Vienna '15: International Auction theme revealedAdam Heather - 23 Sep 2015

"The night ended in generosity as we all took part in a crazy auction, buying hand-made Items for ridiculous prices & blessing those who give so much & have little. I cried. We all cheered. This is God, who’s presence is revealed in the generosity of ordinary people. This is God, who gives us life to the full"

It’s now just 4 weeks until 24-7 Prayer gather in Vienna, Austria for our Global Conference and the stage is set for this to be our biggest gathering ever (including an actual session in an actual cathedral)

But even alongside the grandeur of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, there's no doubt that one of the things we're most excited about - and undoubtedly a highlight every year - is our legendary auction!

It's a frenzy of ridiculous generosity; people bidding hundreds and even thousands of pounds for little home-made trinkets, knowing that all the money is sent to those who need it most.

No idea what I am talking about? Well, this is how it works…

We ask people to get creative; to make something around a theme, and bring along their work to add to the auction table. Over the past few years it’s been hats, shoes, bags - and this year, we’re going for (drumroll please…) 

T-SHIRTS!

Now - if you have been coming along to the conferences for a few years, some of you may remember we have done t-shirts before.

But not like this…

This year is our 15-year birthday and that feels something worth celebrating – 15 years of non-stop prayer, mission and justice that has changed lives all over the world.

So, for this year’s auction, we are asking you to design a t-shirt that celebrates something from 24-7 Prayer’s first 15 years.

It can be anything: a picture of a prayer room, a famous one-liner from the vision poem, a memory that makes you laugh – the absurd and ridiculous are absolutely welcome here.

We think that 15 years of stories are going to make some fantastic looking t-shirts…

So here’s what you need to do (and anyone can get involved)…

• Get a t-shirt: go out and buy one primed and ready for designing (or, alternatively, weave one yourself) (if weaving is even how you make t-shirts)
• Get creative: the more elaborate the better – remember that a whole room needs to be able to see your handiwork (feel free to go big)
•  Get it packed: Arguably the most important step. You could make the best t-shirt in history but no-one is going to bid on it if its sat on your bed at home
• Get bidding: Check under your sofa, shake out that piggy bank and come prepared for some outrageous generosity in true 24-7 Prayer style!

The boring bit…

 As our conferences are getting bigger we are a little worried about a t-shirt mountain ending up on our auction table so we are only going to be able to accept the first 15-20 items that come our way. Simply put, it’s a first-come first-served sort of thing.

We can't wait to see you there, t-shirts in hand, in just 4 weeks time!