As the Day of Prayer for the Media approaches on Sunday, 3 November 2019 churches across the country are being asked to pray for those within the media including Christian journalists.
The annual initiative is a project of Christians in Media, a UK network and community that supports, encourages and inspires Christians who work in, and with, media.
The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, is a contributor to the Day of Prayer for the Media resource pack, produced to help churches take part.
Bishop Graham writes:
“God of grace, news of your Son spread first amongst the villages of the Galilee, was gossiped about in the streets, ruminated about in the places of debate, sometimes with wonder and intrigue, at other times as fake news, and has since spread to every corner of the world. May your Holy Spirit equip all who work in the media to be seekers after truth, so that our world’s headlines and news feeds may draw nearer to your ways of justice, mercy and humility that we see in Jesus Christ. Amen.”
The resource pack also includes a prayer from Rt Revd Jan McFarlane, Bishop of Repton and formerly the Archdeacon of Norwich and Director of Communications for the Diocese of Norwich.
The Bishop of Repton writes:
“Lord Jesus, Pilate once asked you, “What is truth?” Today we ask the same. Fake news? Spin? Poetic licence? Or the desire to reach to the very heart of things: To inform, teach, reflect, ponder this messy business of being human. Guard, guide and protect our journalists. Make them harbingers of truth. And for those who know you as their Lord, heralds of the Gospel of truth. May your Kingdom come. Amen.”
The Day of Prayer for the Media also encourages churches to have a positive voice and engage regularly with the media.
This article originally appeared in Network Norfolk.