21.11.2025
Day of Prayer for Young People & Youth Ministry – Sunday November 23
This Sunday, November 23, the Sunday before Advent, is the Church of Ireland’s designated National Day of Prayer for Young People.
Recently at the 250th anniversary celebration service for Sunday Schools in Church of Ireland, each Diocese was given a plaque to light up this Sunday.
The Church of Ireland Youth Department and the Board for Ministry to Children and Families has also provided a prayer for use in parishes this Sunday and they also encourage people to include young people in parish services and give thanks for youth ministry across the Church.
As we approach Advent, CIYD’s FUEL Bible reading resource and prayer journal have both been reprinted – due to popular demand – to help young people grow in their faith.
FUEL leads each young person through 25 days of readings running up to Christmas, with space to answer questions and to respond creatively. The readings cover four themes:
· He is coming – the Old Testament’s prophecies about Jesus
· He is here – the story of his birth (in the Gospels)
· He will give – the gift of our salvation (in the New Testament’s letters)
· He will return – the hope for his second coming
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The prayer journal helps young people to creatively listen and respond to what God is saying, with room to think and write about what makes a prayer a prayer, why we pray, prayer requests, what helps us pray and what stops us from praying, and answers to prayer.
CIYD’s President, Bishop Pat Storey, remarked: “It is our joy and privilege to bring the needs of our young people, and those who lead them, before God in prayer. Young people and their families in Ireland today face many challenges and our hope is that they will find fulfilment and hope in Jesus Christ, who knows and unconditionally loves each and every one of them personally and completely.”
National Youth Officer Simon Henry added: “These resources are timely to help and encourage young people to focus on developing their own personal walk with God and learn more about Jesus in a season when we can get distracted by so much else.”
If you’d like to get copies for your church, please contact your Diocesan Youth Officer or Youth Council representative or email Barbara Swann, CIYD’s Office Administrator, at barbara@ciyd.org