Let the bells be rung! Let the nations pray!

To mark the opening of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games this Friday, the London Organising Committee (LOCOG) is calling for thousands of bells to be rung across our nations. The mass bell ringing on Friday morning will start at 8.12am and will last for just three minutes – LOCOG are encouraging the tolling of “any bell, anyone, anytime” and the hope is that bells of all sizes – from church bells to hand bells – will be rung the length and breadth of the United Kingdom.

More Than Gold, the agency helping churches make the most of the Games, is calling on Christians and churches everywhere to join in and use the time to stop and pray for the coming of God’s Kingdom.
 
The opportunity to get involved in comes on the opening day of the London Olympics and the final day of More Than Gold’s 70-day Prayer Relay – a cascade of praise and prayer throughout the UK which began on 18th May and has toured the country running alongside the Olympic Torch Relay. Batons containing prayers have been handed over from community to community and, as the torch and the prayer relay have travelled through each area, individuals and churches have taken time to pray for the Games and those involved, and for their own communities.

The bell-ringing extravaganza was the brainchild of Turner Prize-winning artist and musician Martin Creed.

For ideas on how to use this special moment, and for some written prayers please go to www.morethangold.org.uk/prayercall

(www.allthebells.com).

Church Bells by RobW_: http://www.flickr.com/photos/robwallace/295434214/lightbox/

Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/deed.en