A RESOURCE encouraging people to try to pray for seven days is being translated into French and Spanish, as thousands of orders have been placed in the UK.

The “trypraying” campaign was set up 14 years ago in Scotland, by David Hill, founder of the charity There is Hope, and has been running ever since (News, 1 February 2019). It has spread in the past few years, with adverts on buses and in towns and cities across the UK, and a new app.

The seven-day prayer guide is aimed at people who have no faith background — the website describes them as those “who wouldn’t darken a church door”. It begins with the prayer, “God, if you are there, I want to get to know you.” Christians are encouraged to share the booklet or app with friends, in a simple faith-sharing initiative.

The idea is now being used in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and the Czech Republic.

Emma Weaver, from the charity, said: “The heart of it all is individual Christians having a conversation about their faith with their friends, and those friends beginning a conversation with God about their life.”

Booklets for children and teenagers are also available. In the past 12 months, just under 40,000 adult books, 4000 children’s books, and just under 2000 youth books were given out in the UK. Last October, 20,000 trypraying prison books were distributed in 150 UK prisons in partnership with Junction42, a Methodist charity working to rehabilitate offenders.