I've been wanting to write up the following account for a long time, but wasnt really sure if it was bloggable material really , but felt strongly today that I should write this piece, if for nothing else but posterity's sake.
The following occurence is a great example of God at work from vision to fruition, and I think gives hope to the innovative, strength to the initiators out there, and fuel to the creative minds amongst us.
It started one freezing morning in a prayer room at sanctuary 21 Durham, a city centre 24/7 prayer centre.
Dawn and I were praying.
It was very early on after we had opened the doors for the very first time following a year and a half of spiritual preparation for the planting of S21.
The location of S21s amazing grade 2 star listed building which historically goes back to the 1600s is of critical value to the base element of the missional outflow of the prayer house, from knees to street. it is located on a pedestrianised street that is the main thoroughfare that runs through the City centre of Durham UK. The foot traffic that continually move through the street day and night means that you have to think through how best to connect the sanctuary to the street and the street to the sanctuary.
That is precisely what we were praying about that very morning.
Lord, how do we best reach the people who walk past this place every day, any ideas?
As we were praying that very simple prayer, God dropped a picture and a thought direct into my head.
He showed me one of the doors on the frontage of our building, the middle door out of three entrance doors that we have spaced out at various points on the front of the building facing the street. The door was open and I heard a voice saying, "Get a table and put it the open door out onto the street, put some blank cards and a few pens and make up a sign saying pray here."
I digested the strong thought and picture and suddenly laughed.
I said to God, "Is that all you can come up with God? Thats not very innovative or exciting is it Lord?"
God replied, "So?"
I replied, "So is that really what you want then Lord?"
"Yes" was fired back at me in no uncertain terms.
So I found an old table that was about the width of the door, and painted it silver to make it look a bit more exciting.
It didn't work it still looked like an old table, only a silver old table.
I went down to a card shop and bought a couple of packs of plain cards.
I then printed a sheet out with the very words God had given me, "Pray here".
It took all of ten minutes to open the door, lay the table across the opening onto the street, place the cards and the pens on the table, and hang the sign to pray here over the edge of the table.
We called it the prayer hatch.
And it looked a bit naff really.
I said to God, "OK God you'll have to do something here then because on the face of it this isnt really a groundbreaking mission innovation is it?"
Within a minute of saying that daft prayer a young girl came up to the table off the street, and she started to cry.
Anyone who knows me will know I'm not well gifted when it comes to crying girls!
I'm a bit rubbish with that stuff really.
But here she was writing out a prayer and crying at the same time.
I tried to get Dawn!
But I couldn't find her.
So I had to ask. "Are you OK", (That old line) was all I could think to say.
It turned out that this was her last day in Durham after being at the university for four years and she was saying goodbye to the city. She said she wasn't a Christian, but just saw the table and felt she needed to write something.
As she talked with me, I noticed a bit of queue was forming behind her.
The next person was a girl who shared with me that she was a single mum who had tried to go to Church. But because her two year old son was a bit noisy, she had been basically asked to leave by two different churches, but she said she believed in God and wanted to worship. This girl two years on comes to the prayer hatch every day and prays, she says it's kind of her church now.
Two years on, we have had thousands of people come to the prayer hatch.
Our walls are adorned with prayers direct from the street. They ar everywhere. thousands of them. We now have a team of intercessors who pray for every card and request.
To read these walls is a mission in itself, as the most heartfelt heartcries of the nation and in fact the nations connect with those who read them. we have had queues on more than one occasion, lining up to be prayed with or write a card. I could sit here and write a hundred stories of how God has touched a life at that table.
It is a mercy seat on the street.
Just the other day, an official from Durham City vision, who are involved in the outward appearance of the streets of Durham, came in and wanted to see me about the work that is being done to renovate the next phase of our building overhaul.
He was so taken by the effect the prayer hatch is having in the city that he is looking into funding a proper prayer hatch designed specifically for people to come and pray from the street.
It all started with an old table and a sign saying pray here.
I'll stop the story there for now.
The thing I wanted to say though, is whatever God shows you, no matter how crazy it seems, test it. Do what he asks. we like to create our complex strategies in Church, strategies that work incredibly well in the world of business.
But the thing is.
This is not the world of business.
This is Kingdom business.
And the rules of engagement have to be different?
If God is in something, no complex strategy will ever matter really.
Because God will have his way.
So if God is speaking?
ACT!
For the Kingdoms sake.
Because God is the ultimate innovator. (He has got a track record in creativity afer all!)
