Over the past few years, more than one million Christians in around 120 countries have united in prayer as part of the Thy Kingdom Come campaign. And this year, the Church of England is once again urging Christians in the UK to join fellow believers from Ascension to Pentecost (30 May-9 June) to pray for the salvation of the people they know and love.

Now in its fourth year, the ecumenical prayer movement, which was launched by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and Dr John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, in 2016, reminds the church in the UK to partner with God to see family members, friends, neighbours, colleagues and others come to repentance in Christ Jesus.

Archbishop Sentamu remains enthusiastic about the global wave of prayer and Christians’ ability to enable God’s kingdom to come and will to be done in the UK and around the world. He commented: ​“Thy Kingdom Come is a wonderful opportunity for God’s church to stand together in prayer around the globe, praying that more people will come to know Jesus Christ as their Friend and Saviour.” 

He urges each and every Christian to be brave, stepping out of their comfort zone if need be, so that the people they care about might believe. He said: ​“After the resurrection Jesus stood among His disciples and said, ​‘Do not be afraid’, so may I encourage you to encourage your friend, your neighbour, your church and your community to be bold, for the Lord reigns!”

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As in previous years, Christians will gather in small groups, as part of church congregations, in families, or set aside time individually, to pray. Churches will organise a variety of events and activities, including prayer walks, 24/1 or 24/11 continuous prayer, prayer stations, Messy Church, special services, and beacon events – often working with local churches from other denominations. 

The Rev Michaela Youngson, president of the Methodist Conference (2018−2019), is among the leaders of Christian networks and denominations who are supporting the initiative in England this year. She said: ​“Thy Kingdom Come is a fantastic example of Christian churches working together, not for their own sake but for the sake of all God’s people. Prayer is at the heart of all we do, leading us to acts of love and care in response to the love of God that we see most clearly in Jesus Christ.”

Gavin Calver, chair of Spring Harvest and director of mission at the Evangelical Alliance, Paul Harcourt, national leader of New Wine Churches, and Pastor Agu Irukwu, chair of Redeemed Christian Church of God UK and President of Churches Together in England, are among the other Christian leaders who are supporting the drive in England. 

What’s new for Thy Kingdom Come (TKC) in 2019?

  • On Sunday 9, June (Pentecost Sunday), from 12 – 6pm, the team will be hosting a celebration in Trafalgar Square, central London, for the end of Thy Kingdom Come. Thousands of Christians will gather and the service will include contributions from different denominations as well as attendance from high-profile Christian leaders including Archbishop Justin Welby, Bishop of London Dame Sarah Mullaly and Cardinal Vincent Nichols. Worship on the day will include worship leader Matt Redman and Kingdom Choir. 
  • In March-April, TKC launched a new website and app to encourage Christians to light up the world in prayer. 
  • This year TKC’s priority resources will be the Novena, Morning and Evening Prayer, the Prayer Journal, and a new family resource – the Family Prayer Adventure Map – which will be printed and distributed to schools across England. 
  • Resources are available in eight languages, including two new additions for this year, Arabic and Urdu, in response to demand. And more languages will be added this year, including Italian. 

To find out more and see how you can get involved, visit www.thykingdomcome.global