The plans for the Global Day of Prayer 2007 follow the success of a previous prayer initiative earlier in the summer which saw 1000 Christians gather at Westminster Chapel to celebrate Pentecost as part of their response to the Global Day of Prayer 2006.
And this time the vision is bigger as the leaders agreed yesterday to run towards the goal of filling up the entire West Ham Football Stadium with 35,000 prayer enthusiasts – a leap ahead of the original goal to fill up one stand of the East London stadium.
A special day of planning drew leaders from across the denominational spectrum Monday to West Ham Football Stadium, an encouraging sign to the leaders which included representatives of Premier Radio, the African Caribbean Evangelical Alliance (ACEA), Faithworks, Glory House, and Youth With a Mission, to name a few.
Pastor Jonathan Oloyede of Glory House, and one of the driving motors behind the 2007 initiative, said it was a “very prophetic step” to see the different denominations and various ethnicities all coming together.The churches need to begin to work together in unity.
Pastor Jonathan Oloyede, Glory House
“Through united prayer churches can begin to discover each other through the different areas, different regions,” he said. “The black Pentecostal churches can begin to unite with the white evangelical churches, with the Catholic churches, the Anglican churches.
“When we begin to have the churches unite at the local level, the micro level, then we can begin to see the church as a medium for change.
“What has happened up till now is that the churches have been working in isolation. The churches need to begin to work together in unity.”
The gathered leaders, which also included significantly John Armitage, the Roman Catholic Vicar General of Brentwood Diocese, were extremely encouraged by the close cross-denominational dialogue that took place at the meeting as the leaders planned out a strategy to see their vision become a reality.
Pastor Oloyede is coordinating the event alongside the Bishop of Barking, the Rt Rev David Hawkins, and the Rev Peter Watherston.The Bishop of Barking has agreed to chair and lead a Steering Group of London Church Leaders to plan the event at West Ham Football Stadium on Pentecost Sunday 27th May 2007 as a backdrop towards the coming 2012 Olympics, the majority of which will be held close by in East London.
He said of yesterday’s meeting: “It is encouraging there is this degree of church leaders really committed to this vision.”
Bishop Hawkins added: “Each and every one of us must be ambassadors to get out into our denominations, into our networks, into our churches, to spread the vision of this great event.”
Katei Kirby of the ACEA said at the meeting: “One of the passions I have, and I know it is shared by [Pastor Jonathan Oloyede] and others who are here working with him, is this passion for unity and to really see Christians doing what Jesus prayed for in John 17, which is us being one - not the same, and I think it’s important to make that distinction, but to demonstrate our oneness in Christ.”
A 24/7 Prayer mobilisation will take place from 1st January as part of a massive cross-denominational effort to fill up the whole stadium with Christians passionate for prayer and the Kingdom of God.
