National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast 2021 Online
Life Beyond Covid: A Renewed Hope
The National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast is an annual recognition of the contribution that Christianity makes to the national life of the UK. This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast took place online again and was livestreamed from 8:00-8:45am on Friday 25 June. The event was chaired by The Rt Hon Dame Andrea Leadsom MP and the main speaker was The Rt Revd Professor NT Wright, who addressed the theme of ‘Life Beyond Covid: A Renewed Hope’.
Please find an outline of the full programme below. For webinar descriptions, please scroll to the bottom of the page.
Catch up on the National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast 2021 Online.
Friday 25 June
8:00-8:45am – National Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast livestream
Webinar programme
10:00am – Re-imagining Mission, hosted by principal partner Bible Society
11:00am – Just communities: towards a future without the need for food banks, hosted by the Trussell Trust
11:00am – Responding to the triple emergency of Covid, climate and conflict: faith in action, hosted by World Vision UK
12:00pm – God and government: telling a better story, hosted by CARE
12:00pm – Our brother’s keeper: addressing impending genocide, hosted by CSW
1:00pm – Faith after Covid-19, hosted by Premier
1:00pm – Blessed are those who are persecuted: hearing Christian voices from around the world, hosted by Release International
2:00pm – Black, white and green: why racial justice is at the heart of climate justice, hosted by Christian Aid
Webinar descriptions
10:00am – Re-imagining Mission, hosted by principal partner Bible Society
Amid all that the pandemic has brought, there are signs of hope and spiritual hunger among our communities. In this new missional landscape, we need a new language to help us articulate the gospel afresh.
That’s why Bible Society is bringing together leading Christian theologians, thinkers and practitioners, from a wide range of backgrounds, to address the question: how do we discern and encourage one another in a prophetic re-imagining of mission?
In this significant encounter, we seek to discern God’s heart, voice and activity and ask how we can partner with him in a new wave of national mission.
Host: Victoria Lawrence (Church Engagement Manager, Bible Society)
Speakers: NT Wright in conversation with Paul Williams (CEO, Bible Society); Paula Stringer (CEO, Christians Against Poverty) in conversation with Sandra Tebbutt (Church Engagement Lead, Bible Society); Emily Holden (CEO, Welcome Churches) in conversation with Oldi Morava (Director of International Mission, Bible Society); Nigel Langford (Director of Domestic Mission, Bible Society); and Rhiannon McAleer (Head of Research, Bible Society)
Prayer and Worship led by: Pastor Kola Taiwo (Leader, New Wine International, Woolwich) and Jake Isaacs (Worship leader and song writer)
11:00am – Just communities: towards a future without the need for food banks, hosted by the Trussell Trust
As we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for food banks is at the highest level on record. In this session we ask how much is too much? What role should the state, the voluntary sector and the Christian community play in meeting people’s basic needs? Churches play a major part in providing food banks in the UK and during the pandemic their involvement in distributing emergency food in local communities has increased further still. What role might churches now play in tackling the root causes of acute poverty, and working towards a future in which no one needs to use a food bank?
A panel discussion hosted by the Trussell Trust, exploring how Christians can play a part in building a hunger free future in which food banks are no longer needed.
Chair: Revd Bev Thomas
Speakers: Emma Revie (Chief Executive, Trussell Trust); Marsha de Cordova MP (Labour, Battersea); Danny Kruger MP (Conservative, Devizes); and Paul Woolley (CEO, London Institute for Contemporary Christianity)
11:00am – Responding to the triple emergency of Covid, climate and conflict: faith in action, hosted by World Vision UK
World Vision is an international children’s charity operating in over 90 countries. Inspired by our Christian faith, World Vision has over 70 years of experience working with communities and partners, including a network of 400,000 faith leaders, to create opportunities for better futures for vulnerable children, even in the toughest places. Over the last five years we have helped positively impact the lives of over 200 million vulnerable children.
Join our webinar, to hear more about how World Vision is responding to the triple emergency of Covid-19’s secondary impacts, climate change and conflict, facing some of the world’s most vulnerable children. Learn more about how we as members of the global church can respond in both prayer and action.
Chair: Dr Krish Kandiah (Founder, Home for Good and friend of World Vision)
Speakers: Baroness Nicky Morgan (Former UK Cabinet Minister for Education); Dola (16-year-old activist from Bangladesh); Jason (16-year-old young leader from the Democratic Republic of Congo); Lilian Dodzo (National Director, World Vision Kenya); and Revd Tricia Hillas (Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons)
12:00pm – God and government: telling a better story, hosted by CARE
As the country moves beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, holding government to account is more important than ever. As Christians, we have a right to make our voices heard, but with secularism only increasing and pressure growing daily on churches to stay silent on contemporary issues, can we actually make a difference? Is it wise to risk exposure? Should we give up on politics altogether? In this webinar, CARE’s CEO Nola Leach and CCO James Mildred make the case for positive and effective Christian engagement in politics. With God’s help, genuine change is possible and it all starts by telling a better story for our nation.
Speakers: Nola Leach (CEO, CARE) and James Mildred (CCO, CARE)
12:00pm – Our brother’s keeper: addressing impending genocide, hosted by CSW
Genocide is the gravest of international crimes. The UK and other signatories to the 1948 UN Genocide Convention have an obligation to prevent and punish this and other atrocity crimes. Yet despite the widely articulated slogan “Never Again” there is a seeming reluctance to address early warning of atrocity crimes, with efforts to do so often becoming mired in arguments about genocide determination. Recently, an amendment to the government’s Trade Bill drafted by the House of Lords which would have facilitated a judicial ruling on genocide was narrowly defeated in the Commons. Meanwhile indicators of impending genocide and other atrocity crimes continue to emerge across the world, including the plight of the Uyghurs in China, reported violations in Tigray in Ethiopia, and the deteriorating situations in Burma, Nigeria and elsewhere. How should we be responding to such situations, and how can the international community work to prevent genocide from being committed?
Chair: Mervyn Thomas (CEO, CSW)
Speakers: Lord Alton and Knox Thames
1:00pm – Faith after Covid-19, hosted by Premier
Covid brought out the best in both Christianity and other religions in the UK. Our buildings were closed but we innovated – we turned to digital technology to worship God online; we produced typed services and phone sermons for those isolating; we offered practical support through foodbanks, hot meals and a voice at the end of the phone. During that time, the statistics show remarkable growth in those attending online worship, an acceptance of religion’s role in a modern British society, and a call to greater social justice both for faith bodies and for the nation. Where next for the religion in the UK – and particularly the Church? To what extent are the changes to the practice of faith permanent, or will it revert to a pre-Covid pattern? As full in-person services are allowed, many see a hybrid future – offering faith engagement online and on-site. How will religion be transformed by a networked society and how will social justice be a core part of that transformation? Is the Church developing new skills or perhaps rediscovering her ancient role at the heart of British society?
Speakers: Revd Dr Peter Phillips (Head of Digital Theology, Premier) and Kevin Bennett (Deputy CEO, Premier)
1:00pm – Blessed are those who are persecuted: hearing Christian voices from around the world, hosted by Release International
Release International – voice of persecuted Christians, will be sharing testimony from our partners, from countries including Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Egypt, China, Iran and Eritrea. Jesus said, ‘Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.’ Matthew 5.10. Join us for an interactive workshop, hearing from our brothers and sisters in Christ who stand for Jesus in hostile or restricted countries. We support local church ministry and outreach to impoverished, oppressed, imprisoned, homeless, bereaved and abused Christians in some of the most repressive and inhumane regimes worldwide. We will be led by the Revd Ashraf in prayer and encouragement. Our chair of Trustees David Armond CBE will be our host. Release International was one of the NGOs who worked with the Bishop of Truro’s Office to report on the persecution of Christians to the FCO. Please send any questions in advance to lhayes@releaseinternational.org.
Chair: Revd Imtiaz Ashraf (Release International Lead for Pakistan)
Speakers: Pastor Eric Foley (Director, Voice of the Martyrs Korea); Revd Hassan John (Anglican Diocese of Jos, Church of Nigeria); Dr Berhane Asmelash (Director, Release Eritrea and Trustee, Release International); and Asif Mall (Release International Lead, APPG FoRB)
2:00pm – Black, white and green: why racial justice is at the heart of climate justice, hosted by Christian Aid
The climate crisis is the greatest challenge facing humanity today, but is also a deeply racialised phenomenon, with black and brown people in Africa, the Caribbean, Asia and other parts of the global south facing the brunt of the impacts. As the UK plays a pivotal role in leading on this issue in the run-up to COP26, join climate activists, church and political leaders from diverse racial backgrounds as we discuss the challenges, expectations and opportunities as we work together to call for climate justice for all.
Chair: Pete Moorey (Head of UK Advocacy and Campaigns, Christian Aid)
Speakers: Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP; Professor Robert Beckford (Director of the Institute of Climate and Social Justice, University of Winchester); Baroness Sandip Verma; Revd Alton Bell (Senior Pastor, Wembley Family Church); and Pastor Joyce Fletcher