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GOD in Parliament
Despite our Christian heritage Britain is a very secular society today. Dr David Landrum, the Senior Parliamentary Officer for the Bible Society, informs us of some of the latest moves of the Holy Spirit in the heart of Westminster.
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Jeremy Paxman observes in his book "the Political Animal (2002) "Although politics is an intensely earthly trade, it is noticeable that religious belief seems to be much higher among members of the House of Commons than in the country at large." It is thus perhaps not surprising that life in the Palace of Westminster, which, when it is sitting has over 8000 people working there, includes a whole plethora of church activities including worship, bible study, fellowship and prayer. Each daily session of Parliament, moreover, is opened with prayers by the Speaker's chaplain, Canon Robert Wright in the House of Commons, and by the Bishop's chaplain in the House of Lords. Added to this are Masses, communion services and other prayer services for MPs, Peers, political and house staff. The key organisation is perhaps the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship (PCF), which seeks to support and resource all the diverse and numerous Christian activities that take place on site and organises the prestigious National Prayer Breakfast as well as many other events. Recently, PCF organised an evening reception in the Speaker's State Apartments at which Preacher to the Papal Household Fr Raniero Cantalamessa gave a talk about the Holy Spirit. There has been growing unity among the different parties and denominations over the last few years. Many Christian MPs, for example, have supported the development of the "Christians in Politics" campaign and website to encourage believers to join political parties. The Christian Socialist Movement, the Conservative Christian Fellowship and the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum too are all working more closely together to cultivate a stronger Christian voice in Parliament. "Prophecy received by Christian MPs" Prayer has taken on an increasingly important profile in all this. Last year a group of Christian MPs who were on retreat together received a word of prophecy from 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land". In response to this and in collaboration with the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship and 24/7 Prayer, a week of round the clock prayer was organised for Parliament in June 2004. This brought together many of the existing prayer meetings inside the House, as well as external activities, to pray for government and the country. There were prayer walks, praise and worship meetings, bible studies and many other events. Local Westminster churches including Westminster Cathedral were also involved and many other churches committed themselves to praying through the night in order to ensure complete coverage of the week. This both created media interest and helped encourage the Church nationally to pray for politicians and government more. The week was characterised by a sense of repentance and expectancy that God would act and this had really inspired the Christian community on site. Another significant development during the week was the coming together of Christian groups from Westminster and Whitehall for the first time. This resulting on going relationship has already born fruit in the dual running of an Alpha course. The 24/7 Prayer week was on again this year between 19th -26th June 2005, and this annual event is now providing a focus for God's power and an inspiration for a new generation to see politics as mission and Parliament as the mission field. "God turning things around" The Christian past of our country is infused in the very architecture and artwork of the Palace of Westminster which is full of scripture and biblical imagery. The floor of the central lobby, for example, is encircled with the words "Unless the Lord builds the House, the builders labour in vain" (Psalm 127.1). The Holy Spirit used this to initiate the new flow of prayer in Parliament. During the prayer week, God underlined the importance of godly foundations and the calling of the Christian body to be united and humble and to speak prophetically. Many intercessors round the country came up in prayer with the same image during the first week of prayer, of a turning wheel. This, it was felt, signified that God was turning things around nationally, which was all very exciting. As part of the groundswell of prayer at Westminster,as well as organising the National Prayer Breakfast (NPB), we are also trying to create a database of Christians in all constituencies who would be committed to praying for their local MPs (contact details below). As secular ideologies and political solutions continue to be exposed as lacking the capacity to address the problems and challenges in our world, it is more important than ever that we, who are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, pray for and speak prophetically into politics and government. Be encouraged - the good news, from our recent experiences within Parliament is that the Lord is indeed on the move.
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 David Landrum
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