John Hall, Rector of Blakesley cum Woodend, Adstone, Farthingstone, Lichborough & Maidford (The Lambfold Benefice) describes how people in his benefice have eagerly taken up a new way of praying:

At the benefice autumn course last year, Tim Sledge, Diocesan Mission Enable at the time, asked the seemingly innocent question, "so how's the benefice prayer group going?"

There was an embarrassed silence whilst we waited for the tumble-weed to roll by. Eventually somebody said, "well Tim, we did try several times but somehow it just hasn't worked ... people just didn't want to turn out."

"Why was that?" said Tim. It was one of the braver souls who replied. "It's not that we don't want to pray together, we do, but what's really difficult is wanting to turn out on a cold, wet, dark, evening in the middle of February. Even if we only prayed for ten minutes, it took half an hour to get ready and get there, and then another half an hour by the time we got out, got home ... it's just too much to bear sometimes!"

So Tim says, quick as a flash, "What makes you think you have to physically be together for prayer to work? Isn't that the lesson from the morning office? People all over the world are saying prayers, often alone, but all are united in that prayer? Surely the important thing is that prayers are said - does it really matter where they are said?"

It was out of that challenge that The Lambfold Virtual Prayer Group was born. We soon realised that people were eager to join up. It hadn't been the lack of willingness to pray that was missing before, it was the physical and mental effort of gathering together that was difficult. Almost everyone said they could find 5 or 10 minutes, wherever they find themselves, either between 1pm and 2pm or 7pm and 8pm on most Tuesdays.

The vast majority of people in our congregations have internet access, so communication is simple. Once a week an email goes out from the prayer group co-coordinator with a list of prayer topics. Some are national or international and some are very local in nature. The text of the week's collect and an extra prayer drawn from the historic resources of the church are also included. People use as much or as little from the list as they wish or have time for. In response, people send prayer ideas and requests back to the co-coordinator for circulation in the future.

Does it work? Well, it's a leap of faith. Perhaps everyone said they would say the prayers but nobody does! I am sure not everyone has a chance every week and I know the co-coordinator sometimes feels it's a little like being on the edge of a black hole.

But - and it's a huge and holy but - requests for prayer do come back. And sometimes somebody says something that shows they have been praying about those topics. Most importantly, things happen, things that wouldn't have happened but for prayer.

It's not a replacement for physically being together but it's certainly is a good first step. It feels like a 21st Century incarnation of living prayer surrounded by "the cloud of witnesses".

For more information contact Revd John Hall on 01327 860507 or email: fr-john@lambfold.org.uk

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