“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,

your will be done on earth as in heaven...”

(Matthew 6:9-10)

In the sermon last Sunday I set out 7 Ps that amount to a Christian response to our present situation. In this email I want to focus on two: Prayer and Planning.

The first is crucial and from this Thursday the international initiative of Thy Kingdom Come begins. Do read the weekly focus and see the further links below for more information on this.

As we look to the future and the gradual moving out of lockdown, prayer will be crucial, but we also need to plan.

To help us with that it would be really helpful if one person from each household could complete a questionnaire, so that we can gather your views, experience and insight. There are 30 questions, which are mainly quick and simple and it only takes between 5 and 20 minutes to complete. We are asking everyone to do so by Friday 22nd May. Click the button below to complete it:

This week's email includes:

• Join in this Sunday - videos to contribute...
  
• Last Sunday - links to last week's sermon
• Weekly Focus: Thy Kingdom Come
  
• Prayer Requests
  
• Notices in Brief
  
• Further links from Thy Kingdom Come
  

Join in this Sunday: People love seeing others faces, if only briefly! So, please do consider contributing a short video for this week's response. The response is based on Matthew 5:7. Please send a very brief video with you or your family saying simply:

"For they will be shown mercy."

Please send videos by email, wetransfer.com or Whatsapp (07769 871520).

Don't forget to join us on YouTube this Sunday (the video should be available from 6am on Sunday).

Last Sunday: If you missed Last Sunday's talk, True Confidence (Matthew 6:25-34), then you can  listen or watch here .

This Thursday is Ascension Day, when we remember the resurrected Jesus going to heaven to sit at God's right hand. In the days after this, the disciples went to Jerusalem to wait and pray for God's power to come on them from the newly enthroned Jesus. The Spirit came at Pentecost and the disciples went out and told everyone about Jesus and 3,000 people were baptised as Christians.

Thy Kingdom Come encourages Christians to have a focus on prayer over the 11 days (including Ascension Day and Pentecost). The aim of all this is:

•  that we deepen our faith in Jesus Christ
  
•  that we pray for five friends to become Christians
  
•  that God's Spirit would help us be effective in our witness
  

So, how might you engage with Thy Kingdom Come this year? In the further links section below, there are some links to tools that can help: a phone app, some suggestions for praying as a family and a video from last year by John Sentamu about praying for five friends. 

As a church we will also have a daily prayer meeting on Zoom over these 11 days at 12:30-13:00pm each day. Hopefully, you can incorporate this with a lunch break. Why not try joining us for some or all of the days? You can use the button below to join the Zoom prayer meeting.

Finally, each day I will post on the website and Facebook page, a list of things to pray for over the 11 days, so that even if you cannot join us for the prayer meeting you can pray for those things by yourself.

Be assured I will do my best to check that people are happy for the requests to be shared before including them.

•  For Nathan Court, who is now home, but receiving regular treatment at Royal Marsden for a relapse of Leukemia. 
  
•  For Joy Smithers, who is unfortunately now in Ashford hospital after an infection. We don't know where she will be going next!
  
•  For Gordon Warren. He thanks everyone for their prayers. He is now due to start Chemotherapy at QEQM next week.
  
•  For Mitch Styles that he will be relieved from his severe anxiety.
  
•  For Shirley Crabb who is in a lot of pain, because of the delayed operation on her hip.
  
•  Give thanks that Audrey's sister, Evelyn is now home from hospital, but pray that she will have the care she needs. Please pray as well for Keith her cousin who is supporting her.
  
•  For those who have lost loved ones as a result of the Pandemic.
  
• For all NHS staff, paramedics and care home workers. For safety, resilience and strength as they are called on to work harder in these emotionally draining circumstances.
  
• For those feeling lonely, missing the usual visits of family and friends.
  
• For those struggling with mental health, especially in the present circumstances.
  
•  For business, school and other leaders as they prepare and make plans for the future transition out of lockdown.
•  Pray for wisdom for the government as they continue to work to provide the necessary equipment and tests and make the best plans for us to come out of lockdown.

A prayer from the Church of England

O God,
help us to trust you,
help us to know
that you are with us,
help us to believe that nothing
can separate us
from your love revealed
in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Zoom after the service: Do remember you can join us after the Sunday morning at 11:30am for a Zoom meeting. Just click the button below:

As mentioned above these three links are all to do with Thy Kingdom Come.

Thy Kingdom Come App (Apple)

You can download this app to your phone to help you remember to pray for your five friends or family members each day and to link you in with many of the other resources being produced for Thy Kingdom Come.

Growing in Faith Together as a Family

This article gives some helpful tips and ideas for praying together as a family. Have a look and perhaps use Thy Kingdom Come as a way of kickstarting a regular family prayer time?

Be encouraged to pray for Five friends with the Archbishop of York:

Don't forget to join us on YouTube this Sunday (Video should be available from 6am on Sunday).

Yours in Christ,

Paul.