24-7 Prayer has been described in many ways; a non-stop global prayer meeting, new monasticism for the 21st century, even as a virus that has spread around the world as a result of “God’s holy sneeze”. We particularly like this last one. But we’ve come to describe it, quite simply, as a movement of people who are centred on Jesus Christ, trying to live their lives wrapped around prayer, mission and justice. At the heart of this movement are hundreds of prayer rooms, in which people take one hour (or more) each, one after another, to form unbroken chains of prayer where they are. Twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week, ordinary people pass the prayer-baton onto friends and strangers… and on it travels, from group to group, from church to church, from city to city and from nation to nation. All over the world, night and day, this is non-stop, 24-7 prayer.

“24-7 Prayer exists to reconcile the world to God through Jesus Christ. We are changing the world by mobilising the Church in prayer, mission and justice.”

What began in prayer very quickly became mission as God’s Spirit stirred and inspired people to become the answer to their own petitions. Over the last few years, prayer and mission teams have been sent all over Europe (and beyond) and some have put down roots, to serve communities for the long term (for example, in Ibiza, Kansas City, Skopje in Macedonia, and more).

The UK has a special place in this story. It was here, in Chichester, on England’s South coast, that the very first prayer room began, among a group of mostly students and young people. And it was here, in Reading, that the first Boiler Room community emerged after local Christians had hosted a series of creative prayer rooms, and began to feel that God might be calling them to explore a kind of ‘new monastic’ life together. Since then there have been hundreds of prayer rooms all over the UK, and many groups and church communities have also been inspired to explore the Boiler Room journey. For more on these stories, check out Pete Grieg’s book, ‘Red Moon Rising‘, and Andy Freeman’s book, ‘Punk Monk‘.

Here in the UK, as we’ve reflected on how 24-7 Prayer has developed over the last few years, we’ve noticed a simple pattern or process emerging, which we have come to describe as the ’4 Rs’: ROOMS and RHYTHMS, RELATIONSHIP and RESOURCE.

 
Now in it’s second decade, we believe that God is calling the 24-7 Prayer movement to focus on three priorities;

1. Catalysing prayer. We’re going to continue to catalyse, connect and resource 24-7 Prayer rooms across the UK, encouraging focused intercession in churches, in schools, on University campuses, and across cities. We’re not backing off, because we know that prayer is where all true transformation begins and ends.
2. Mobilising mission. We’re going to grow a few of our Boiler Room communities into Resource Centers that can support, resource and plant many other missional communities for the sake of the poor and for those who don’t know Jesus. Our passion is for justice and our particular focus remains Europe, the darkest continent on earth.
3. Training leaders. We are blessed with an emerging network of gifted, young (and not-so-young) leaders so we’re going to equip them to pioneer in every field of society. We’ll do this by mentoring one-on-one, establishing an International college and by nurturing a radical, risk-taking attitude to releasing talent.

You can find out more about these priorities in our 2020 Vision brochure, which is available to download here.

UK Strategy Team

The UK Strategy Team is responsible for the overall vision, strategy and budget of 24-7 Prayer in the UK, as well as the UK Boiler Room communities and the larger UK projects (such as the ‘Kingdom Come 2012: a year of prayer across the United Kingdom and Ireland’). It is also responsible for the strategic establishment of new national teams within the United Kingdom (Ireland already has it’s own national team and website). The UK Strategy Team is accountable to 24-7 Prayer’s International Leadership Team (ILT) and currently includes: Ian Nicholson, Theresa Malinowska, Jo Herbert and Pete Ward. Debbie Meehan (24-7 Scotland), Lindy Morgan (24-7 Wales) and Phil Togwell (Prayer Spaces in Schools) regularly report into this team.

UK Prayer (Rooms and Rhythms) & Communications Team

The UK Prayer and Communications Team is responsible for everything 24-7 Prayer does to encourage, resource and mobilise the body of Christ in the UK in prayer. It supports groups and churches (and others) who are hosting prayer rooms, and helps denominations and organisations as they embark on short seasons and whole years of prayer. The team is also responsible for the content and development of 24-7′s various communication methods in the UK… which includes this website!
The Prayer and Communications Team is accountable to the UK Strategy Team and currently includes: Theresa Malinowska, Matthew Key, Georgina Micklewright, Vicki Adams, Mandy Moo (Prayer Spaces in Schools), Anna Wakeling (24-7 Scotland) and Sammi Bryan (24-7 Wales).