Methodist churches across Britain will pray non-stop in February to improve inter-faith relations and end the hostility towards faith groups.

The month of non-stop prayer is the brainchild of the Methodist Youth Conference and stems from their concern over the state of relations between people of different faiths and the "hostile and untrue" things being said about some faiths, particularly Islam.

Now Methodist youths are calling on member churches to pray continuously throughout February to overcome these challenges.

In recent years, the Methodist Church has set faith firmly in the power of prayer.

In 2005, the Methodist Youth Conference urged the Church to Pray Without Ceasing and that prompting generated 14 months of continuous prayer across the Connexion from June 2005 until the end of August 2006.

Reports indicated that over 22,000 hours of prayer were offered to God and that people were encouraged and uplifted by their experiences. The Methodist Church is hoping for the same level of dedication this time round.

During February, churches are being encouraged to pray and to do something to encourage better inter-faith understanding in their locality.

Methodist youth groups, meanwhile, are being invited to enter a photo competition.

The www.face2faith.org.uk website contains more information about the prayer initiative and includes study resources, ideas for action and details about the photo competition.