Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby knows one thing: When he meets Christ at the judgment, He won’t care that the archbishop held his prestigious title. The archbishop is the head of the Church of England and the wider Anglican Communion, and sits in the English House of Lords.

Still, that’s not the important thing to Welby. “What matters is that I loved Him and sought to follow Him, and above all, that I trusted in Him alone for my life and my future,” said the archbishop, speaking for a new program urging people to pray more. “The most important thing I’ve ever done is to become a follower of Jesus.”

The program is the new global prayer movement “Thy Kingdom Come.” Started last year as an invitation from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York to the Church of England, it’s now an “international and ecumenical call to prayer.” It asks people to Pledge2Pray from the feast day of the Ascension (May 25 this year) to Pentecost (June 4).

Jesus the Faithful Friend

Over 42 years of knowing Jesus, Welby said in a video (below), Jesus has been a “faithful friend, a sovereign Lord, a compassionate, forgiving, my ever-present Savior — everything in my life, the heart and foundation of all I am.” During hard times and good times, Jesus has remained by his side. “Jesus has walked alongside me, He’s never left, even when I’ve wanted Him to. When I felt ready to give up hope, He picked me up and it’s His love that has healed me and strengthened me.”

The archbishop wants everyone to hear Jesus calling them and “to learn what it is to find His love, His call, His direction, His purpose.” He has pledged to pray for more people to know the life-transforming love of Jesus Christ, to pray for lost souls.

Thy Kingdom Come prayer movement hopes that people all over the world will commit to pray for people to come to Christ, that churches will hold prayer events and that people will be strengthened and empowered to be witnesses for Jesus Christ.

Please pray, along with the archbishop, for lost souls to come to Christ and to know Him and His love for all of us. #Pledge2Pray.