Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – Jan 2026

Each year the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is traditionally observed from the 18th to the 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 brothers and sisters in Christ across the world.

In 2026 we marked the week by having a series of 6 Prayer Events in different churches across Horsforth – taking this opportunity to meet with people from other churches and be united in prayer. Each event was different, reflecting the rich and varied expressions of prayer across our traditions.

Prayer Events across Horsforth

DATE	TIME	PLACE	EVENT	What to expect
Monday 19th Jan	12 noon	St James’ Woodside	Midday Prayers	Liturgy and prayers for midday, followed by a soup lunch
Tuesday 20th Jan	12.30pm	The Grove Methodist	Soup and Prayers	Sharing soup, fellowship and prayers
Weds 21st Jan	10 am	St Margaret’s	Communion	Traditional C of E Communion with liturgy and prayers
	7pm	St Mary’s Catholic	‘Come Holy Spirit’ – Prayer Service	A reflective service with Taizé style music
Thurs 22nd Jan	7.30pm	Lister Hill Baptist	Praise and Prayer	Uplifting songs and free style prayers
Friday 23rd Jan	12.15pm	Cragg Hill Baptist	Midday Prayers	Northumbrian Prayer and informal free style prayers

PLEASE NOTE: THERE WAS NO PULPIT SWAP THIS YEAR, but we hope it will be back next year.

Here’s an article about waht we did at each church:

Unity in Prayer

We enjoyed praying together in each others’ churches with a fantastic variety of prayer events/services during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – each one was different but welcoming and inclusive to anyone attending – have a look below to find out more:

Prayer Stations at The Grove Methodist on Tuesday

After enjoying soup and fellowship together, we reflected and prayed individually moving around 7 different Prayer Stations with thoughtfully prepared displays focussing on different types or aspects of prayer.

Communion at St Margaret’s on Wednesday

We participated in traditional C of E midweek Communion and chatted over coffee and cake afterwards.

Come Holy Spirit Prayer Service at St Mary’s on Wednesday evening

A reflective service with Taize style music provided opportunity for lovely worship and prayer. (Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get any photos of this one).

Praise and Prayer Service at Lister Hill Baptist on Thursday

Led into worship with great music songs and free expression of praise.

Northumbrian Prayer at Cragg Hill Baptist on Friday

Using simple Celtic style prayer liturgy from the Northumbrian Community, followed by open prayers for our town and the world.

We thank all involved in leading the prayer services and providing refreshments for welcoming us into their churches, affirming even more strongly the unity we have across our different traditions, and the enrichment we gain by sharing with each other in this way.

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More Information about the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

The theme set for this year was:

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to
the one hope of your calling.” (Ephesians 4:4)

This year’s theme reminds us that the call to unity is a call to work for peace for all people everywhere.

‘For this year, the prayers and reflections for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have been prepared by the faithful of the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with their brothers and sisters of the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches. These resources draw upon centuries-old traditions of prayer and petitions used by the Armenian people, along with hymns that originated in the ancient monasteries and churches of Armenia, some of which date as far back as the fourth century. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026 extends an invitation to draw upon this shared Christian heritage and to delve more deeply into our fellowship in Christ, which unites Christians worldwide.’ (CITB website)

There are resources for each day of the week which you can use in your own prayers or in your groups at church.

Here is a summary table of the THEMES AND SCRIPTURE VERSES for each day:

DAY	THEME	SCRIPTURE VERSE
Sun 18th	Our call to unity	‘I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called’ (Ephesians 4:1).
Mon 19th	Bearing with one another in love	‘… with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love’ (Ephesians 4:2).
Tues 20th	The bond of peace	… making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace’ (Ephesians 4:3).
Weds 21st	Called to one hope	‘There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling’ (Ephesians 4:4).
Thurs 22nd	One faith, one baptism	‘There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling’ (Ephesians 4:4).
Fri 23rd	One God over all	‘One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all’ (Ephesians 4:6)
Sat 24th	Christ’s gift	‘But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift’ (Ephesians 4:7).
Sun 25th	Growing into Christ	‘The gifts he gave were … for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ’ (Ephesians 4:11-13).

DOWNLOAD THE FULL RESOURCES HERE