Rainy conditions for ReLENTless Prayer Walk

Monday March 12th 2018

Setting off on the ReLENTless Prayer Walk on Cavehill and Black Mountain.

Wet and misty weather failed to deter a hardy group of walkers who took to Cavehill and Black Mountain on Saturday March 10 to pray blessings on north Belfast.

The Prayer Walk, which was followed by brunch in St Michael’s Parish Church Hall, Shankill Road, was organised a part of North Belfast ReLENTless Prayer.

The walk was led by the Rev Canon James Carson and the Rev Colin Duncan from Shankill Methodist.

During ReLENTless Prayer, Churches and Christian communities in north Belfast are offering community prayer space during the entire Lent period.

The initiative is driven by the Church of Ireland Lower Shankill Ministry Team, headed by Canon Carson, rector, and his wife Heather, parish development officer.

It has the support of more than 20 local churches and Christian communities to date, with Gordon College, an evangelical, non-denominational College in Wenham, north of Boston, Massachusetts, USA, covering one of the days in prayer.

The group pauses to pray during the walk.

The initiative was launched in St Michael’s and is inspired by a similar ReLENTless Prayer initiative in Lisburn two years ago

At the launch, Heather Carson said: “We are great believers in partnership. We can plough our own furrow, but in partnership we can have a much bigger impact in north Belfast than if we do it alone. Our vision is that as churches we set an example to the community by working together.”

ReLENTless Prayer will run through Lent and Holy Week, with each church or community offering creative prayer space and endeavouring to have eight hours of prayer on their designated day or days.

The initiative will focus on praying for six core topics: Family life; mental health; schools; peace and reconciliation; local businesses and growth in good neighbourliness among Christian churches and communities.

A payer journal will be passed from church to church and will form a tangible record of the whole event, Heather said.

Download the full ReLENTless Prayer timetable.