On Tuesday 20th January I sat in the beautiful Cathedral at Chichester. The occasion was the launch of “Your Kingdom Come..lighting the flame of hope for Sussex” an ecumenical initiative for all the churches in Sussex to be united in prayer for their communities.

The service was, very appropriately, called a Service of Light and we began in almost pitch darkness. One large Church candle was lit at the front and then, gradually, we all lit the individual candles we had each been given each lighting our neighbours in turn. The effect was powerful as were the messages given by Pete Greig of the 24-7 prayer movement and Bishop Kieron Conry.

I drove home reflecting on all that had taken place. I can only say that an impression began to grow in my mind. As our individual candles had been lit and the light had spread gradually across the Cathedral was God wanting this prayer initiative across Sussex to spread? Was, He wanting to fan the flame of hope not just in Sussex, but across our nation?

Part of the Year of Prayer for Sussex, is an idea headed up by Ian Chisnall the Ecumenical Officer for Sussex, this is to encourage every Churches Together group to commit themselves to one week of 24 hour prayer (24-7) with the aim of covering the whole year in 24 hour prayer. Already over one third of the year is covered by Churches Together groups agreeing to take a week each.

It is particularly this dual aspect that I believe God is wanting to spread across our nation. Unity and Prayer, I have been saying for a long while, are two key things on God’s heart and now He was showing me it was true.

I make it sound as though I was immediately convinced of what I had felt that evening as I drove home from Chichester. I can assure you I wasn’t, for I knew what a huge thing this would be, and if so why had God impressed this on my mind and not on one of our leading national intercessors? I sat on the idea for a few days and then gradually, when the idea wouldn’t go away, began to share it with others who I know have a heart of prayer for our nation. Everyone I spoke to has said “Go for it, it sounds so right” eventually I went onto the 24-7 website and posted my idea in their comments box, the very next day I had a reply from Pete Greig saying that he too, felt it was of the Lord.

What I felt God impressed upon me was that the counties touching Sussex (Hampshire, Surrey and Kent) should pick up this idea of 24-7 prayer, across the Churches Together groups, in 2005/6 and then the counties which touched these counties should pick it up in 2006/7 At the same time it should begin in Scotland and come down the country until, hopefully, the prayers meet somewhere in the middle of our nation.

In May 2004 I was invited to join Rev Rob Frost on a mission to the Shetland Isles, there Rob arranged for me to meet with local intercessors. It was very evident that ‘from the north’ was not just Scotland as these people began to share with me what God is doing in Iceland and Scandinavia.

On my return I began to ‘push on a few doors’ to see what God would open. The position to date (the end of 2004) is that Surrey are launching in March 2005 and Kent and Hampshire sometime in 2006. Praise God!

I realise that this may sound very daunting to some but I strongly believe that God will provide the energy, vision and drive if we will only be obedient. Plus, so far the 24-7 prayer movement has been predominately amongst the younger generation and the effects and testimonies we are hearing, coming from this prayer movement (which is now in 58 countries around the world) are very powerful. Can we, the older generation, stand with our young people in this new move of God’s? I truly hope so.

Linda Ashford
Evangelism and Mission Enabler for both
Methodist and URC Churches