Thy Kingdom Come

Thy Kingdom Come

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:

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

Thy Kingdom Come in Herts and Beds is supported by Churches Together in Hertfordshire, Churches Together in Bedfordshire, Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire Methodist District, Central Baptist Association, the Coptic Orthodox Church, the North Thames Synod of the United Reformed Church, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster and the Diocese of St Albans.

Click here for more information on Thy Kingdom Come globally.

The dtaes for 2024 are 9th May – 19th May

ARCHIVED NEWS OF PAST TKC OCCASIONS

Thy Kingdom Come across Hertfordshire in 2022

Rise up and Serve:

Prayer as Service and Service as Prayer

National Resources

There are some excellent free national resources available  from Thy Kingdom Come for all ages which include prayer journals, a Novena, many podcasts, videos and prayers including new episodes of the Cheeky Panda’s series for small children, the Cheeky Panda’s.

These resources are all available free of charge so please do order them direct from www.thykingdomcome.global for your churches and networks.  A small fee for postage is chargeable.

What is happening locally?

Firstly, please do get involved in your area and share with us and others what is happening through your own social media networks. We would love to encourage people to get involved in any way, online or outdoors or in your own churches and communities. Keep an eye on this web page for further updates and information about local events and resources.

This year the ecumenical Thy Kingdom Come Planning Group for Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire has worked with a theme inspired by the hymn written for the Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations, Rise Up and Serve.  Do join us in prayer as we consider the theme, Rise Up and Serve: Prayer as Service and Service as Prayer.

All are welcome at the following events for Thy Kingdom Come in 2022

Thy Kingdom Come Launch Service on 26th May 2020 at 7.30pm at Bunyan Meeting in Bedford

 A short ecumenical service of evening prayer led by Rev. Dr David Chapman, Chair of the Bedfordshire, Essex and Hertfordshire  Methodist District with Ruth Robb from Azalea.

This will be followed by refreshments and an opportunity to see different acts of service and opportunities for prayer from across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.  We will be joined by representatives from Phase Hitchin, the St Vincent de Paul Society and Eco Church as well as others from across the region.

Evening Prayer in St Albans Abbey each night at 8pm

Each evening between 26th May and 6th June in St Albans Abbey there will be services of prayer led by both the Abbey Team and a range of ecumenical partners, all services are open to all and there will be a focus on young people on Friday 27th May.  Please do support these services as we pray and worship together.

Zoom Chain of Prayer on 1st June

Facilitated by Churches Together in Bedford and all are welcome to get involved. Please contact Stephanie Field at secretaryctbeds@gmail.com if you would like to be involved.

 

Thy Kingdom Come across Hertfordshire in 2021

In 2021 the ecumenical Thy Kingdom Come Planning Group for Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire worked with lay and clergy contributors from across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire to inspire people to pray together ‘Thy Kingdom Come’.  We considered the question How Do You Pray? and local people shared the riches of how they pray and serve others in a number of different ways.

Daily Prayers from Regional Church Leaders

Short daily prayers and thoughts from regional church leaders from across the traditions.

Daily Reflections from people across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire

Short prayers and reflections prepared by local people and families from across the traditions.

Come Together Online to pray Thy Kingdom Come – A Service of Prayer

In an event facilitated by Rev. Dr David Chapman, Chair of the Methodist District there was a short service of prayer led by Bishop Paul McAleenan of the Catholic Diocese of Westminster with the support by the Venerable Dave Middlebrook, Archdeacon of Bedford and Dr Lynn Bassett. Following the short service there was a time of open prayer

Thy Kingdom Come across Hertfordshire in 2020

Although our buildings were closed the church was still very much open and active and Thy Kingdom Come is of course all about prayer.  Christians from all traditions joined together in praying Thy Kingdom Come and praying together that people would know more of Jesus Christ. 

This year Thy Kingdom Come in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire was co-ordinated by an ecumenical group from the Roman Catholic Church, Methodist Church, Baptist Church, Coptic Orthodox Church and the Church of England. Instead of physical events they offered a range of online prayers, videos and resources both before the ten days and during.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this witness of prayer and unity at what was such a challenging time for so many.

Click here to watch the Thy Kingdom Come Beacon event online bringing together Christians and Church Leaders from across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

 Click here for a special Thy Kingdom Come Prayer and Care resource to help families pray and have fun together.

Click here for all the links to Thy Kingdom Come Online in 2020. Prayers by families, senior Church Leaders and reflections for each day by ministers and lay people from across the Churches.

Click here for a link to listen and watch a wonderful online anthem performed by the choir of St Michaels, Bishop Stortford for Thy Kingdom Come. This was arranged and produced  by Jonathan Newsome for online Zoom worship: The piece is ‘I will sing with the Spirit’ by John Rutter. 
A painted prayer window for Pentecost was displayed on the North porch door of the St. Michaels Church, Bishops Stortford.

Several videos were shared across the region through the church networks to encourage people to pray.

 Childrens Digital Prayer map

Inspire and Equip Training Event March 2020

On the 10th March 2020 at 7.30pm approximately 35 people from across the county were welcomed to the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of St George in Stevenage.

The Inspire and Equip Event brought together people from five denominations to pray, learn and be inspired about their journey of prayer and consider how they might pray Thy Kingdom Come between Ascension and Pentecost.

As well as refreshments and a very interesting and informative presentation from the Thy Kingdom Come Team the evening included practical ideas for prayer.  There was time for everyone to try out many different ideas, including activities for those of all ages.  The evening was indeed inspiring and moving and left us with even more ideas for creative prayer from a across the Churches.

Thy Kingdom Come in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire in 2019

Thy Kingdom Come in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire started with a launch event kindly hosted by Archbishop Angaelos at the Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of St George.  Bishop Richard of Bedford, Rev. Stephen Copson of the Central Baptist Association and Bishop Paul McAleenan of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster were joined by around fifty others in prayers led the Archbishop.

As well as local prayer events during the ten days of Thy Kingdom Come St Albans Cathedral held a short service of prayer took place each evening. Some evenings the service was led by the Cathedral team with others led by the ecumenical partners of the Cathedral.

An Ecumenical Beacon of Praise in St Albans

Around 1000 people from around Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, came together in St Albans to celebrate Thy Kingdom Come’s ten-day wave of prayer for people to know more of Jesus Christ. Some came with their churches and others independently, all joining in with hymns led by Soul Survivor’s band and with the various forms of prayer on offer in different parts of St Albans Cathedral during the service.

The service was hosted by Marina Fidel, of the Coptic Orthodox Church and Dean Pusey of the St Albans Diocese (featured below taking a selfie with the congregation). The event was co-ordinated by an ecumenical planning group with representatives from the Roman Catholic Church, Coptic Orthodox Church, Methodist Church, Central Baptist Association as well as the Church of England and Chaired by Doral Hayes of Churches Together in Hertfordshire.

There was prayer for all traditions, personalities and age groups; from drawing round your hand and naming five people or things to pray for, lighting a candle in the Shrine of St Alban, putting a cardboard apple on a prayer tree for answered prayers or praying with others, whether silently before the sacrament or in groups of two or three. The vastness of St Albans Cathedral accommodated them all. A number of local and regional Church leaders, as well as lay representatives from different denominations contributed to the evening’s theme: ‘How do people know I’m a Christian?’. There was a short reflection from Bishop Paul McAleenan, Auxiliary Roman Catholic Bishop of Westminster, on the suffering church. He addressed the question, how do we pray for those who suffer for making their faith known, or who live under the threat of persecution, and led prayer for those in such situations.

The main talk was from Revd Dr Paul Goodliff, General Secretary of Churches Together in England, offered some answers to the question, ‘How do people know I’m a Christian?’ He said, in a nutshell, how I talk, how I act and how I smell, the last being about creating ‘the aroma of Christ’ among those around us: having a good impact.

The event was a wonderful example of Christians together in prayer and praise, leaving people both energised and moved by the richness and diversity of Christian worship and the display of Christian Unity.

If using social media to publicise Thy Kingdom Come events please use the hashtags #TKCStA #Pledge2Pray

Other prayer activities are planned across the ten days of Thy Kingdom Come. Please watch this page for information about other prayer events as they are announced.

See what the Churches are saying about Thy Kingdom Come

Church of England St Albans Diocese

The Methodist Church

The Baptist Union of Great Britain

Roman Catholic Church of England and Wales

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses …to the ends of the earth. When he had said this…he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight…Then they returned to Jerusalem … and were constantly devoting themselves to prayer…

When the day of Pentecost had come they were all together in one place… All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit… and that day about three thousand persons were added.” Acts 1,2

“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

Chair: Revd David Chapman

Churches Together in Hertfordshire unites in pilgrimage those churches in the area which, acknowledging God’s revelation in Christ, confess the Lord Jesus Christ as Lord according to the Scriptures, and in obedience to God’s will and in the power of the Holy Spirit commit themselves:
To seek a deepening of their communion with Christ and with one another
in the Church, which is his body; and
To fulfil their mission to proclaim the Gospel by common witness and service in the world:

To the glory of one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Facilitator: Currently vacant