Friday: Governance
Key Facts To Guide Your Prayers:
- Oxfordshire County Council, chaired by Felix Bloomfield, is currently devising measures to help the council cope with their current shortfall of £12m in funding for 2024/25.
- At a heated council meeting last October, three more Low-Traffic-Neighbourhoods (LTNs) were made permanent bringing the total in the city to six. The LTNs are designed to reduce traffic to residential streets but have been correlated with increased ambulance response times and even made it harder to recruit teachers
- The Oxford City Council have approved a project for transformational redevelopment of Blackbird Leys. It is set to begin in August and will include the construction of almost 300 houses (60% for sociable/affordable rent), a new community centre, new retail spaces and improved roads
- The Oxford City Council hosted a “Together for Humanity” event on the 21st January 2024 in the Oxford Town Hall, hoping to bring unity between faith leaders, community leaders and city governors.
Prayer Points and Scriptures To Inspire Your Prayer Time:
- Thank God that ultimately all rulers and authorities in our world are subject to his authority for in Christ, all things were created (Colossians 1:16)
- Pray for the Lord to bless the work of Felix Bloomfield and Caroline Green (Chief Executive of Oxford City Council), that they would lead under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (1 Timothy 2:1-3)
- Pray for the church to be continually consulted regarding the affairs of our city and that our voice will be a light that guides policy and monetary allocation for we know all government ultimately rests on the shoulders of Christ (Isaiah 9:6)
- Pray for leaders in our city who seek the face of the Lord for knowledge and discernment on how best to govern (Proverbs 28:2)
- Pray against pride and selfish ambition during council meetings but instead for the peace of Christ which surpasses understanding to reign in meetings (Phillippians 4:7)
- Pray for the Blackbird Leys Project that its physical transformation will be accompanied by a mass repentance and spiritual revival of the area (Jonah 3:7-8)
- Pray for the Lord to bring an end to any spiritual forces of evil present in the government in our city (Ephesians 6:12)