New Boiler Room Launches in the UK! - 11 May 2007

The first of two Boiler Room community houses east of London opened its doors on the 1st of April in Thurrock. About 40 people – many of them from a local inter-denominational intercessors’ group – gathered at the house in Stanford-le-Hope to celebrate in worship, thanksgiving, and to pray in every room of the 100-year-old property.

Walking through the halls of the building, affectionately called ‘ELBR’ (East London Boiler Room), you’ll find a prayer room, creative arts studio, venue for meals and hospitality, and 3 bedrooms for short-term accommodation.

Steve Deeming, from North London was one of the first to experience the hospitality of the home when he came for a stay as a 24-hour pilgrim earlier this spring. He described his stay this way:

"Something niggled me about it for the first few hours I was there. Something was deeply familiar about it all, but I couldn't place where I felt it before. As I ran through lists of old friends it suddenly struck me: the Father’s presence! Doh! I was very well looked after in what is the nicest of Boiler Room buildings, although it could have been a dump and I wouldn't have cared because of God's presence there."

More recently Brian Heasley, who is establishing a missional community with 24-7 Prayer in Ibiza, stayed over at the community house and said, “This is a fantastic thing! I loved staying there and I think it has so much potential and will be a real place of birth: birthing of dreams, visions and initiatives.”

The kick off of the Thurrock Boiler Room also included a 24-7 prayer week that featured three prayer room locations and a very creative Easter theme. People from several of the local churches took part which reinforced the unity ELBR is creating. During the week people experienced the stations of the ‘Easter Experience’ and the ‘Passion of Christ’, the latter emphasizing the death and resurrection of Jesus.

On Easter Monday the ELBR community began their regular rhythm of prayer as a community which includes meeting three times each day (7am, 10am and 10pm), community meals and a gathering on Tuesday evenings.

Some of the community are also involved together in expressing the missional value of the Boiler Room by participating in the "Bar'N'Bus" project. This graffitied double-decker bus - complete with a coffee bar and PS2s onboard - parks in different locations around the area up to three nights per week. The 120 young people they connect with each week often ask for prayer or leave a note in the prayer box which are then taken to ELBR for the entire community to intercede for. They are seeing practical prayers for things like better exam results answered, healthy recovery for a parent with cancer heard by the Lord, and even some asking , “So how do you become a Christian then?”

As fantastic as this beginning of ELBR has been, it’s baby brother, ELBR junior, will soon be established in near-by Grays. Tim Harrold, who has been at the center of the ELBR vision is looking forward with great expectation to what will come: “For me personally, God is really speaking to me and the other BR community in Grays at what will be the other community house. All I can say is I believe both these venues are stepping stones to something as-yet unrevealed.”

For more information about the ELBR, contact Tim Harrold.