Thy Kingdom Come – Wonderful Free Resources for Churches
Every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray “Thy Kingdom Come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” But did you know that Thy Kingdom Come is also the name of a prayer movement that over the last decade has spread to over 90% of the countries of the world and to 85 denominations? What began as an initiative of the Church of England under the leadership of the then-Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby how reaches to almost every corner of the globe.
The beauty of Thy Kingdom Come is its simplicity. In essence it is simply an invitation to do what as Christians we know we should be doing anyway. That is, taking some focused time for intentional prayer, prayer for the coming of God’s Kingdom, and in particular for those who do not yet know of God’s love for them to experience it for themselves. The days set aside for this are the days between Ascension Day and Pentecost, days when we join the first disciples in waiting and anticipation for the coming of the Holy Spirit to inspire and empower us for mission.
As the Thy Kingdom Come website puts it:
“It is our hope & prayer, that those who have not yet heard the Good News of Jesus Christ and His love for the world, will hear it for themselves and respond and follow Him. Specifically, we again invite each and every Christian across the globe to pray that God’s Spirit might work in the lives of 5 people who have not responded with their ‘Yes’ to God’s call.”
A number of parishes in the Diocese of Toronto have already been using Thy Kingdom Come and have found the resources provided very helpful. Jennifer Schick, Priest at All Saints Whitby, writes:
“All Saints began incorporating Thy Kingdom Come into our Adult Education offerings about four years ago. The concept of Thy Kingdom Come made so much sense to us – at Pentecost we are called by the Spirit to go out into the world to proclaim the word of God – so why not set 10 days apart to concentrate on preparing ourselves for this great commission?
For us it also was a great way to encourage our members to come together to pray. Anything done for a short time period seems more manageable than a long program requiring lots of commitment. We set up prayer groups online in the morning, afternoon, dinner hour and evening and had small groups come together to pray for the Spirit to embolden us to speak about our faith, and to pray for those we love to begin a relationship with Jesus or grow deeper in relationship with him. We also shared the Novenas and prayer journals and asked everyone in the church to pray for 5. Overall, it was successful, and we’d encourage others to try it as well.”
Resources for Thy Kingdom Come 2025 include this year’s Novena, a prayer journal, and a youth journal, as well as branding resources for local church materials. These resources will provide a focus for prayer and reflection during this period. All these are available for download.
Some hard copies of the Novena and prayer journal will also be available at the clergy conference in May. Please contact Jacqui Hance to reserve some for your congregation for pick-up at the conference. Let’s join together in this Season of Spiritual Renewal to pray for the coming of God’s Kingdom, and for friends and neighbors to hear the good news of God’s love!
The Very Reverend Stephen Hance
Dean of St, James Cathedral