Image:Shane Rounce
The bishops of the Church of England have issued a call to put prayer and participation at the heart of the General Election campaign as the UK prepares to go to the polls.
Archbishops Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell are asking people to set aside time amid the heat of the coming campaign to reflect and pray for our nation and our world. The Church of England is launching a campaign known as #PrayYourPart – to promote prayer and participation in the life of our nation and communities, both as voters and as citizens.
A series of daily thematic reflections written by bishops, drawn from the Bible, and exploring major themes will be published shortly, covering the final three weeks up to polling day. They will be available as a booklet, in audio form for smart speakers, as free opt-in emails, and through social media.
Throughout the coming weeks, a range of Christian voters from across England will be invited to share what they are praying for through a series of videos under the banner #PrayYourPart. Find out more and learn how you can join in.
Bishop Michael and other senior church leaders in the County of Somerset have urged all candidates and political parties to, "conduct their campaigns with integrity, honesty and fairness and to
seek the common good, with a spirit of listening."
Loving God, now that an election has been called, hear our prayers for our country and the campaign ahead. We pray for those who are standing for election, for their safety, and for their willingness to listen and to speak. We pray for truthfulness and kindness to prevail as the issues are debated. We pray that each of us will be inspired to use our voice and our vote for your goodness and glory. Inspire us, God, to Love, to Pray and to Vote.
Amen.
You cand download the message in full from the bottom of this page.
Pray your part
Pray Your Part is an invitation from the bishops of the Church of England to encourage prayer and participation in the life of our nation and communities, both as voters and as citizens.
This 21-day journey of prayer and reflection (from Friday, 14 June until Election Day on 4 July) is designed for use in the run-up to the UK General Election. Each day explores a different theme, with a short Bible reading, reflection and prayer for a different aspect of our common life.
Sign up for daily election reflections . You can also pre-order the prayer booklet (available as single copies, 10-packs or 50-packs) from Church House Publishing.
Hosting hustings in your church
During the period before a General Election, churches often organise election meetings (sometimes known as hustings) where members of the public can listen to and ask questions of the candidates who are standing for election. This helps to support the democratic process and to facilitate public debate. The opportunity for respectful discussion in a neutral space is often appreciated by candidates as well as voters.
Advice on organising a Public Hustings in your church is available from 30 May on the General Election section of the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland website. There are also resources available for churches to use.
County Ecumenical Officer, Somerset Churches Together, Canon Jonathan LLoyd, is also happy to advise. You can email Jonathan ctogethersomerset@gmail.com or call on 01749 705103.
A Public Hustings organised by Churches Together in Somerset will take place for the Wells and The Mendip Hills Constituency at 7:30pm on 20 June, at St Cuthbert Church Wells. It will be chaired by Bishop Michael.
Become a Voter Registration Champion
The Church of England is an Ambassador for the Voter Registration Champion scheme. It sees participating in the democratic process as an important civic responsibility, and because it has a particular concern to ensure the inclusion of exactly the groups in society that are most likely to be ‘at-risk’ of not being registered. The Diocese of Bath and Wells has also become a Voter Registration Champion. You can also register your church online to become a champion. It is a way to sign post people to where and how they can register to vote by 18 June and to remind them that they will need to take the correct ID to the polling station with them.