Annual Day of Prayer 2023

PUBLISHED - 25th May 2023

Our annual Day of Prayer will be taking place on Thursday 8th June and we warmly welcome you to join us.
More details:

At the bottom of this article are the prayer pointers to use on the day.  This year we are going for a hybrid approach seeking to be as inclusive as possible for people to gather both in person and online:

At 11.30am there will be a short act of worship live from Torch House and available on Zoom, and at 2pm we will be having a prayer time also on Zoom and at Torch House where we will break into groups and pray for Torch.

Do please try to join in with one or both of these either from a computer, tablet or by phone or by coming to Torch house. The Zoom and phone-in details are below or you can contact Client Services to get them.

For those who are within reach of Torch House, we would be delighted to welcome you to join us for part or all of the day’s programme. Please arrive from 11am onwards in readiness for the 11.30am – 12.30pm service. Please do bring a packed lunch with you. Then in the afternoon there will be the time of prayer from 2pm – 3pm.

We look forward to you joining with the Torch community on that day to seek the Lord together and to ask His leading and blessing on Torch’s ministry.

Every blessing

Mandy Blow

Head of Services

Prayer Topics for the Torch Day of Prayer 2023

Section A. Client Needs 

Pray for all of Torch’s clients, that God will be at work in their lives through the services that they receive from Torch.

Pray for the Client Services team as they engage with clients on a daily basis; that they will be encouraged and led by God in their work and service.

Pray for the recruitment of a part-time Client Services Adviser, that the right person is chosen and they soon settle into the role. 

Pray for those supporting our clients, such as family, friends, church family and sight loss agencies – that they would receive wisdom, joy and understanding.

Pray for those recently diagnosed with sight loss, facing operations, and for those waiting a long time for appointments and delayed operations.

Pray that we may deepen our understanding of our clients’ needs.

Section B. Sight Loss Friendly Church and Pathway 

Pray that we will continue to engage with new churches and that they will respond positively to our message of including people with sight loss.

Pray that our podcast ‘Insights’ will reach and make an impression on a wide audience so that people with sight loss can benefit from the information.

Pray that Sight Loss Sunday (15th October) will inspire churches to welcome people with sight loss into their congregations.

Pray for God’s favour as we reach out to other organisations to promote our free Pathway audio Bibles.

Pray for those that have received a Pathway audio Bible from Torch that they would learn more about Torch services and become a client and ultimately continue to grow in their faith.

Pray for safe handling and delivery of our Pathway audio Bibles plus other materials through the postal system using Articles for the Blind.

Section C. Fellowship Groups, New Groups and Torch Together

Pray for new individuals to volunteer and join the leadership teams of groups.  Pray that we can reach new people with sight loss in each of the communities around our groups; so that they can benefit from being part of them. 

Pray that those who attend the groups would feel they belong, and that as they enjoy the fellowship they would encounter Jesus and grow in their faith. 

Give thanks for the Torch Together holiday in Scarborough, for the fellowship that was shared. Pray for those planning to attend Poole and Grange-over-Sands later in the year.

Pray that God would guide our team as they make plans for the holidays and the Torch Together retreat in October.  Pray for author and speaker Michael Mitten who will be speaking at the retreat, may God guide him as he prepares. 

Pray that God would guide the right volunteers to help as guides on the holidays so that everyone would feel safe and supported.

We thank God for the technology for people to connect online and pray that the new online groups which begin in the summer would be beneficial to all who attend. 

Section D. Torch Centrally 

Pray for the Leadership Team and Trustee Board as they guide Torch through these turbulent times and especially for inspiration and courage.

Thank God for the upcoming merger with Compass Braille and pray that all of the legal and practical details will work out smoothly in the coming months.

Give thanks to God for the many individuals who support Torch through their prayers, time and financial gifts and pray that he will raise up a new generation of people committed to the ministry.

Pray that God would strengthen our relationships with Christian grant making trusts and provide the funds to continue our hope-bringing ministry.  We are particularly seeking funding for Torch Together, our accessible literature service and to help cover the costs of the new Pathway audio Bibles. 

Section E. International

Please pray for our sister organisation Torch Malawi, particularly as they rethink their work now that the Administrator Stanley Moyo has left.

Pray too for the many blind people in Malawi, many of whom have so little support – particularly those who have been affected once again by serious flooding.

Please pray for staff and volunteers as we seek to rebuild connections with other Christian ministries to blind people across the world.

Section F. Accessible Christian Literature, Transcription and I.T.

Pray that clients will continue to be blessed and helped in the faith journey as they receive Accessible Christian Literature, which is kindly facilitated by authors, publishers and organisations.

Thank God for the many machines we have to produce the audio, large print and braille, plus the computers and systems we have to process the work, and for Tom and Paul who look after it all.

Pray for God’s provision, especially with the rising cost of materials (the price of braille paper rose a third this past year). Giving thanks to God for the grants that we have received to support the work and for Suzie James as she applies for more.

Pray for the volunteers who read, edit and produce our audio and Text to Speech books, and for the volunteers who record our audio daily Bible reading notes and magazines. The volunteers provide about 120 hours’ worth of work for us each month.

Pray for Paul Wood as he develops new ways for people to access the Library, Bible Reading Notes and Torch resources through new technologies, Braille Sense, Smart speakers and Apps.

Thank God for the Reflections Radio show that goes out each week on RNIB Connect. Pray that people who do not normally hear about God will hear the Good News through this programme. Pray for Grace as she devises new programmes each week.