London, January 8 (ANI): With a view to helping the unemployed through troubled times, the Church of England has come up with a new prayer.
It has been written in order to comfort people who have lost their jobs amidst the global financial crisis.
The new prayer suggests that belief in God can help the jobless cope with their circumstances.
According to the Telegraph, the prayer includes the verse “Hear me as I cry out in confusion, help me to think clearly, and calm my soul.”
The Church has also written another prayer that describes the feelings of sadness, guilt, and worries about the future among people who have kept their jobs, while their colleagues in the same office or factory have been sacked.
It asks of God: “In the midst of this uncertainty, help me to keep going: to work to the best of my ability, taking each day at a time.”
The Prayer on Being Made Redundant and Prayer for Those Remaining in the Workplace have been published on the Church of England’’s website, and are being printed in a leaflet to be handed out in churches.
The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Rt Rev John Packer, said that the prayers showed that the Church was there for people in times of crisis.
“This is a pastoral initiative. We need to be on the look out to support those facing redundancy. Neighbourliness is so important in crisis situations, whether it’’s offering people new prayers to God, or by simply being there with a listening ear,” he said.
The two prayers are the latest attempt by the Church of England to respond to the deepening economic crisis.
Earlier, the Church had published the Prayer for the Current Financial Situation on the Internet during September’’s crash in the finance world, which has been viewed more than 30,000 times to date. (ANI)