THE Archbishop of Canterbury has praised the “extraordinary” growth and creative response to the Pentecost prayer initiative Thy Kingdom Come, which concluded on Sunday.

Hundreds of thousands of Christians of many denominations in 85 countries took part in the second annual “great wave of prayer” during the nine days between Ascension Day and Pentecost (News, 5 February, 13 May 2016).

Events ranged from vigils and worship to pilgrim walks and festivals, including Beacon events at 35 of the C of E’s 42 cathedrals. Other specially organised events included a 168-hour prayer marathon; prayer balloons, kites, and tepees; and there were street parties, late-night cafés, and scavenger hunts.

On Radio 4’s Thought for the Day on Thursday of last week, Archbishop Welby said that the initiative was not “more sky-fairy stuff”.

“The most striking thing has been the range and expression of prayer,” the Archbishop said afterwards. “They are doing it in their own way. Thankfully there is no sense of ‘Canterbury has spoken’, and I feel very relaxed about that.”

More than three million people followed on social media; and related videos have been viewed more than two million times.

www.thykingdomcome.global

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