On 20 January, at 6pm, Revd Tom Coopey, Vicar of St Mary's Church, stood before his congregation, saying: "God invites all of us, whoever we are, to connect with him in prayer."
This was the message for the next 24 hours as Christians from Weymouth and Portland took part in an entire days' worth of continuous prayer and contemplation.
The Town Centre Chaplain, Neil Biles, was one of those in attendance for the full 24 hour journey. Speaking about his time there, he said: "I was greatly encouraged by the number of people who came to pray at various times. As a team, we created various prayer points for various people. God formed us as creative beings so creative prayer seemed like a great way forward. There was a cross where people could bang nails in, there was a quiet tent for people to sit around the communion table, a messy painting table and much, much more.”
Claire Aitken, a Manager Christians Against Poverty, developed a blessing for Weymouth and Portland during her prayer time together at the church.
"Weymouth and Portland we bless you that the knowledge of the love and power of Jesus Christ might come in amongst you like a flood. We bless the people of God to rise up with servant authority and become a people of blessing. We bless you that the joy of the Lord be your strength."
After a solid 24 hours of prayer and contemplation, the people of Weymouth and Portland had completed what they set out to achieve. At the end of the day, Neil Biles added that: “It was a great time together and lovely to have Forchie Franklin, a podcaster from Shaftesbury to lead us in worship at the beginning and the end. We've ended up with walls of pictures, prayers, words, and a whole load more to start off our year of ministry across Weymouth and Portland. Thanks be to God”.
If your church has been getting up to any interesting events, or there's something you think people should be aware of – we'd love to hear from you! Contact the Communications Team by email at comms@salisbury.anglican.org.