"There is one body and one spirit..."

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) takes place each year from 18th to 25th January - the octave of St Peter and St Paul. This ecumenical celebration provides an opportunity to focus our prayers on Christian unity and to know that we are joining with our siblings in Christ in countries around the world.

WPCU is also a great chance to speak about and experience Christian unity personally in our local area. This year WPCU takes Ephesians 4.1-13 as its central text, and its theme is summed up in verse 4: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling.”

St Margaret's is praying for Christian unity, using some of the resources jointly prepared for this year by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the Faith & Order Commission of the World Council of Churches in partnership with Christian churches in Armenia, during our services from 18th to 25th January.

This week, Rev. Joshua, was also invited to preach at an online service for the WPCU hosted by the Council of Lutheran Churches in Great Britain (CLC). The CLC is a communion of churches coming together to further the work of all Lutheran churches in the UK. Many of its member churches are in full communion with the Church of England through the Porvoo Agreement.

Rev. Joshua reflected on two prayers from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer - the Collect for Unity, itself based on Ephesians 4.1-13, and A General Thanksgiving - and our commitment as Christians to nurture the dispositions that lead to greater unity and understanding between us. You can watch the service below: