The Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed his gratitude for the public response to today's invitation to prayer, issued jointly by church leaders. Dr George Carey said the invitation had provided "a valuable focus and an important opportunity to share hopes and fears".
The initiative, launched by more than twenty churches, invited people from all walks of life to spend some time in prayer and reflection for peace, justice and reconciliation in the aftermath of the terror attacks in America.
The invitation has been supported strongly, including by HM the Queen, by the Prime Minister and by party leaders, including Iain Duncan-Smith and Charles Kennedy. Staff at Buckingham Palace was able to use a new chapel, still unfinished, for prayer.
A special web site, offering prayers and other material, has been accessed by tens of thousands of users, at www.invitationtoprayer.org.uk.
Churches, schools, offices, and hospitals across the country took part, some offering points of focus for private prayer, others special services. Many schools responded to the prayer invitation in their morning assemblies, among them St Teresa's Catholic Primary School in Wolverhampton, which included prayers as part of their Children's Day of Peace. Staff in many offices, including the Civil Service, have prayed at their desks or in groups or as part of their Christian Unions.
The Swedish Church in London was among those offering special morning prayer services. Five thousand young people of the 24/7 prayer network participated in the initiative and an all night prayer meeting is planned for tonight (Friday) in Birmingham with Gerald Coates of Pioneer Group of Churches. Other house churches, including Ichthus Christian Fellowship, have organised open prayer times throughout the day.
The response was widespread. On the Shetland Isles, Methodist churches responded to the call for prayer, and in Cardiff an ecumenical prayer vigil around the statue of Nye Bevan was held -an event that will be repeated weekly. On the Isle of Man, the Rt Revd Noel Jones led lunchtime prayers with members of the business community in St George's church. In Turkey, the Archbishop of Canterbury's representative to the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Revd Ian Sherwood, shared the invitation to prayer with other Christians in Istanbul as he led his regular Friday worship.
More events are planned this evening (Friday), among them an hour of prayer led by the Bishop of Reading, the Rt Revd Dominic Walker, in Reading city centre.
Cathedrals across England also offered special services and prayer times. In Ripon and Leeds Cathedral prayers were said by ministers from many denominations and a book was opened for people to write their own prayers or reflections. In Derby Cathedral, the Bishop of Derby, the Rt Revd Jonathan Bailey was joined by the regional heads of the Baptist, United Reformed, Methodist and Roman Catholic churches in saying prayers at lunchtime before visiting a local mosque. A day-long Vigil of Prayer for Peace and Healing has been be held in St Edmundsbury Cathedral, and in many places candles for peace were lit. The Catholic Cathedral in Liverpool celebrated Votive Masses for Justice and Peace.
The Archbishop of Canterbury led prayers this morning with his staff in the thirteenth century Crypt Chapel-the oldest part of Lambeth Palace. This afternoon he took part in a service in Canterbury Cathedral.