Take the 10:15 Lenten Challenge

“Gracious God, today is there someone you want me to connect with outside the church.”

The fifteen word prayer and accompanying daily reflective prompts have been given to us by Michael Harvey, Unlocking the Growth, and founder of Back to Church Sunday whose passion is in equipping Christians to cultivate a spirit of welcome and invitation. Our Communications team have added some design elements to these words, and we’ll be sharing these posts every morning on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

Michael explains: “The 10:15, Lenten Challenge is a very simple spiritual practice for the 40 days of Lent, through the Easter weekend and up to Easter Monday. As you go about your day, it may well be that God places somebody in your pathway. It may well be that God places somebody in your mind. What the practice allows you to do is to be attentive to the really the daily call of God in our lives. It's a rhythm of listening and noticing and responding, allowing us to part with God in everyday moments.”

Chester Diocese will be starting the 10:15 challenge this Wednesday as part of our vision to bless the 1.5 million in our diocese who have not yet encountered the Good News of Jesus Christ. We hope you will find this a helpful intentional opportunity to connect with someone outside the church. Do share what happens with others and we’d love to hear your stories: email comms@chester.anglican.org.

Michael Harvey: As the developer of Back to Church Sunday, Michael has worked with churches throughout the UK, and throughout the English speaking world. He has spoken to thousands of church leaders and congregational members in his seminars and has seen hundreds of thousands of Christians mobilised to invite others to church, resulting in more than 1 million accepted invitations. He launched the first National Weekend of Invitation in June 2018, and the Acorn evangelism spiritual practice in May 2020.

Michael is the author of the books Unlocking the Growth and Creating a Culture of Invitation in Your Church. His latest book is The Invitation to Heal. As an itinerant speaker, he has a ministry across 18 countries and five continents. He is a member of the College of Evangelists.