Shine out in your community!

Shine as the Flame travels
An Invitation to join a 70-day Cascade of Prayer

The Olympic Torch is to be run throughout the UK for the 70 days leading up to the opening of the 2012 Games.
The route takes it through more than 1,000 communities and within ten miles of almost the whole of the UK’s population.
More Than Gold long to see –
• The Olympic Torch Relay used as a catalyst by hundreds of churches to mobilise united and creative prayer for their communities and the Nations
• This cascade of prayer preparing the way for all the service, mission and hospitality taking place in thousands of communities during 2012 and beyond

Prayer Relay -
• When the Torch starts its journey, from Lands End on Saturday 19th May, Christian leaders will launch the cascade of prayer. They will then travel to the next main Torch stopping place (Plymouth). Here they will bring prayers of blessing and hand on a symbolic prayer baton to Christian leaders there.
• That simple process will continue day by day. That means, the next day, Plymouth leaders will travel to Exeter – and so on through the 70 days.
• This means each community receives and releases prayers of blessing.
It will up to the churches in each place that receives the Torch to decide when and how the prayer chain of blessing is moved on. We ask for the focus to be on praying for the release of God’s blessing and light among our communities and the Nations.

Plus - as the Torch Relay passes through communities they are encouraged to mark the event with prayer. This can be by –
• Individuals and small groups - praying outside homes, offices, along streets, in parks and in workplaces
• Churches or groups of churches - holding short prayer times in public spaces along or near the route and praying during the 70 days

With the needs of our communities and the Nations in mind, there is good reason to pray even when the Olympic Torch is not in the locality and this could involve –

• Prayer walking on every street
• Holding prayer vigils, evenings, days or weeks of prayer – some churches are organising weeks of prayer ahead of the Torch Relay in their deaneries.
• Be creative - one denomination has set up a ‘design a prayer baton competition’

In addition, there is a free 48 page publication to help churches engage with the Torch Relay and the period of the Games. It has –
• Ideas for large screen festivals, barbecues, street parties, picnics, breakfasts, children’s games, sports quizzes and competitions.
• Resources for church activities, including an all-age sermon outline sketches, prayers and outlines for small groups. To help churches publicise their activities there is a sample press release and a church magazine article.
Details of this and other free resources from More Than Gold can be found at www.morethangold.org.uk/free-resources

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