Published on: 08/04/2026
A campaign to cover Rotherham Borough in prayer throughout March has been a great success, building upon the work of last year’s launch.
180 people walked a staggering 3,589km during March. Despite there being a drop-off in sign-ups compared to last year, a greater distance and area of the borough was covered with fewer people; the distance covered roughly equates to flying to Cairo in Egypt.
Paul Morris, senior pastor at Hope Church, says:
‘I believe that God is already starting to move on our land but we must play our part’. This is principally a call to prayer, as we are reminded in 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 I will forgive their sin and will heal their land’.
The Rotherham Boundary Pilgrimage has been an additional feature this year. This has grown in momentum, with a dozen people completing each of the final three stages. It has been a joy to walk and pray together, to see how much beautiful countryside surrounds our communities, and to encourage/be encouraged by the churches we have visited.
John Hibberd, Mission Development Adviser for the Diocese, said:
‘This second year of Arise Rotherham has seen Christians from a wide variety of churches again engage enthusiastically in praying for every road across the borough. The boundary pilgrimage added another level of prayer activity and grew in momentum across the four Saturdays.’
What next? The app will close soon but people are still being encourage to pray the streets where they live, with suggestions of one prayer walk a week, a prayer for the people who live there and/or the churches seen on each route.
