End of an era

Almost 6 years ago here in Reading, we were running around getting excited about opening a 24hr house of prayer, with dreams of exploring the old monastic values and engaging with our town in new and powerful ways. God answered our prayers miraculously, and brought from them more than we could ever have hoped or imagined. After these six long, hard, happy years, last Friday night we saw the end of this stage of our journey with the closure of the Reading Boiler Room.

Around 40 of us gathered on Friday evening for a time of worship, thanksgiving, story telling and prayer, and although there was a sense of sadness due to the closure of the building, I felt that we had done our job; hopefully as good and faithful servants.
As we looked back, it was so encouraging to remember the times of being right in the centre of God’s grace, the times of hardship and challenge, the times when the place was so filled with the presence of God that the air felt as if it were the consistency of treacle. Our God is a truly awesome God, and I’m so glad that he took us on the journey He did with the Reading Boiler Room. I’m just so amazed at the things he has taught me through the years, and as I prepred for our time of storytelling, I looked out a couple of prayers that represented significant points on my pilgrimage. A couple of these will form my next posts on the blog.
If you haven’t heard the story of the beginings of the Reading Boiler Room, be sure to pick up a copy of Red Moon Rising from the 24-7 Prayer website.