Synod moderator goes aloft in hot air balloon
The Revd Nigel Uden, Moderator of the
Southern Synod of the United Reformed Church, was among church
leaders who ascended in a hot air balloon to pray for Sydenham and
Forest Hill in South London, as part of a "Here Our Prayer" weekend.
The aim of the event was to bring together local Christians to pray
for the needs of everyone in the area. Twenty one local churches
were involved. Five hundred prayers were received, and prayed, and a
host of smaller balloons were released as a symbol of prayers
offered to God. A Saturday evening event for young people featured a
live band and focused on gun and knife crime, a big local concern.
Christine Thompson, a United Reformed Church member of the planning
group said: “It was deeply moving, but there was also laughter. We
hope we have offered the people of Sydenham and Forest Hill a chance
to reflect on their hopes and fears, and to pray and be prayed for”.
