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.
Written by a group of Church of England bishops, the daily reflections are part of the Church of England’s #PrayYourPart campaign, which promotes prayer and participation.
The Archbishops of Canterbury and York write: “In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to pray each day, ‘your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven’. This simple and profound prayer is our starting point during the days leading up to the General Election – and all the days beyond. May God’s will be done in our nation and in God’s world.”
To receive a daily theme, short Bible reading, reflection and prayer for a different aspect of our common life, you can sign up by clicking here.
This 21-day journey of prayer and reflection (from Friday, 14 June until Election Day on Thursday 4 July) is designed for use in the run-up to the country’s General Election.
You can see a preview of what Day 1 looks like and the daily theme for the whole series below and by clicking here.
Participants are encouraged to remember that those offering themselves for public office ‘need and deserve our support and prayer’ and that we ‘rightly expect integrity in those engaged in public life’ but should expect the same standards of ourselves.
There are reminders that party leaders are ‘only human’ and, though privileged, ‘the pressures they are under are hard to imagine.’
The importance of truth is underlined in a world where social media algorithms ‘serve up more of what we like rather than providing a balance of perspectives.’
While stressing the importance of trust in the media, there is also encouragement to consumers of media to commit to telling the truth about – and loving – our neighbour.
The final reflection on Election Day, 4 July, focuses on good government, serving as a reminder that beyond the election, ‘the challenge of government is as much about implementing ideas and avoiding errors as it is about developing policy.’