Week of prayer for Christian Unity

Lizzie Freear reports on the Christian Leaders’ Meeting vigil

[Photo of a church]
Photo: Keith McKillop

On Saturday the 22^nd of January, the Christian Leaders Meeting organised a twelve hour prayer vigil for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in Heslington Church, beginning with an Agape meal at 7.30 in the evening, and ending at 7.30 in the morning with a fried breakfast at Moore house.

The Agape meal was a brilliant experience. Father Damian (our Catholic chaplain) very kindly cooked the dinner, consisting of chilli con carne or vegetable curry, followed by cake — on his birthday! We began with prayer led by Graham Jones, the Methodist chaplain, and the sharing of bread and wine.

After the meal we began the prayer vigil. The night was divided up into half-hour slots, during which either a few individuals prayed in the side chapel, or a society ran a slot, so that there would be continuous prayer for twelve hours.

As well as Cassoc, Speak and Christian Focus, Christis of course ran a slot. As Christis is a magazine, we decided on a written theme. The people who attended were invited to take a piece of paper and to write an aspect of Christian Unity that they wanted to pray about. The pieces of paper were then placed in the middle so that other people could focus on that aspect in their prayers and add their thoughts. We found this a particularly good way of sharing thoughts and thinking about things from a different perspective.

I have selected some of the most interesting and poignant comments and prayers. I hope you will gain something from considering them.

Lizzie Freear

We all worship one God, however diverse our ways may be from each other.

For all the Christians at York Uni. That all the Christian societies would get on with each other, and even if we can’t all work together, that the societies would understand and accept the role each other plays on campus, and that friendships between their members would flourish.

I pray that all of us will learn to see the value in all the groups.

Let them join together so the whole world can see and begin to understand that You are, You have always been and You always will be.

What does Christian Unity mean?

In general
For Christians at York

Should we tolerate the intolerable?

What does it mean? I hope it’s not about huddling together round a creed that’s acceptable to everyone who calls themself a Christian — we’d all lose out. I certainly hope it doesn’t mean we have to stop arguing.

Let our hearts be open to your messages.

I pray that the fighting will become a thing of the past, that future generations can learn from but not have to endure in daily life.

We are blinded by material differences. Differences that are only skin deep. Differences that have no place in the world of God.

Can we ever move past these differences while we are human?

Give us humility.