Norwich, UK
A Church of England initiative to rekindle faith through prayer, storytelling and church planting is underway in northern England.
Inspired by the work of the historic northern Christian leaders such as St Cuthbert, Bede, Hild and Paulinus, the Faith in the North initiative – launched late last year – is encouraging churches to engage people using fresh imagination and missional impact. The aim is to create 3,000 new worshipping communities across the north.
An aerial view of York Minister, seat of the Archbishop of York, where Bishop Paulinus baptised King Edwin of Northumbria in 627. PICTURE: Al Elmes/Unsplash
The impetus for the initiative came as a result of discussions by northern church leaders seeking ways of marking the anniversary of Bishop Paulinus baptising King Edwin of Northumbria in 627, a move which led to the eventual conversion of the region.
During those discussions, questions were raised as to what could be learned from the Anglo-Saxon church in terms of mission, communicating faith, and how those missionaries translated a faith originating in Palestine within a multi-cultural context of an island lying at what was then the edge of the known world. How could that mission shaped church inspire and help nowadays?
The resultant three year Faith in the North program sets out to provide some answers and to revitalise people’s faith. A variety of resources and interactive faith trails are being created for every church to help connect with local communities, as well as holding special events in each of the northern dioceses exploring specific themes.
Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York, said he hoped the initiative “will enable people to share the good news of Jesus Christ with those who have yet to hear…”
“[I] pray that others come to know that they just might be the Hild, Cuthbert, Bede or Paulinus of their community today. The north has such a fantastically rich and diverse history, we should celebrate this. We have much light from the past and hope for the future.’
Rev Stephen Cottrell, the Archbishop of York. PICTURE: Courtesy of the Church of England.
This year, the focus is on praying and ‘Living the Lords Prayer’. Between March and October, the Archbishop of York will be undertaking a ‘Lord’s Prayer tour‘ of northern England which will see events held at cathedrals in York, Chester, Liverpool, Wakefield, Hull, Manchester, Carlisle, Sheffield, Peel, Newcastle, Durham and Blackburn.
Open to everyone, these events will explore the relevance, meaning and significance of the Lord’s Prayer. The final event in Blackburn Cathedral will be live-streamed, enabling everyone to unite in saying the Lord’s Prayer together across the region.
The Very Rev Nigel Godfrey, dean of the Cathedral Isle of Man in Peel, said there is “so much richness in the Lord’s Prayer, with all its different elements”.
“One of the unusual things we will be exploring in relation to the Lords Prayer is the reality that the Manx language (and many aspects of Manx culture) were saved by the translation of the Bible and Prayerbook into Manx.
“This year is 250 years since the first publication of the full Bible in Manx. The Reformation in the Isle of Man merely exchanged one foreign language (Latin) for another (English).”
In 2026, the focus will be on pilgrimage, exploring the multiple meanings of pilgrimage in daily life, inner prayers and how to grow in faith through visiting special places. The following year will see the focus move to exploring the meaning of baptism and commitment to serve God and his world.
The logo for the Faith in the North initiative. PICTURE: Courtesy of Church of England.
A dedicated website has already been set up and will be expanded over the next three years to include access to free resources, music, collective worship guides, films, leaflets and countless stories of faith designed to inspire others.
Typical of these stories is that of Russ Greenacre, a prison chaplain in Liverpool, who talks about how God has led him on a path from not being a believer and never attending church to becoming a vicar and a prison chaplain.
Working with schools forms a key part of this program. The first set of school-oriented resources is being launched in January. Known as the Lord’s Prayer Journey, it includes a series of collective worship sessions, a custom song helping to teach the Lord’s Prayer and posters.
Schools will also be able to join in the interactive session at Blackburn Cathedral praying alongside Archbishop Cotterell. Subsequent resources will explore the subjects of pilgrimage and baptism, including the story of Bishop Paulinus.
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Interest in the new program has been slowly building over the past few months with individual priests beginning to focus on the Lord’s Prayer.
At Bradford Cathedral, Rev Pete Gunstone, minor canon for worship and nurture at the cathedral, has spent a year exploring the Lord’s Prayer line by line with cathedral choristers, who are aged eight to 13.
“Our choristers come from a range of faith backgrounds,” he said. “As we have studied the Lord’s Prayer, we have enjoyed lively conversation about what we are saying about God, ourselves, and the world when we pray the Lord’s Prayer.
“Through this, we have discovered that the Lord’s Prayer is not just the central text of Christian prayer, but that it is also a way of exploring what Christians believe, and of how to follow Jesus in everyday life. Most importantly, as we have studied the Lord’s Prayer, our confidence in what we believe, our faith in Jesus, and our understanding of discipleship has grown. I look forward to hearing other stories from the Faith in the North Initiative.”