Boiler Room communities
The first Boiler Room opened in Reading, UK, in September 2001, and for the first three years of its life, home was an old pub incorporating three semi-derelict apartments, a basement, and the old bar itself. The Reading Boiler Room community sustained a continual rhythm of prayer throughout its life. It also sought to nurture creativity. It received over two-hundred pilgrims from around the UK and the world. It worked extensively with and for the disadvantaged of the local community, building friendships with many marginalized young people, and receiving the recognition of local statutory bodies. This all came out of the place and context of prayer.
From this wild experiment, some exciting things emerged; A discipline of prayer developed. Many people visited with the Boiler Room community regularly, coming in week after week to seek God as part of a missional community. Prayers were answered – the Reading community still have two volumes full of testimonies to answered prayer. The poor and lost were reached. For example, 150 needy young people came in and spent time with the Boiler Room community each week. Most of them were not Christians. Local Government recognised the effectiveness of what was going on, seeking partnership and funded projects.
The Reading Boiler Room eventually closed in 2005, but the shockwaves from this dynamic experiment in monastic community life have continued to ripple out ever since… and new and emerging Boiler Room communities have been established all over the world. (For example, have a look at the Boiler Room Network pages on 24-7’s USA website.
To help establish these new Boiler Room communities on stable foundations, 24-7’s International Leadership Team (ILT) developed a ‘Boiler Room Rule’, a rhythm of life wrapped around the six Boiler Room community practices.
A 24-7 Boiler Room is a Christ-centred community that practices a daily rhythm of prayer, study and celebration whilst caring actively for the poor and the lost.
A few years on and the number of communities in the UK, and elsewhere around the world, who are connected in with 24-7 Prayer is increasing. Some are churches and communities pursuing a relationship with 24-7 Prayer, some are being planted out from existing Boiler Room communities, and some are forming from seasons of prayer and mission in a locality. Together, we recognise this as the Boiler Room Network – a network of churches, missional or Boiler Room communities and prayer houses in relationship with 24-7 Prayer.
Some of the Boiler Room communities have tracked with 24-7 Prayer for a long time – they have established good relationships as a part of the wider 24-7 family, and good rhythms of life around the six practices. In the UK, currently this would include the communities in Colchester, Guildford and Stanford. (Find out more about these communities, and how to connect with them, by clicking on the tabs below.)
Others are in what we call an ‘Exploratory’ phase – a year of walking and talking together, of training and help to develop community life. In the UK, currently this would include the communities in Canterbury, Reading and Gloucester.
To find out more about Boiler Room communities, we would recommend that you start out by exploring the materials and opportunities that are already available;
a) visit the Communities web-pages on the 24-7 International website
b) download the Boiler Room Rule Licensing Document and have a good read through, perhaps together with some friends
c) read Andy Freeman’s book, ‘Punk Monk’, which tells the story of the Reading Boiler Room community, and explores the six Boiler Room practices in detail
d) come along to the next Boiler Room Unpacked Day – hopefully there will be one that you can participate in soon
e) if you can, visit one of the existing Boiler Room communities. Please bear in mind that they all receive a high number of visiting pilgrims throughout the year, whilst also continuing with their local activities. And some have very limited available bed-spaces, if you need somewhere to stay.
Boiler Room Unpacked Days
Every few months, the UK Communities team host a Boiler Room Unpacked Day, for around 30 participants. These Days are an interactive mixture of story-telling and teaching, question-and-answer time and conversation, with input from UK Boiler Room community leaders and other practitioners. At the last one, which we hosted in Reading, sessions included:
• the six Boiler Room practices
• being Christ-centred
• developing rhythms of life
• learning styles and making disciples
UK Network Days
Twice a year, the 24-7 Prayer UK family gathers for what we call a ‘Network Day’. These Days are for leaders, for those who are carrying and shaping and influencing what 24-7 Prayer is in the UK in some way… UK teams and volunteers, students and interns, Boiler Room Network leaders and smaller community teams, key leaders in particular arenas, administrative staff and Trustees, web-designers and journalists, plus some friends that 24-7 has ‘adopted’ from other Christian organisations. It’s just great fun to all be together!
We make space during the day to pray together and worship Jesus, to listen to one another’s stories, explore new opportunities, discuss big questions and challenges, receive encouragement and fresh envisioning, and (most importantly) to eat and drink together. In fact, we devote a full third of the day to sharing lunch together – we do this because we value our friendships highly, and these days are a rare opportunity to catch up with old friends, and to welcome some new ones.
The word ‘companion’ comes from the root words, ‘com’ and ‘panis’, which literally mean ‘with-bread’. As we break bread together, we who are many become com-panis together, companions… companions of the heart, together for Jesus sake, and for his Kingdom.
To register for more information about upcoming Boiler Room Unpacked Days, or to simply explore further what it might mean for you to start or join with a Boiler Room community, please contact Ian Nicholson and the 24-7 Prayer UK Communities Team at: uk@24-7prayer.com