THE new Bishop of Durham has begun a week of prayer in the build-up to his enthronement in Durham Cathedral.

The Right Reverend Justin Welby, who will be installed at Durham Cathedral on Saturday, began his high-profile Prayer of the People campaign at the Angel of the North, in Gateshead.

Since unveiling the project earlier this month, Bishop Welby has invited members of the public to send him prayer requests via Facebook and Twitter.

Yesterday, nearly 50 people joined the bishop for the first of five four-hour public prayer meetings planned this week, at St Ninian’s Church, near the Angel in Harlow Green.

He said: “Any good work that’s done in the church is based in prayer because God changes us and changes the world around us.

“By having prolonged times of prayer, you’ve got a chance to talk things out with God.”

At the Angel, Bishop Welby was joined by Gateshead Council chief executive Roger Kelly and Mayor Joe Mitchison, the Reverend Mark Worthington, of Harlow Green and Lamesley, and local parishioners.

At St Ninian’s Church, visitors lit candles, held crosses, wrote prayers on sheets on the wall, prayed in groups and prayed silently. Bishop Welby drew the prayers together every half-hour.

Unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, the economy and unity, vision and courage for the Christian church had topped the agenda, he said.

The former Dean of Liverpool and father-of-five said the Angel was an “amazing place” with a solidity which reflected the North- East character and said he had enjoyed a “fabulous” time.

He was encouraged by the response to the first prayer meeting and was looking forward to the other four.

The bishop was also very excited and keyed up about his enthronement, he added.

The remaining prayer meetings are:

• Today – Sunderland Minster, 10am to 2pm;
• Tomorrow – St Nicholas’ Church, 10am to 2pm;
• Thursday – Escomb Church, near Bishop Auckland, 10am to 2pm;
• Friday – St Cuthbert’s Church, Darlington, 3pm to 7pm.

The Darlington meeting will follow the traditional welcoming of the new bishop into the Durham diocese at Croft Bridge.

The enthronement service will be held at Durham Cathedral on Saturday at 11am. The Prayer of the People campaign runs until January.

To get involved online, visit facebook.com/Prayerofthepeople or twitter.com/prayerof