How five coins and prayer changed millions
Emily Andrews
The National Probation Service for England and Wales is one of the least known and understood wheels of the criminal justice system, sadly only making it into the news when mistakes are made.
Even less is known of the wonderful origins of this core organisation. In order to learn more about the history, we have to travel back in time to 1878 and Victorian England. This was a time of great poverty, especially for those in some of the most deprived London districts.
Year-long prayer-walk ends
Nick Mudge
After exactly a year, a prayer-walking initiative encompassing every street in the whole Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole conurbation has been completed.
The elders at Gateway Church, Poole, launched the walk in February last year. It covered a population of just over 400,000 people, more than 3,800 roads (see map below) and 900 miles of walking.
Prayer and mindfulness
Date posted: 1 Mar 2024
Dear Editor,
Thank you so much for publishing Kirsten Birkett’s article ‘On prayer, mindfulness and contemplation’ in your January edition. Surely if Christians are about anything it is prayer, for without our Almighty Father we are hopeless and helpless. May we indeed ‘yearn’ for His Holy Spirit to be at work in all our being, ideas, plans, activities. It’s incumbent upon us ordinary Christians in the pew to demand that prayer is at the core of all our purpose and priorities, living everyday and work in church and community. But do I ever ‘yearn’? May we all dare to learn to do so.
What are you like at wrestling in prayer?
Wrestling is a strange image of prayer. If you read some of the pieces written about prayer today, it seems even more strange.
They tell us (rightly) that prayer is about intimacy and relationship, about knowing God. The Bible’s image of wrestling suggests instead conflict and hard work. It may be an intimate way to fight, but it isn’t sweet. This kind of fighting is sweaty, painful – and all about endurance.