On Monday 19 January 2015 Church leaders and representatives gathered
in the Crypt at Lambeth Palace at the invitation of His Grace the Archbishop of
Canterbury to share in a prayer service under the auspices of Churches Together
in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) marking the beginning of the Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity (WPCU).
In his warm welcome, the Most Revd Justin Welby, Archbishop of
Canterbury, read from a Middle East Council of Churches letter which called for
unified prayer efforts and advocacy:
“Prayerfully together, we call upon all our
fellow Christians around the world, both clergy and laity, who are celebrating
the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity to share with us our fervent and passionate
prayer for peace in our beloved and suffering Orient, especially in Iraq,
Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, who are currently facing the harshest waves of
persecution…We appeal for your prayers and ask you to spare no efforts of
advocacy wherever and whenever possible, to alleviate and end this painful and
tragic reality, and to bring a safe and immediate release to all who have been
kidnapped and to preserve a sustainable and peaceful Christian presence in the
Middle East.”
During the service, His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the
Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom and Moderator of CTBI, delivered the sermon in which he
said:
“Some may have asked today whether this
service should have been in an Orthodox Cathedral, a Church of England Abbey,
or in this Crypt, but at the end of the day it does not matter; the fact is
that we are here, and how wonderful and blessed it is for us to be here to
pray together.”
Speaking of the potential hindrances to realised unity he said:
“Of course we have traditions, history, and
practices, but they should never become an obstacle to us worshipping the
Father. We now come together in the identity that is most core to us; before we
are called Orthodox, Catholics, Anglicans, Evangelicals, or Free Church, we are
called Christians and that is what we gather as today.”
Commenting on the suffering of many across the world Bishop Angaelos
went on to say:
“There is no greater time for us to worship
and gather because there has never been a greater need for us to stand and pray
together. The world needs us; those suffering the effects of Ebola, HIV, and
other diseases need us; the persecuted Church in the Middle East, Nigeria and
around the world needs us, those suffering the results of global, ruthless,
heartless terrorism that rocks our own communities need us, and contentiously,
even those who are manipulated into horrible acts of violence need us; they all
need us to stand to pray today.”
Concluding his sermon he said:
“Today we must work towards that one presence
of one Body before one Lord. The ecumenical journey is a challenging one, but
not impossible, and at the end of the day it is Christ's journey for us.
Small sparks, like today, can turn into blazing infernos of the work of the
Spirit; we are here as one such spark, albeit an important one.”
The theme of this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ‘The
Well is Deep’ comes from the Churches in Brazil and is inspired by the account
of the Samaritan woman found in the Gospel of John 4:1-42. The WPCU encourages
Churches around the world to interact with other Christian denominations, and
further develop and strengthen existing bonds through prayer, collaboration and
shared witness. The service was led by Canon Bob
Fyffe, General Secretary of CTBI.
Members of the Lausanne-Orthodox Initiative (LOI) Steering Committee,
currently meeting at The Coptic Orthodox Church Centre in the United Kingdom to
discuss and prepare for the LOI 2015 International Consultation in Finland,
also attended the service.
*Ends*
