The Prayer Pack, developed by the Diocese of Rochester, is an engaging way of experiencing different ways of praying. There are leaflets on Intercessory Prayer, Centering Prayer, Silent prayer, multi-sensory prayer, prayer with music or the Bible, or using the senses… Each comes in downloadable A4 format, and gives some straight-forward practical advice, as well as some suggestions for further reading. Highly recommended! This can now be purchased in book format, published by BRF Ministries.
What is Prayer, and how do you pray?
Learning to Pray
This web-page from the Church of England website is a clear introduction to what prayer is. It gives simple practical advice on how to pray – answering questions such as Where can I pray? Do I have to kneel? Do I need to use words? It also includes a simple introduction on how to pray using the fingers of the hand as a guide.
Many other churches and cathedrals offer resources and introductions about how to pray. For example, Exeter Cathedral’s page ‘What is prayer?‘ leads into an informative webpage giving some advice about how you might begin, and sustain, your own prayer life. The Diocese of Portsmouth addresses these questions in a series of downloadable colour leaflets, which can be used by individuals, or printed out for use for groups or within church contexts.
Ways of Praying
These Candle-Cards, produced by the Diocese of Hereford, offer a simple pattern of prayer to use at home with a candle. They are easily downloadable and attractively printable. They include preparations for prayer, short reflections (and stimulating questions) and prayers, and are available in a number of versions according to the church season.
Developed by the Diocese of Portsmouth, this compact, colourful and easy-to-read 16-page Tool-Kit for Prayer is designed to provide a range of skills for engaging with prayer, either for individuals, or for use with a small group. Starting with practical aspects of prayer (such as where and when to pray), it introduces a range of different ways of praying in a simple and accessible way.
Daily Prayer online
There are a number of places that offer daily prayers every day of the year; you can listen to them on their websites, or download their apps from Google Play or the Apple Store.
Lectio 365 is a free daily prayer app, with Bible-based morning, midday and night devotionals to help you experience God’s presence in your life. It is run by the 24-7 Prayer movement, which offers a wealth of other prayer resources.
Pray As You Go is a daily prayer session, designed for use on portable devices, to help you pray whenever you find time, but particularly whilst travelling. It is not a ‘Thought for the Day’, a sermon or a bible-study, but rather uses the imagination to form a framework for your own prayer.
The Church of England’s ‘Daily Prayer‘ is the official app to help you follow Morning, Evening and Night Prayer, wherever you are. It is available as an app (with integrated audio) or as a podcast, and follows the more traditional and structured liturgy of Common Worship. You can also join their weekly online worship at 9am every Sunday, broadcast from a different church around the UK every week. Many Cathedrals (including Bradford, Exeter and Ely) also offer regular worship via Zoom, and most Cathedrals offer some live-streamed services too, including Canterbury, Exeter and Westminster.
