A new web-based service from the Church of England, launched today to mark the beginning of Lent, lets people across the country confidentially share their hopes and concerns anonymously in the form of a prayer – and also have those thoughts offered to God by a bishop.
Prayers received via www.SayOneForMe.org over the next 40 days will be displayed on the site and shared with a number of Church of England bishops, who have agreed to remember the submissions in their own prayers over the season. The website invites visitors to type in their prayers – and then click ‘Amen’ to post them.
The Rt Revd David Walker, Bishop of Dudley, says: “Priests are well used to having people shout at us ‘say one for me’. Whatever the initial intention of that yell in the street, underlying it is the fact that people feel a need to pray – especially during difficult times. Our visits today and the new website are both simple ways for us to harness that desire and engage with people where they are. Of course, nobody needs a dog collar to be heard by God, but for many people, knowing that someone else is praying for us gives us the confidence to make our own prayers, and prayer is often the gateway to hope. The website allows people to share their prayers anonymously via their own home computer or even on the move through a mobile device.”
In addition, to mark Ash Wednesday, a number of bishops are taking to the streets to invite prayers from passers-by, which will then be offered to God at a service later today:
- The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, will be joined by clergy from in and around the city and two sisters (Anglican ‘nuns’) in touring York to collect prayers from locals and tourists throughout the morning. Their words will be offered, anonymously, during brief special services to be held at St Helen’s, Stonegate, on the hour between 10am and 1pm, with the archbishop leading the prayers at 10am and midday.
- In the West Midlands, the Bishop of Dudley will be collecting prayers in Dudley Market between 10am and midday. Bishop David explains: “Prayer matters and prayer makes a difference. Many people who don’t pray regularly deeply appreciate somebody taking the time and interest to say a prayer on their behalf. I’m coming to Dudley to ask people what they want praying for, then I’m going to offer those prayers to God in our cathedral in Worcester tonight at 7.30pm, as part of how we mark Ash Wednesday”.
- In the North West, the Bishop of Manchester, the Rt Revd Nigel McCulloch, will be visiting the Job Centre in Moss Side at lunchtime, while the Bishop of Bolton, the Rt Revd Chris Edmonson, will be chatting to people at Bury Market. The bishops will collect prayers to be read at the 7.30pm services at Manchester Cathedral and Bolton Parish Church respectively.
- The Bishop of Birmingham, Rt Revd David Urquhart, will be in the city’s cathedral churchyard this lunchtime, collecting prayers from shoppers and workers. He will then read the prayers during Choral Evensong at the cathedral at 5.45pm.
- The Rt Revd Tim Stevens, Bishop of Leicester, will be in the market square outside St Dionysius church, Market Harborough, from 10.15-11.30am today. He will join other clergy in listening to people’s thoughts and concerns and inviting their prayers, which will then be taken to Leicester Cathedral for the Ash Wednesday service at 7.30pm.
For those unable to get to one of these locations, the dedicated website, www.SayOneForMe.org, will be available until Easter Sunday, 4th April. The site is a web version of the public prayer boards popular at many cathedrals and churches. Prayers will be read by a member of Church of England staff before being posted on the website and shared between the participating bishops listed above, who will each decide how best to use the submissions in their own cycle of prayer during Lent.
Surveys conducted in recent years indicate that around two-thirds of UK adults pray*, leading the Church of England’s Head of Research and Statistics, the Revd Lynda Barley, to describe prayer as “one of the best kept secrets in modern Britain”.
