A 70-day prayer relay, that mirrors the journey of the Olympic Torch through over 1,000 communities, is to be launched with a blessing ceremony in Cornwall tomorrow.
With the arrival of the Olympic Torch at Lands End on Friday, 18 May, the Anglican Bishop of Truro the Right Rev Tim Thornton and Rev Steve Wild, Chair of the Methodist Church in Cornwall will lead a special blessing ceremony for the prayer baton that is to be handed over from community to community.
The ceremony starts at 6pm at Chapel Carn Brea near Lands End Airport. Also being blessed is a Praise Bus from a Cornish Methodist church which is to travel much of the Torch Relay route and the staff and vehicle of More Than Gold, the inter-church agency organising the prayer relay.
The first exchange of the prayer baton is the following day when it travels to Plymouth. In Freedom Park, at 2pm, it will be received by local church leaders at a special prayer event.
Similar exchanges, accompanied by prayer for the 2012 Games and the communities of the UK, will continue daily. Among those involved with the prayer blessing exchange in their area are the Bishops of Durham, Newcastle and Whitby. Locations already confirmed include Berwick Bridge and Newcastle and Liverpool Cathedrals.
Jane Holloway, chair of More Than Gold’s Prayer Team says: "The Olympic Torch journey will pass through over a thousand communities. We would also like it to inspire a cascade of prayer and praise – with individuals and churches taking time to pray, alone and together, as it travels through their area."
Those wishing to follow the prayer relay, or post their own prayers, will be able to do so on Twitter using the hash tag #mtgprayer. |
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