Pray, Grow and Act are at the heart of a new Community of All Saints launched in Wakefield by the Bishop of Wakefield.
The Bishop of Wakefield launched the Community of All Saints in Wakefield Cathedral on All Saints Day and asked people to commit to putting Pray, Grow and Act at the heart of their lives for the next 12 months.
He asked them to spend the next few weeks praying and thinking of their intention and then commit to their own rule of life from Advent Sunday (Nov 27) 2016 to next Advent 2017.
“The rule of life is your rule of life, it is between you and God; all I ask is that it centres around these three principles of Pray, Grow and Act and that you commit to it for 12 months,” he said.
Almost 300 people gathered in Wakefield Cathedral for the All Saints launch and over 150 people signed up to the Community that night with more committing to join over the next couple of weeks.
Bishop Tony said over the next 12 months there would be further study opportunities, quiet days and trips to places like Lindisfarne and Durham - following in the northern Saints footsteps.
He said: “There will be opportunities for us to come together as a community, to grow together, to pray together. Let’s build up the Body of Christ together here in this place."
That evening the congregation heard from curate, Revd Phil Maries a former HGV lorry driver, who told people about growing a lunch club in his parish of Normanton after seeing the need for a gathering place for lonely or isolated men and women in the community to come together. He told the congregation how the church had raised the money to feed them and urged them to have the courage to ask for what they needed in God's name
Another speaker, the Revd Margaret Gallagher, of South Elmsall, shared her experiences of how Messy Church had reinvigorated her church community.
After the service and launch, the congregation enjoyed a glass of fizz!
Earlier this week Bishop Tony said: “I cannot begin to say how humbled I was by the number of people who came to the All Saints Day Eucharist at the Cathedral. But even more so by the number of people who have decided to join the Community of All Saints. They are thinking and praying about their Rule of Life which they will commit to during the New Christian year beginning on Advent Sunday. “
Bishop Tony said he too had been praying about his own rule of life and said he had committed myself to two particular actions during the year as well as the commitment to ongoing prayer and study.
“I want to be more deliberate about the Acts I will do each day for those I meet and share those stories with the members of the Community and I want to post daily reflections about the Saints of God whose lives can inspire us in our discipleship,” he added.”
Anyone interested in joining the Community of All Saints should email allsaints@leeds.anglican.org
A new website and facebook page will launch next week to share stories.