What is the need?

As headlines scream dire warnings - 'CBI slash UK growth forecast', 'Profits drop for first time', 'Banks drag FTSE down', 'Jobs not cuts' - how should Christians respond? In particular, how should Christians concerned for today's workplace respond? Here, surely, is a moment when people in our organisations and workplaces are in need of prayer and the intervention of our God who answers prayer. And yet many of those people, perhaps ourselves included, face increasing pressure to work longer hours, wearying commutes, the tyranny of the urgent, and exhaustion. We may feel that we scarcely have time to think, let alone pray. 'Indeed, one of the greatest challenges facing Christians in the UK is to live the abundant life of Christ in the face of the dehumanising, relationally destructive and emotionally, physically and spiritually debilitating effects of the contemporary workplace.' (Not Managing Today?)

Without the sustaining influence of a group, praying as individuals can be subject to more fluctuations than the FTSE. Work pressure, past disappointments in prayer, and lack of physical energy all play a part. Time to wait for anything, even on God, is seen as a luxury. Fresh and imaginative ways of praying in and for our workplaces are needed. Could there be a role for the 'virtual' fellowship and encouragement of other Christians on similar prayer journeys?

PrayerWorks is LICC's response to this vital area. PrayerWorks seeks to encourage prayer for the workplace by providing creative ways of praying and developing pathways of prayer for Christians to experience together. As we do so, we trust that the Spirit will re-envision us through the celebration of answered prayer, and that we will experience a renewed awareness of God's presence and activity in our places of work.

How does the project work?

PrayerWorks seeks to re-envision, support and network workplace pray-ers in several ways:

• Prayer Pathways: our aim is to signpost a series of prayer pathways - different ways of praying used by Christians down the ages to connect with God and what he is doing in his world. They are pathways that we hope will help Christians to pray afresh for their workplace. The pathways work as a 40 day journey. By signing up for the journey, you will receive a daily prompt to pray by email. You can pray alone or with a group. Either way, you will know that you are part of an LICC community praying for God's purposes in the workplace. Our first journey explores the prayer pathway of Blessing, and our second journey is Pray4Life - praying for people to become spiritually alive.
• Teaching on prayer and the pathways: There is teaching on both workplace prayer and each pathway available on the website. Prior to the launch of each pathway there will be a Word for the Week email series with food for thought and an invitation to journey on the prayer pathway for 40 days.
• Sharing stories: Share your experiences of journeying on the pathways, what you've learnt and answers to prayer for widerencouragement.
• Creative Prayer Forum: LICC aims to provide a forum to share creative ways to pray in and for your workplaces. Email Bev Shepherd with your ideas.

How to engage with PrayerWorks

• Sign up for the second 40 day journey starting June 11th 2012, exploring Pray4Life.
• Visit our Creative Prayer Forum for more ideas on how to pray for your workplace and email us your own.
• If you're part of a group at work or church, consider whether you would all like to follow the 40 day journey together.