Yet in time of trouble, crisis, and thanksgiving many of us do ‘say a prayer’. Research conducted for the charity Tearfund in 2007 concluded that as many as 20 million adults in the UK (42% of the population) pray.

But for those who find it difficult, the Church of England launches a new website, www.prayoneforme.org, where anyone can post their prayer requests and know that they will be prayed.

“You can pray about anything,” says the Revd Alison Roche, vicar of St Christopher’s parish in Leicester. “Some people think God’s only concerned with the really big things in life. But some people pray for car parking spaces. God is concerned about the big things in life like disasters and relationships breaking up and the very small things. In a relationship with a human being you would communicate on different levels. It’s the same with God. So go for it”.

Prayoneforme.org, launching on Ash Wednesday (22nd February), will be supported by church groups and prayer communities across the Church of England. They will pray the prayers. The site will be open throughout the year
The site builds on the success of a similar one the Church of England has run during Lent for the last two years. Family and friends, healing, guidance, thanksgiving and world events where topics for which people regularly asked for prayers.

The new site and its supporting page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/prayoneforme) will also have short profiles about some of the people and groups who will be praying the prayers. It will also link to information for those wanting to know more about praying for themselves.