CAPTION: During the service people were invited by Rachel Gardner to pray for people of different generations
Generations Gather in Prayer and Worship for Exeter Cathedral Thy Kingdom Come Service
GCSE Students from St Cuthbert Mayne School in Torquay shared their insights on connecting with younger generations about faith at this year’s Thy Kingdom Come celebration service at Exeter Cathedral on Sunday 17 May.
The theme for the ecumenical service was From Generation to Generation, based on Mary’s song, known as the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). St Cuthbert Mayne is a joint Roman Catholic and Anglican secondary school.
The service was attended by hundreds of people from across Devon was led by the Bishop of Exeter, the Rt. Rev’d Dr Mike Harrison, and Dr Ysanne Marville, a child pychologyist and lecturer at Exeter University and leader at Rediscover Church in Exeter.
Rachel Gardner, from Youthscape, was the preacher
During the service Bishop Mike and Ysanne hosted a panel discussion with the students: Rebecca, Sophia and Brandon.
Sophia said that many of her non-Christian friends were curious about her faith. She said she gets asked “How can I start? Who can I turn to, to give me a foundation in faith and discipleship?” She commented: “It’s so powerful being able to help people with their journey, we get to be instruments of God’s word.”
Asked what she thought God’s dream for the world was, Sophia said “To bring us toether. There is so much division. I think his plan is for us to be united again, conflict free and full of peace.”
Rebecca said “There is so much uncertainty, it would be good to come back together again.”
Brandon thought God would want us to be doing more for others “Charity is important – giving to people who are struggling,” he said.
The preacher was Rachel Gardner, Director of Partnerships at Youthscape. She said afterwards: “The key message is that passing on the faith to emerging generations doesn’t just happen automatically.
Students from St Cuthbert Mayne School took part in a panel discussion
“We need to be intentional, but we can stand on the promises that Jesus says that we will be his witnesses, so I was inviting people to show up in the lives of young people, to stand up for them, to open up spaces in the church so young people know they can belong and they can lead, and to listen-up to the voices of young people, expect them to encounter God and to have something to say back to us as the Church.”
After Rachel’s talk she invited older generations at the service to stand and pray for the younger people there and vice versa.
The worship at the service was led by Devon-based singer songwriter Andy Flannagan and included his song My Soul Glorifies, based on the Magnificat.
His wife, Jen Flannagan, performed a powerful monologue she had written from the point of view of the adult Mary looking back on her teenage experience.
The prayers were led by Sabrina Groeschel, the Ecumenical Officer for Devon and Hannah Richards from City Community Church in Exeter. There was also a volunteer prayer ministry team on hand for the evening.
The Cathedral Thy Kingdom Come service happens annually as part of the international 10 days of prayer between Ascension day and Pentecost Sunday. You can find out more about it here.
