The focus: prayer

HIV (Monday 12 November)

A baby is born with HIV and five people die of an AIDS-related illness every minute. This is preventable – its about justice.

We want to stop and reverse the spread of HIV in countries where our partners work by 2015. We need £60 million to action this.

• Lifestyle activity: Declare a ‘red objects day’. Every time you see anything red, from a red light to a red apple, pray for this vision and for people living with HIV.
• Prayer points on HIV (PDF, 32K)

CLIMATE CHANGE (Tuesday 13 November)

We work to prevent food shortages and forced migration caused by climate change. Our mandate to care for God’s creation demands that we take action.

• Lifestyle activity: Have a climate change weekend: Every time you use a light switch or hear the weather forecast, pray.When you sit down to eat pray for those experiencing food shortages. When you step out your front door pray for those forced to
  migrate due to the climate.
• Try this: Hold a summer beach prayer party or a winter prayer party if it’s warm to highlight changing weather conditions.
• Prayer points on climate change (PDF, 30K)

DISASTER RESPONSE (Wednesday 14 November)

More than 90 per cent of people who die from natural disasters live in poor countries. And with climate change increasing our work preparing for and responding to natural disasters is essential.

• Lifestyle activity: When you see or hear the emergency services, pray.  
• Try this: Play Jenga and pray for people in vulnerable situations every time a brick is removed. 
• Taste and see: Put on a meal, invite friends and then serve no food.
• Prayer points on disasters (PDF, 35K)

TRADE INJUSTICE (Thursday 15 November)

Unjust trade rules mean that people in poor countries are missing out on earning a fair wage. It’s once again time that the church speaks for those whose voices are seldom heard.

• Lifestyle activity: Every time you touch money, pray  for Tearfund’s work on trade injustice and for fair wages for poor producers.
• Try this: Put on a fairtrade chocolate tasting event, with chocolate fondue. Make the point that food for which the producer has been paid fairly is sweet – not just to the taste, but to the soul.
• Or, invite friends round, cut the labels from your clothes and stick them on a world map where they were made. Pray for Tearfund’s trade justice work.
• Prayer points on trade (PDF, 32K)

WATER AND SANITATION (Friday 16 November)

By this time tomorrow another 5,000 children will have died from water related diseases. We’re working hard to give everyone in the communities where Tearfund works safe water and toilets within 500 meters of their homes.

• Lifestyle activity: Whenever you feel thirsty use it as a prompt to pray for those without access to clean water.
• When you use the toilet or wash your hands, pray for those lacking sanitation facilities to get them.
• Prayer points on water and sanitation (PDF, 33K)

GET ACTIVE ON CLIMATE CHANGE (Saturday 17 November)

This December the UN summit on climate change will meet and to agree how the world will tackle climate change. Join others and spend Saturday 17th November telling our leaders how much action you want them to take.

• Try this: Invite people to an event – they’ll need to bring some dead leaves. Provide a time for reflection encouraging people to explore and compare the intricacy of leaves brought in. Personalise the letter found by clicking here and send it off asking the Secretary of State, to use his influence at the UN climate change summit to agree on a global deal to reduce carbon emissions.
• Lifestyle activity: Gather friends in a sauna at a local leisure centre and pray about climate change.
• Try this: Consider showing the film An Inconvenient Truth to help inform people. The movie can be an easy and engaging way to tell your church about climate change. Here are a few tips of how you can do it. 
• Try this: Find the name and contact details of your local MP by visiting www.theyworkforyou.com. Phone their office and – if your meeting is out of hours – leave a group message on the answer phone telling them you are praying for them. Ask those gathered to blow whistles and explain, on the answerphone, that you’re making a noise about climate change and asking them to do likewise.

SUNDAY NOVEMBER 18TH

Today is the climax of the prayer week. Churches, youth groups and student groups around the globe will be praying as one. The whole world will be circled in prayer.

• Try this: Use the prayer film as part of your service.

Will you join them? Why not use the free prayer film, a film we've produced specially for you to use during the prayer week. If your church or group meet mid-week, show the film then.

We've also got four other films available now for you to view and download - click here for more information.