THE ARCHBISHOP of Canterbury will lead a congregation at Coventry Cathedral to honour the 50th anniversary of a leading UK Christian relief charity.
The service will take place on May 6 at 10.30am and will be attended by charity chiefs and prominent city figures.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend Justin Welby, will be leading the proceedings with a special prayer written to mark Tearfund’s milestone (see below).
The service is part of a busy schedule for the Archbishop who will take part in activities planned to celebrate the Centenary of the Diocese of Coventry.
The service will be hosted by Dean of Coventry, The Very Reverend John Witcombe and The Rt Rev Dr Christopher Cocksworth, Bishop of Coventry.
Tearfund is a Christian relief and development agency which was founded in 1968.
It is one of the UK’s leading aid charities, delivering important work through partners and local churches in the 50 poorest countries in world.
The Gosp-Ability Choir will also be performing as part of the celebrations.
The choir was brought together by Coventry gospel singer Sandra Godley and aims to give people who have faced mental anxiety or physical disabilities an opportunity to perform.
This will be the choir’s first live performance ahead of singing in Windsor in the lead-up to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Royal Wedding on Saturday May 19.
Also joining the service will be Emmanuel Murangira, country representative for Rwanda at Tearfund.
Emmanuel will share his experiences of working for peace and reconciliation in his country, following the Rwandan genocide.
Virginia Luckett, director of UK churches at Tearfund said: “We are honoured that the Archbishop of Canterbury will be celebrating Tearfund’s 50th anniversary and joining with us as we pray for an end to extreme poverty.
“As we enter our fiftieth year, we are more motivated and determined than ever and I invite people to join with us as we celebrate this key milestone and look ahead to the future.”
Tearfund’s 50th anniversary service is free to attend, to register for a place click here.
For more details on the activities planned please visit: www.cov100.org.
To buy tickets go to: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/tearfunds-jubilee-celebration-marking-50-years-tickets-43127006036
Prayer written by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby which will be read out at the service:
Gracious and generous God, you became poor so that we might be enriched by your love, and you gave the world’s wealth and resources as a common inheritance of all human beings.
We pray you would strengthen your church to be a beacon of hospitality for the poor.
We pray that, seeing the light of Christ’s love, the nations and peoples of the world may fight not to kill, but to outdo one another in care for the poor, and in actions of gracious generosity.
Through Him who for our sakes did not grasp the wealth of heaven, but instead gave all to live for us as a slave, and die for us in pain, Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour.
