Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

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FROM CHURCHES TOGETHER IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND
PRESS RELEASE
25 MARCH 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE USE

GROWING INTEREST IN WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

Statistics indicate that interest in the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has increased, and that British and Irish churches are imaginatively using materials made available on the Internet, with a 99 percent increase in the use of a PowerPoint presentation for 2009.

The Revd Peter Colwell, secretary for church life and inter faith relations for Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, said, "At a time when ecumenism is undergoing great change, with anxieties about an apparent lack of enthusiasm - even an 'ecumenical winter' - it is encouraging that thousands of clergy and worship leaders are making full use of the resources produced by the Four Nations Writers' Group in services, bible studies and other events that bring together Christians of different traditions to worship together and pray for the full visible unity of the Church."

Figures for the 2009 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity show that 2965 visitors downloaded the special PowerPoint presentation from the CTBI website (www.ctbi.org.uk) compared to 1487 last year.

There was a 70.5 percent increase (1317 to 2246) in the number of website requests for an order form for Week of Prayer resources.

Demand for downloadable versions of an English language booklet rose by 25.2 percent (11501 to 14401, an increase of 2900). The booklet contained daily commentary, plus prayers and actions, together with an order of service for the Week of Prayer, which takes place each year from 18 to 25 January between the feasts of St Peter and St Paul. The theme for 2009 was "Reconcile your people", based on a text from Ezekiel chapter 37.

In 2008, CTBI sold 32,000 printed copies of its Week of Prayer booklet. The 2009 figure was 22,000, representing a decrease of 10,000 copies. CTBI has no data for how many copies of the website materials were subsequently printed for use in either year. However, assuming the extra 2900 people who took the booklet off the CTBI website for 2009 used it for group activities, and each downloaded booklet was printed, say, 20 times, that would represent 58,000 extra copies against the decrease of 10,000 sold copies, or an extra 48,000 copies overall. It may be that this is a too-conservative estimate and that the increase in the extra number of copies of the booklet used, and hence the extra number of individuals involved, are much higher.

Feedback on the 2009 materials has been good. One correspondent to CTBI wrote, "May I thank all those who contributed to the excellent material in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity booklet? We found a very special blessing in what we shared each day ... Thank you once again for the real spiritual enrichment received."

CTBI contact: The Revd Peter Colwell, Secretary for Church Life and Inter Faith Relations, tel: 020 7654 7216.

Notes for editors
1. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland helps the Churches to think, work and pray together, and serves them on their shared journey towards full visible unity. It is the official ecumenical body that brings together Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant and Pentecostal traditions, and is the direct successor to the British Council of Churches. Churches Together in Britain and Ireland works closely with the "Churches Together" bodies that focus separately on England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. See www.ctbi.org.uk.

2. This press release is distributed on behalf of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland by The Newburys, Communications Consultants, Hirbrysg, Llangurig, Powys, SY18 6SL. Email: newburys@pc-q.net; Tel: 01686 440 203; Mobile: 0798 246 4770.

ENDS

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