Bishop Mary talks Thy Kindgom Come

Prayer is the heart-beat at the centre of our common life as Christians. It is wonderful for me to discover how this is shared in such a variety of ways across our diocese. At our Cathedral very early morning prayer is touching many lives. Our Dean, Richard was sharing today how some young men came into the cathedral very early today after a night out in Cardiff. They were amazed to find the building open just after 6am and were delighted to be welcomed in, and they were glad to light candles and to have a moment to pray about things that are important in their lives.

Teaching people about prayer and providing opportunities and prayer spaces in a variety of ways is such an important part of our discipleship. The "Thy Kingdom Come" initiative is a resource that is offered to the whole church from 18th-28th May. This week an app has been launched to support this venture. If you are interested do look up: www.thykingdomcome.global

This is a busy time of year, with so many opportunities for prayer and service. Christian Aid week begins of course on Sunday (14-20 May). I warmly commend their resources for prayer and giving. This year the focus is upon Malawi, a country where soaring global prices and climate change are having a devastating impact. We may not hear much about the unfolding food crisis that is affecting East Africa but agencies such as Christian Aid seek to enable us to respond with learning, prayer, advocacy for global change and generosity.

All of this is key to our work of being builders of God's Kingdom, increasing our capacity to do good and being part of telling God's joyful story of hope.