The Bishops of the Diocese of Lichfield are urging people to write to their new MPs following Thursday's General Election to offer their prayers of support.
The Bishops of Lichfield, Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury (the Bishop of Stafford's post is currently in vacancy) today wrote to clergy and licensed lay ministers across the diocese asking them to "pray for all those standing as candidates, and in particular for those who on Friday will find themselves elected as MPs for constituencies in our diocese."
They are encouraging everyone to send a hand-written letter to their MP to "assure him or her of your prayers."
The bishops conclude: "It is our prayer that, whatever the outcome of this election, we may together be able to point people towards signs of hope as we together seek the common good, in our local communities and in the life of our nation."
The full text of the letter is below. Meanwhile, the diocese's #CHADLiving team has produced a video encouraging people to vote on Thursday.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We are writing to you ahead of Thursdays General Election to encourage you to pray for all those standing as candidates, and in particular for those who on Friday will find themselves elected as MPs for constituencies in our diocese. In our current political climate, serving in Parliament is a demanding responsibility, and can for some be personally costly or even dangerous. Whatever their or our political allegiance, we believe that those chosen to represent us need and deserve our prayers.
In the days following the election, we ask you to consider both writing to your MP yourself, and also encouraging your people to write, simply to assure him or her of your prayers. We suggest people post a hand-written letter to this effect to [NAME] MP, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.
In this season of Advent, our scriptures remind us of the hope of the Kingdom which God offers to his people, through the prophets and in the coming of his Son. It is our prayer that, whatever the outcome of this election, we may together be able to point people towards signs of hope as we seek the common good, in our local communities and in the life of our nation.
Yours,
The Rt Revd Dr Michael Ipgrave, Bishop of Lichfield
The Rt Revd Clive Gregory, Bishop of Wolverhampton
The Rt Revd Sarah Bullock, Bishop of Shrewsbury