The Queen was the special guest for an episode of the BBC’s Songs of Praise to mark the 150th anniversary of Scripture Union.
Her Majesty joined with supporters and friends of the Christian charity for the service at St Mary’s Church in Islington, London.
After the programme aired on Sunday, Scripture Union urged people to pray that “many more may be inspired to join us in sharing the good news of Jesus with the next generation”.
Salt and light
The Revd Tim Hastie-Smith, National Director of Scripture Union, said it was an “incredible thrill” to have the Queen at the service with “a whole load of children and people celebrating God’s love”.
Included in the prayers during the service, a call was made for people to be “the salt and light in our communities and families”.
Highlighting Her Majesty’s Christian faith, Revd Hastie-Smith referenced the recent book, ‘The Servant Queen and the King she serves’, written to coincide with her 90th birthday.
Revd Hastie-Smith told the BBC that the Queen’s “faithfulness shines through” the book as Her Majesty speaks of her thankfulness to God for his “steadfast love”.
Bible
The Queen also continued her annual tradition of presenting a Bible to a primary school pupil.
Each year, Her Majesty hands out the prize to a child from one of the local primary schools on her Norfolk estate.
The Bible is awarded to the pupil who performs best in a religious studies project. This year, it was given to ten-year-old Emily Clay, whose father Tom was also awarded the prize in 1990.
The full episode of Songs of Praise is available on BBC iPlayer, until 13 February.