Grace for Diamond Jubilee lunches released

PRESS RELEASE 12.03.12 A specially composed grace thanking God for the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty The Queen - and the food to be shared at Jubilee celebrations - is published today, Commonwealth Day. Seen by Her Majesty, it will be prayed by millions of people throughout the Commonwealth on Sunday, 3 June, before they share a Big Jubilee Lunch in their communities. The Big Jubilee Lunch is part of the celebrations for The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, as announced by Buckingham Palace, and encourages people to come together to share lunch with neighbours, friends and family. The grace reads: Grace for Diamond Jubilee Lunches "O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, we give you thanks for the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth; for her steadfast faith and for her royal service to this nation and all the peoples of the Commonwealth. Bless the food before us and the people beside us; may the sharing of this meal strengthen our communities, and nurture the bonds between us of friendship, hope and trust. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ who reigns as servant of all. Amen" The text of the grace is available on the Church of England website: . Presentation versions of the Grace may be downloaded and printed by all wishing to use it from the HOPE Big Jubilee Lunch Resource page ENDS

Notes to editors 1. The grace has been initiated in partnership by the mission network of the Church of England and HOPE. 2. The Big Jubilee Lunch, the brainchild of the Eden Project and championed ecumenically by HOPE, will see millions joining together to have lunch on the afternoon of Sunday, June 3rd; the Church of England and HOPE are encouraging parishes to register their own Big Jubilee Lunch or join in with one already registered locally to make it even bigger and better. For more details see:
www.thebiglunch.com and www.hopetogether.org.uk. The Church of England’s Diamond Jubilee pages featuring details of the national initiatives The Big Jubilee Lunch and The Big Jubilee Thank You are at www.diamondjubilee.churchofengland.org. 4. The grace has been released on Commonwealth Day 2012, whose theme is “Connecting Cultures”. Commonwealth Day is an opportunity to promote understanding on global issues, international co-operation and the work of the Commonwealth’s organisations, which aim to improve the lives of its citizens. The Queen is the Head of the Commonwealth. Contact Information HOPE Office - 01788 542782 or Lucy Cooper (Comms) on 07810183635 Church of England – Howard Dobson, 07788 864411 The Big Jubilee Lunch – 020 7255 6429 (Author: )

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