CAPTION: Andy Flannagan led a band of local musicians at Come and Pray. There was also music from the Exe Valley Community Choir
Thousands Experience Exeter Cathedral Come and Pray event
More than 4350 people visited Exeter Cathedral on Saturday 2 December, as the Come and Pray Diocesan day of prayer and worship took place.
Many of them took part in the various prayer activities on offer.
Children add their prayers to the angel, one of a number of interactive prayer stations on the day
The day started with worship led by the Bishop of Plymouth and music from Andy Flannagan leading a band of musicians from local churches.
Throughout the day there were prayer stations set-up throughout the Cathedral’s chapels and open spaces for people to visit. They included a prayer angel, with wings made from beautiful prayer feathers drawn by pupils at Trinity School in Exeter and others contributed on the day.
Bishop Jackie talking about prayer during the closing worship
There was also a space to pray for peace and another about creation care. There was a families prayer area, a chapel where people could pray about generosity and another with interactive blackboards for people to pray for others to come to faith.
As well as the prayer stations, people were invited to try different forms of prayer, like a prayer walk and Lection Divina and breath prayers. The day ended with more worship, led by Bishop Jackie, with the Exe Valley Community Choir leading everyone out into the marketplace at the end to sing O Come All Ye Faithful.
Rev’d Sarah Mounoury, a curate in the Sid Valley Mission Community, led the group organising the event and said “It was so encouraging to see so many people engage with prayer – the chance to try new ways of praying and connecting with God was greatly appreciated by so many.
The event included different styles of music
“I pray that those who encountered God afresh will be inspired to galvanise their churches and communities in prayer together this Advent and beyond.”
The Day of Prayer was called by the Acting Bishop of Exeter, the Rt. Rev’d Jackie Searle, who says she wants to make prayer a priority for the next 12 months. Grow in Prayer is one of the three vision priorities for the Diocese.
Bishop Jackie said, “God invites us to pray, to bring our needs and the needs of the world to him.
“With conflicts abroad, many problems and concerns closer to home, the issues we face personally, in society, in our church and in our world, I can’t think of anything more important at this time than to gather together to pray.
One of the prayer stations asked people to consider when they last felt close to God
“Over 4000 people came into the cathedral and caught the atmosphere of prayer, joining in at the prayer stations and being offered prayer ministry. Our verse for the day was Phil 4: 6 ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Andy Flannagan, who led music at both the morning and evening sessions, said, “At the end of the second service, when we flung the doors open wide, a bunch of college age students wandered in having heard the thumping music.
“We had the joy of connecting with them afterwards. One of the lads said that he had heard ‘O Come All Ye Faithful’ before, but never like that! He said he loved it.”
“We prayed for the perfection of heaven to infect the ‘here and now’ of earth right across our county and across the rest of a hurting world. In doing so, I think we ourselves experienced something of heaven right there in the cathedral.”
The Bishop of Plymouth, the Rt. Rev’d James Grier, said, “What a fantastic day. So many people came into the Cathedral for a free look around and were shocked by what they found. This beautiful historic place of worship was bursting with life and prayer and they were invited to join in.
The Bishop of Plymouth spoke about Philippians 4:6, the verse for the day
“Who knows the lasting impact of the day, given that God hears and responds to all our prayers, however faltering they might be.”
Sharon Blyth, Children and Families Mission Enabler for the Diocese, commented “It was so inspiring to see a range of people of different ages and from non-church, as well as church, backgrounds engaging together in prayer.
“It was great to see how everyone pulled together to create something beautiful, meaningful and missional.”
The morning and afternoon worship sessions were livestreamed on our Facebook page. To watch the morning session, click here. To watch the afternoon session, click here.
