It is the biggest evangelism project in a generation – and it's in safe hands.
As hundreds of thousands of Christians prepare to take part in the 'Thy Kingdom Come' international wave of prayer from tomorrow, Ascension Day, until Sunday June 4, Pentecost, Christian Today caught up with Emma Buchan, who is its lively, unpretentious and highly engaging project manager.
A mother of two, Buchan is disarmingly straight talking as a devout Christian who is unafraid to discuss the importance of faith in Jesus, and the power of prayer in an increasingly secular age.
She heads up 'Thy Kingdom Come' and is based at Lambeth Palace, home to the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby who launched the project last year with the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu.
Archbishop Welby has said of Thy Kingdom Come: 'It's not a Church of England thing, it's not an Anglican thing, it's a Christian thing.'
Indeed, many more Christians are expected to join this year with the project reaching Catholics, Pentecostals, Baptists and free evangelicals as well as Anglicans.
'Jesus prayed at the Last Supper that we, those who follow him, might "be one that the world might believe",' Welby has explained. 'We are invited to make a lasting difference in our nations and in our world, by responding to his call to find a deep unity of purpose in prayer. In these times of transformation across Europe, mass migration and war, it has never been more important to pray in whatever way we can. To be transformed as individuals and as communities so that we deepen our relationship with God and work together towards peace.'
Indeed, the need for prayer in a broken world feels especially poignant today, in the wake of the Manchester attack on which we begin.
'I can't tell you how saddened I was when we were sitting up late at night watching the news unfold,' says Buchan, whose children are aged seven and nine. 'Seeing an eight-year-old killed, the atrocity is unbelievable. In my mind I feel like all we can do is pray for them.'
Buchan was inspired by the many 'wonderful acts' of kindness on display in Manchester, such as taxi drivers flocking over from Liverpool to help, as well as people opening up their homes to victims caught up in the attack.
'Seeing good overcome evil in that moment is so inspiring, but at the same time the atrocity is so sad. So I feel like all we can do is pray for the people involved: parents, families, all involved, that they might find comfort.'
Buchan, who says the atrocity reminds us of the importance of prayer and 'putting the victims before God', quotes the American Archbishop Michael Curry, saying: 'When you pray you change the equation of the moment.'
For Buchan, the Manchester attack demonstrates the importance of prayer – and communal prayer.
'All I know is that in scripture it says "If two or more are gathered I am there" – Christ seeks us.
'When we pray together it can be comforting and inspiring. There is solidarity when you come together – the vigils that have been happening, down to someone lighting a small candle. Praying in your home is just as valid - but coming together is also important at this time.'
Buchan says that, following a hundred thousand taking part last year, 'this year we have been really blessed by the amount of international participation'. In Hong Kong, tens of thousands of 'prayer warriors' are about to launch their work, while a 'vast variety of events' are being hosted in Bemuda, with Archbishop Curry playing a leading role in the US. Buchan received an email yesterday from Malaysia saying that tens of thousands of Christians were preparing to be involved from tomorrow, and this morning she read a social media post in Australia about a 'beacon' event there tomorrow night. More than 80 per cent of cathedrals in the UK are holding beacon events, with people coming together over the following 10 days to worship and pray. In Winchester, three or four thousand will join in, with 2,500 in Guildford, and countless others at St. Paul's Cathedral in London.
'It is the culmination of all that has happened at Thy Kingdom Come,' says Buchan of the beacon events. 'We pray for empowerment of Holy Spirit that we can go out into the world and live our lives as Christ has called us to do.'
In the UK, Buchan says, 'the most beautiful thing is the breadth of it, from the small room to the stadium, with a quarter of a million resources launched and millions of views of Facebook videos and Twitter.'
On Pentecost, BBC One will live broadcast a service on Pentecost Sunday featuring Welby alongside the charismatic worship leaders Matt Redman and Tim Hughes as well as Liz Adekunle, the archdeacon of Hackney.
Buchan reiterates Welby's point, that 'this is not a Church of England thing – it is for all Christians.
'Hearing about so many denominations involved is such a blessing. What's really wonderful about it is, it is grassroots. It feels like a real blessing to be part of this.
'It is about encouraging all Christians to seek Christ in their loves, to understand that we are all called to be witnesses and to try to encourage and enable Christians to proclaim their faith.
'It is about praying for our friends – as Archbishop Justin has said, there is no greater gift in the world than to pray for your friends and see them come to faith.'
For her own – clearly well advanced – prayer life, Buchan refers to a 'brilliant book', The Practice of the Presence of God, the collected teachings of Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century Carmelite monk. It teaches us, she says, that 'everything we do we should be in communion with God'.
She continues: 'And I find that when I remember that and go back to that place in trying to include Jesus in all my waking thoughts, that is when I always feel closest to him. God wants to know that things are so hard – tell him! It doesn't need to be out loud, whatever feels natural. Maybe you want to light a candle – take that moment – when you're in the car, in the shower.'
Finally, asked what advice she has for those who may struggle at times to pray, Buchan is characteristically straight-forward. 'Just talk to God,' she says. 'If you are awake in the middle of the night and you can't sleep, in your head start a conversation, know that this is completely OK, ask God to help you – say "God I find praying really hard" - take baby steps. Say, "Ok God, I had a really bad day today". Talk to him as if he is your friend because he loves you more than anyone else will ever love you.'
