Now in its fifth year, I have put a fair amount of time and effort into
helping this to become an established annual event, part of the life and rhythm
of the ecumenical scene of Birmingham's churches. I know that my motivation for
doing so is not entirely selfless: as well as believing it is a very good thing
for the city, it is an event that really matters to me personally.
I have long cared deeply about church unity and the deep divides I see
in the churches have often been a source of great pain. Finding spaces where
Christians of different traditions, including those who don't sit comfortably
in anyone box, can come together and be unified across their great diversity is
really important to me.
But my love of, and belief in the importance of #pray24brum is about
more than just that: because this is not an event which is about being
ecumenical for its own sake. It is not a talking shop where we sit down
together and discuss the minutiae of our distinctive church traditions,
valuable though that may be at times. I am not one to shy away from theological
debate (especially late at night over a glass of red wine!), but #pray24brum offers something
different: it is a space where our differences dissolve because we turn
together towards God and outwards to the world.
#pray24brum is a reminder that the importance I place on prayer in my life is something that is shared, valued and supported by others; and I know that I need those reminders. I really value our regular routine of prayer, I know that the commitment that sustains it is worthwhile and feeds the life I lead, but I know I also need to have times when I can be supported and carried in and by the prayers of others and #pray24brum is one of those moments for me, moments that are sufficiently rare that they are precious where I find them.
It is also a symbol that Church Unity is not an end in itself, it is merely the means by which we are most able to be visible witnesses to the love we are called to
have for one another. Whatever the differences of theology and practice, in the
midst of a diversity of styles of prayer and praise, what united everyone who
led and participated throughout those twenty four hours was that we were facing
outwards: out from ourselves towards God, out from ourselves towards the world
around us; a turning outwards borne of a deep faith that prayer matters and
makes a difference, that it matters to us and makes a difference to our world.
That it is the source and summit of a loving relationship with God and one
another.
This year, towards the beginning of the event, I spoke about #pray24brum
on premier Christian radio. I was somewhat thrown off balance by an unexpected
opening question about Brexit ... but perhaps the interviewer was right. There
was a deep symbolism to what the event in this specific context. Because here
was a brief interlude in which we were able to bring together people who might
otherwise be deeply divided, but who when we turned outward, united in our
concern to being good to those beyond ourselves, therein lies the path to
finding common ground.
In the grand scheme of things, #pray24brum is not a ‘big event’: there
are plenty of other events which pull a much bigger crowd. During the
twenty-four hours there were never less than ten people present, but there were
rarely more than thirty. No-one kept count of how many people drifted in or out through the days, because that wasn't the point. But in the peaceful ebb and flow throughout the two
days, it felt like an important witness to the place and purpose of prayer in the life
of the church, and to the possibility of standing together with those with whom
we may at first feel we have little in common, united by our common desire to
love and be loved by God, and to show that love to others. I hope it will long be a feature of the beginning of my year.
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