The Global Day of Prayer on 27 May, 2007, was the culmination of thousands of 24-hour-a-day prayer watches taking place around the world in the 10 days running up to the event.
Prayer in the Park at Norwich Anglican Cathedral was one of at least 30 such meetings across the UK alone. It saw around 600 Christians from almost 30 Norwich and Norfolk churches join together for worship and prayer.
Helping to lead the Norwich service were Norwich Cathedral Dean Very Rev Graham Smith, Transforming Norwich's chairman John Betts, the Salvation Army's Major Ray Begley, Holy Trinity's Rev Alan Strange, City Church's Mark Watson and Philip Thorne, Witard Road's Rev David Adams, Norwich Vineyard's Geoff Lawton, Wroxham Road's Rev Nigel Fox, Norwich Family Life Church's Trevor Pimlott and St Helen's Rev Madeline Light.
Norwich organizer
Hilary Oliver, on behalf of the Prayer in the Park Foundation Team, said:
“We were extremely pleased and honoured to be able to hold this Global Day of Prayer Event at the Cathedral, where the Dean and his staff made us extremely welcome.
"In this beautiful building, where for nearly four centuries until the 15th century there was almost continual 24/7 prayer, we sensed the presence of God as we joined with millions of Christians in the 203 nations taking part across the world, singing praises to Him and exalting His Name far over all.
"It was if all that is in the heavens and under the earth, had to take notice of what was happening; the biggest prayer meeting in all the earth. For 24 hours across the globe, Christians gathered in homes, churches, cathedrals, public places and football stadiums, from the rising of the sun in the pacific islands in the east to its setting in the west, we came together with one purpose to proclaim His greatness, repent of our sins and to ask God to fulfill his promise to heal our lands.
"The love and worship by His people mingled with the prayers and proclamations of His greatness. There was a sense that on this Pentecost Sunday, remembering the first Pentecost of the early church, we too were gathering in a new unity, mobilizing as a great army united in His love as we prayed by name for every nation of the world," said Hilary.
"We in Norwich and Norfolk were thrilled to be part of this great day and are very grateful to all who cancelled their services to be with us. We believe that people came from at least 28 different churches. The feedback we are receiving is very positive and we would encourage all to be part of the next Global Day of Prayer, on Pentecost Sunday May 11, 2008."
The vision for the Global Day of Prayer started in Africa when in July 2000 God captured the heart of a South African Christian businessman,
Graham Power, with a vision to transform Christians and the world through prayer.
In March 2001, more than 45,000 Christians united for a Day of Repentance and Prayer at Newlands Rugby Stadium in Cape Town.
Testimonies of transformation spread the vision to the rest of South Africa and planning immediately started for similar prayer gatherings in eight South African provinces in 2002.
Across the African continent millions of Christians were inspired to participate in the process of transforming Africa. 77 South African regions and 27 African countries (66 cities) committed to a Day of Repentance and Prayer for Africa on the 1 May 2003.
On 2 May 2004, history was made when Christians from all 56 nations of Africa participated in the first ever continental Day of Repentance and Prayer for Africa.
Then at a meeting of the International Prayer Council in Malaysia in November 2004, the invitation from Africa went out to the nations of the world to join in a five year Global Day of Prayer process up to 2010.
On Pentecost Sunday in 2005, Christians from 156 nations of the world united across denominational and cultural borders for the first Global Day of Prayer.
This movement of prayer expanded again in 2006, when on Pentecost Sunday (4 June 2006) 250 million Christians from around the world took part in the Global Day of Prayer. The Global Day of Prayer 2006 event was a great success with Christians gathering across the globe in many countries including Egypt, South Korea, Brazil, Turkey, Sudan, Ukraine, Jordan, Denmark, Taiwan, Germany, United States and Kenya.
2007 was set to expand this prayer movement even further. Traditional centres of worship taking place across the UK included York Minster and Beverley Minster as well as Norwich Cathedral.
Football stadiums in Gillingham, Sunderland, and Redditch, meanwhile, hosted afternoon prayer events with London’s Upton Park stadium, home to West Ham United FC, seeing an estimated 15,000 people.
Jane Holloway UK Co-ordinator Global Day of Prayer said, “It is encouraging to see how this call to repentance and prayer is being taken up by Christians of every denomination across the UK and around the world.”
For more information on the Global Day of Prayer please visit:
