[ACNS, by Gavin Drake] A 24-hour prayer vigil is taking place at St George’s Cathedral on the Windward Islands as the people of the diocese are asked to pray for their “parish, archdeaconry, diocese and nation.” Beginning at 6 am AST (10 am GMT) today (Friday), the cathedral is asking people to pray for different themes during the different hours, with several hours dedicated to praying for evangelism and mission.

In a message to “my fellow workers in Christ and all Anglicans”, the cathedral’s Dean, the Very Revd Otis Nichols, said that under the theme Use me Lord, Use us Lord, “we pray for God's guidance, for discipline and generosity of Spirit to prevail.

“The Cathedral Church will be available for people to come and pray during the day,” he said. “The 24 hours of prayer begins with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and ends with Morning Prayer. Individuals and / or groups come to the church at any time, but there will be persons designated for each hour to pray specifically for the intention of that time slot.”

He said that people are being encouraged to light candles “as a symbol of their intention to help the parish’s spiritual and material growth.”

The hourly prayer intentions include, at 7 am local time, a request to “Pray for the Nation – head of state, prime minister, leader of the opposition, parliamentarians, cabinet, public servants and people.” The next hour is prayer for “security – police force, judiciary.”

At 8 am people are asked to pray for families, for “marriages, faithfulness, children”; while the next two hours are dedicated to prayers for women and then men, with exhortations to “pray for women in all walks of life, for those who fight for causes of deprived persons, those in abusive relationships,” and to “[ray for men – for a new understanding of power and control, for those who are abusers and those who are abused.”

After prayers for the environment, for vocations, and for international bodies such as the United Nations, the day includes four hours of prayer for evangelism and outreach, beginning at 8 pm local time. “Pray that people come to the Father through Jesus Christ, His Son. At 9 pm, “Pray that people get connected to Jesus, who is the only way to God and the only way to be saved.”

At 10 pm, “Pray that people find freedom through Jesus Christ, the Saviour,” and at 11 pm, “Pray that people trust Jesus who alone can release them from bondage to sin.”

A Mass will be celebrated at midnight as the prayer continues through until 6 am tomorrow morning; when the 24-hours will be brought to an end with a service of morning prayer.

Those taking part are being invited to “write down the names of five persons who don’t attend church and pray for them every day” as an on-going exercise at the end of the 24-hours of prayer.