Naming and Blessing – A Book of Name Prayers
by Andrew Tawn
Andrew Tawn the Rector of Addingham since 1998, is also responsible for the post-ordination training of curates in Bradford diocese.
The idea for Naming and Blessing came first from the naming ceremony of Andrew’s nephew, Dylan. All the guests were invited to bring a poem or picture to go in an album as a memento of the day and Andrew responded by writing an acrostic prayer using the letters of Dylan’s name. Later he realised that this was something he could do for the children baptised in his church, and for each member of his congregation. The collection grew and resulted in this book of over 500 unique name prayers including the top 100 baby names for each sex in the UK and USA, top 10 names of both sexes from each decade of the last century – and more. Each name has an explanation of its origin and meaning and every prayer is written as an acrostic in which the opening letter of each line spells out a name.
Andrew writes, “Our names are an integral part of who we are; they are a part of what makes us unique and special. I hope that in uncovering the blessings within our names I may have conveyed something of the unique and special blessing God has for each one of us.”
Some other quotes:
“This is a gift with many layers, unpacking the meaning of individual names and weaving into each prayer a gentle yet profound affirmation of the connection of each unique individual to God” Angela Ashwin
“Every now and then a book comes along that you cannot have predicted: simple and striking and without precedent. This is one such.” The Sign (November 2010)
“Very impressive and moving” Adrian Plass
“A collection of prayers which can be used so very easily and readily by a much wider range of people than simply the committed Christian” Bishop David Hope
The prayers are illustrated by Pat Schaverien whose work is also published as greetings cards and appears in several public collections.
Interested in purchasing a copy.. they are available in good book shops or online here.
