Trypraying is a seven-day prayer guide for non-Christians inviting them to give prayer a go and talk to God. It’s been two years since I last spoke to Emma Weaver, development co-ordinator at trypraying, and since then engagement has gone from strength to strength. The booklet has proved a great success in Europe and further afield, and has been endorsed by Bear Grylls. Christian Today caught up with Emma to hear about how trypraying is impacting even more people and why a simple invitation to prayer works.
What developments have taken place within the trypraying sphere?
We redesigned our youth booklet, so it’s got a whole new feel to it for teenagers. The most exciting update is the brand new launch of our Armed Forces booklet. It’s for the Royal Navy, Royal Airforce, the British Army and the Royal Marines. We managed to get a foreword by Bear Grylls which is amazing. He's put a lovely piece in there for veterans and serving personnel and they can get the booklet for free by getting in touch with us. In just over two months we gave out 10,000 booklets to service personnel going out on exercise and on leave. We launched in South Africa, Germany, Spain and France and we have just finished printing the Ukrainian copy in Ukraine.
What engagement are you seeing in those countries? Is there an openness towards prayer?
We are seeing more and more people who are open, who are willing and seeking. We know that there is a hunger and a need in all of these countries and this is just a whole new avenue for them to go down in a simple way. The book encourages them to try praying for a week and see what happens. We are hearing testimonies of people praying for the first time and things shifting; God has answered their prayers. It’s an exciting time!
There have been reports of growing church attendance and interest in Christianity, particularly amongst the Gen Z population. Have you seen a significant increase in the number of Gen Z picking up a booklet?
Over 1,000 churches and individuals in the UK alone ordered trypraying booklets last year and they have been doubling their orders, and the orders have been more frequent. On the back of the quiet revival our orders have doubled - roughly 75,000 books were ordered last year alone. And our teenage booklets have also doubled in orders. It is just amazing what God is doing. From starting 16 years ago in Edinburgh, we are now in 12 countries around the world.
What do you think resonates with first time readers of the booklet?
They love the simplicity of it - that is the success of trypraying. Some people do it day by day for the seven days; others will read it all in one go because they are so excited, and they just love the testimonies within it. The testimonies are encouraging - whatever it is you are struggling with, just pray.
I think what really resonates is the first prayer - that is one of the key moments in the book: ‘God if you’re there, and I don’t think you are, but if you are I want to know you.’ When people pray that prayer, with an open and honest heart, that is when God comes in.
God is standing beside us waiting to be invited into our lives; He is waiting to come and help us with whatever issue we are struggling with. God is never going to come and impose himself on us. Like it says in the Bible, “I stand at the door and I knock.”
Many people do not realise the simplicity of prayer and that’s been an issue for so long. Some Christians struggle to pray, they think they need to quote scripture and use big words. One of the great things about the booklet is that, although it's for non-Christians and the non-religious, it also helps Christians to go back to the basics of prayer.
How can the Church support people who are curious yet sceptical?
Encourage them to read the booklet and if they like it, good, and if not, that is fine. They might not read it straight away; it might be in a month’s time and that’s ok. It’s up to them when they are ready to read it.
I have run Alpha courses for a long time and I find that it is a brilliant place where people come with all their questions and scepticism. You have just got to step back and let them ask questions and you’ll find that they have some really interesting questions. God will just come in and answer that question for them at a later date.
We are not there to fight, we do not need to fight God’s corner, we do not need to have an argument or defend God. God does all the work, and that’s the beauty. If you pray openly God comes in, not us. We are just planting the seed and stepping out in faith. The booklet is a fantastic evangelistic tool to help ask those questions, and to share our faith with others in a non-threatening way.
What is next for trypraying?
God is just expanding it in a way that we did not foresee. We will take it one year at a time and focus on the campaign and reaching as many people in communities as possible.
Our mission is to equip and help others to share their faith through this very simple resource. We are praying for more people to get involved with an aim of 2,000 people this year in the UK.
We now have teams across the world, in the Caribbean and the Grenadines, in Australia, New Zealand, America and Canada. We are praying that the booklet will gain popularity in these countries just like it has in Scotland and the rest of the UK.
People can request a free copy of the trypraying booklet from the trypraying.org website. For churches and individuals looking for more information about joining the spring campaign and helping people to start a conversation with God, including bulk orders, church banners and resources, visit the do.trypraying.org website.
