01/03/2021
The organisers of an ecumenical prayer movement for evangelisation, uniting Christians in nearly 90% of countries worldwide from the Ascension to Pentecost, will host a virtual launch event to unveil plans for this year, on Tuesday 9th March.
Thy Kingdom Come, which is led by the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and has attracted the support of His Holiness Pope Francis in recent years, will host the free webinar showcasing a selection of new resources and in which ways worshipping communities can participate despite ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
New resources for 2021 will include an 11-part family-friendly animation series; video reflections from influential Christian voices such as Bear Grylls, Bishop of Dover Rose Hudson-Wilkin and Archbishop Angaelos, and this year’s Prayer Journal penned by the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell.
A special video message from Archbishop Justin Welby, who will be on study leave during this year’s 11-day prayer period, will also be shown.
Whilst prayer for evangelisation remains at the heart of Thy Kingdom Come, this year they have adapted their offer, with the intention of creating resources designed to refresh, encourage and inspire worshipping communities, families and individuals who may have struggled with the idea of Church at Home.
For families, there is an 11-part children’s video series called Cheeky Pandas – packed with Bible stories, prayers, animation, worship songs and interviews with special guests including Adventurer, Bear Grylls, CBeebies Presenter Gemma Hunt, Revd Nicky Gumbel (HTB and Alpha) and Pastor Agu and Shola (Jesus House) to name a few. The video series (which will be available from early April onwards) can be used as part of church at home, gathered church (online and offline) and in school assemblies. Similar to last year, the series will be the main content in the Family Prayer Adventure Map and App.
For Youth, Thy Kingdom Come are working with the Archbishop of York’s Youth Trust to produce a selection of youth resources including a series of video reflections from young influential Christians such as the current Methodist Youth President - Phoebe Parkin, rapper and author - Guvna B, Worship Leader- Elle Limebear, Spoken Word Artist- Joshua Luke Smith and many more.
Other new resources include the Prayer Journal, written by the Archbishop of York, - crafted with the express intention of inspiring readers to re-encounter the love and joy found in Jesus Christ and this year’s Novena.
The award-winning Thy Kingdom Come app, available in nine languages, will for the first time, include audio content from 24-7 Prayer’s Lectio 365 with audio reflections from Pete Greig, Archbishop Justin and 24-7 Prayer GB UK Director, Carla Harding.
Recognising the strain on churches to serve their congregations during the prolonged pandemic context, Thy Kingdom Come are giving away 100,000 copies of the Prayer Journal and Family Prayer Adventure Map to UK churches as long as P&P is covered.
Emma Buchan, Thy Kingdom Come Project Director, said: “I am so excited about TKC this year as we have been so intentional in our planning and thinking to produce resources that help the Church at this time. Where it has been such a challenging year for everyone, we really want TKC to inspire people in their relationships with Christ, to gather those who have found online Church challenging and to resource children and young people in fun, spiritually nourishing ways. We hope and pray Pentecost is a time of great joy after what has been such a challenging season.”
The webinar will also share ideas for churches looking to be involved this year –covering all eventualities - whether at home or gathered worship once the restrictions are lifted in the UK, and also to reflect varied global contexts where gathered worship is still possible.
A series of follow up webinars, including sessions specifically for the international context, will be available in March and April.
To register for the webinar visit: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/4916140768343/WN_LiMAeDk-TYeeVh4qSVHy0Q
To find out more about the resources and this year’s campaign sign up to our mailing list and visit the website: www.ThyKingdomCome.global
About Thy Kingdom Come
Now in its sixth year, Thy Kingdom Come has grown from an initial call to prayer from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to the Anglican Communion, to a worldwide ecumenical prayer movement uniting Christians from across 65 different denominations and traditions.
Since the movement began in 2016, the campaign has had a presence in nearly 90% of countries globally, ranging from Malaysia to Malta, Sweden to South Africa, Australia to Albania and Burundi to Brazil, with many countries translating the resources into their own languages such as Gaelic, Maori, Japanese, Arabic, Finnish and Tamil & Sinhala.
Dates for this year’s Thy Kingdom Come will take place from the 13th-23rd May.