It’s begun! A year of 24–7 Prayer in the diocese gets underway
The Diocese of Down and Dromore has launched its Year of 24–7 Prayer from the slipway at Titanic Belfast.
At midnight on 31 December, Bishop Harold and about 70 others welcomed 2014 with prayer and, to the sound of ships’ horns, a rendition of Auld Lang Syne.
At the same time, back in the Dock Café Prayer Garden, others took up the prayer mantle, and so began an unbroken chain that will thread throughout the diocese during 2014 and lay the foundations for a Year of Mission in 2015.
The group made its way back to The Dock, pausing, in the tradition of the Dock Walk, to pray as they walked the lines of the Olympic slipway on a crisp, clear evening.
At the doors of the cafe, Bishop Harold formally handed over the 24–7 prayer scroll to Chris Bennett, Chaplain to the Titanic Quarter, as a symbol of their commitment to sustain prayer until 4 January. The scroll will then pass to Ballymacarrett where it will remain for 7 days.
As well as its symbolic value, the scroll documents the prayer journey through the diocese. Parishes will fill in the dates on which they held the prayer mantle as well as an encouraging story or comment from their time praying and a prayer of blessing for the next parish.
After a warming hot drink, the group worshipped together and resumed praying at a number of creative prayer stations set up by The Dock volunteers.
You will be able to follow the 24–7 prayer journey on this site and on Twitter at the hashtag #DDYOP.
See the photo gallery here.