’s Prayer – not only as words to say, but as a way of life. Similar teaching and learning events are taking place across the North of England, with more planned for 2026, as part of the growing Faith in the North, encouraging a movement of prayer, storytelling and church planting.
The focus for Faith in the North in 2025 is The Lord’s Prayer, with free resources available for schools, churches, and individuals via the website. This builds toward a moment of great heritage significance in 2027: the 1400th anniversary of the baptism of King Edwin by St Paulinus, which laid the foundations for what is now York Minster.
