Bishop John writes:
From July we are launching a dedicated period of prayer that our diocese will grow both spiritually and numerically over the coming years. Two prayers have been specially written and we hope that everyone will use these regularly as we pray that more people will come to know the love of Jesus and join us in worship.
We will be launching this period of prayer with a pilgrimage around Worcester Cathedral from 2pm on Wednesday 5 July. This will be a chance to pray for our parishes, schools and all those already part of our diocese as well as for those who are not yet our members. All are welcome to join us for this. If you’re not able to make it, Bishop Martin will be making a prayer pilgrimage around our deaneries at the start of August or you might wish to use the prayer and liturgy available to hold your own event. Dave Shaw, Worship Director at Top Church in Dudley is also composing a special worship song which will be available for parishes to use.
By 2030 we pray that we shall have healthy and sustainable churches which are resourced and encouraged to worship God, make disciples, share hope, and transform their communities. We hope to have double the number of children and young people in our churches, at least 100 new worshipping communities and congregations of 150 people in each major area of population. None of this will happen without prayer – please join us in this!
