May 2024
As you will know Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called a General Election for Thursday 4 July.
As Archbishops Justin and Stephen have said: “The coming General Election is a critical moment in the life of our nation, which will shape our future by electing those who will make decisions affecting generations to come.”
Their full statement can be read here General Election 2024: Invitation to pray for the nation | The Church of England
We encourage you and those to whom you minister in your parishes, schools or chaplaincy to pray for the well-being of our nation, to ask questions about what kind of nation we wish to be, and to own their contribution as citizens by exercising their vote.
A range of materials are available to support this. They include:
The Church Of England campaign #PrayYourPart is being launched to promote prayer and participation in the life of our nation and communities, both as voters and as citizens.
A series of daily thematic reflections written by bishops, drawn from the Bible and exploring major themes will be published shortly, covering the final three weeks up to polling day.
They will be available as a booklet, in audio form for smart speakers, as free opt-in emails and through social media.
Across Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Barnet we encourage everyone
- To pray, both in our public worship and also in our personal prayers
- To participate in the election both as voters and citizens
- To hold hustings in your church or deanery.
Local resources for our diocese can be found on our website General Election Resources - The Diocese of St Albans (stalbansdiocese.org) with details of how get involved both as an individual and as a church community. We thank Hannah Ling, Social Justice Adviser, Diocese of Oxford for her permission to use this content.
We hold in prayer all those who are involved as candidates and those responsible for overseeing the electoral process on 4 July.
Yours sincerely,
