A message from City Prayer founder and leader, David Gilbey

City Prayer will cease on 30th June

August 2014, I sat in the big top of a Christian Summer Camp and clearly heard The Lord tell me to start a ‘prayer movement’ in Chelmsford, the city I have lived in all my life.

There began a journey, for nearly seven years now, which saw first, Chelmsford 24-7 Prayer, then re-named as City Prayer, be a prominent part of the prayer life within the City of Chelmsford. We have organised Prayer Spaces, days and other periods of continual prayer, prayer walks, prayer gatherings, large and small, and more recently during lockdown, weekly opportunities to engage in on-line prayer. At the same time, many wonderful relationships, indeed friendships, have been forged with and between those here who follow Jesus, across the spectrum of denomination and traditions, both grassroots and leaders alike.

During this time, I have also found myself connecting and joining with those involved in prayer, both regionally and nationally, who are committed to seeing The Kingdom of God advance in the UK and beyond. This has increasingly been my own passion.

One of those connections has been with The Rooftop, a global ministry, but one based here in the UK and indeed in Chelmsford itself. Autumn 2020, I accepted the position as UK Pioneer to The Rooftop. The Lord has made it increasingly clear that for the next season, this is to be my focus and direction.

The Covid pandemic, particularly for The Church, has been described as a time of ‘reset’. It is a time to STOP, listen and reflect. Many are saying God is doing a ‘new thing’, that he is bringing a ‘new wineskin’ for His followers to step into. As the prophet Isaiah said, (Is. 43:19), ‘do you not perceive it?’!

I recently met with my friend Anne who, after the other City Prayer Steering Group members were led to stand down last summer, has been the remaining member alongside me. For a number of months, we had both been feeling that we should largely wait to see what The Lord would say about City Prayer in this new season. When Anne and met, I believe I clearly received these words from John 12:24:

Let me make this clear: A single grain of wheat will never be more than a single grain of wheat unless it drops into the ground and dies. Because then it sprouts and produces a great harvest of wheat—all because one grain died.

City Prayer now needs to stop, to stand aside and let something new emerge. I believe it has served the purpose for which God intended when he told me to start it. It is in a sense now an ‘old wineskin’ and must be laid down, to make room for something very different that I believe God is bringing to our City, the nation and nations. It is time for a new and even more united expression of what it is to be, The Church, to emerge.

Committed people, passionate and radical followers who, outside the walls of how we have been ‘doing church’, join Jesus in His Mission, the Great Commission, to go into all the world to make disciples that make disciples. Prayer will still be very much part of that, but prayer that leads to active mission and demonstration of the coming of God’s Kingdom.

City Prayer will cease on 30th June and its assets will pass to The Rooftop ministry, to be used as it develops here in Chelmsford and out to the UK.

May I, and on behalf of all who have directed and led Chelmsford 24-7 Prayer/City Prayer over the last few years, express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all of YOU who have journeyed, contributed or participated alongside us in any way. It has been an amazing time.

I have long felt, as expressed in Revelation 5:8, that as our prayers rise and fill the ‘golden bowls’ in Heaven, God, in His wisdom, foresight and love, pours the answers down. All in His timing and in His perfect way. We have been praying long and hard for our City and I really do believe that we are about to witness a deluge!

May God bless you all.

David

We believe that increasingly, God has been telling His Church to leave their buildings to be a ‘light’ to their communities.  

Prayer is vital, not only in asking God to bless those where we live, or declaring scriptural truths over our towns and cities, but to listen to His voice for what He is already doing and how we might join Him in His mission.

Prayer Walking our neighbourhoods, streets, highways and by-ways of the UK is an amazing way of engaging with God’s heart. A we go out with our ‘spiritual antennas up’, The Lord will tell us how to pray and what to do.

Here are a couple of organisations that have some great ideas on getting started.

Neighbourhood Prayer Network

The updated and redesigned the ‘A Mile with Jesus’ Prayerwalking guide, will really help you understand your local community and how to pray for everything within it.  It gives so many hints and tips for Prayer Walking. 

The vision of A Mile with Jesus was originally given to Rachael Fola, the Neighbourhood Prayer Network, A Mile with Jesus Coordinator who has faithfully been encouraging thousands of their members to go and Prayer Walk their local community with some spiritual intelligence. 

More about Neighbourhood Prayer Network at: neighbourhoodprayer.net 

A Mile with Jesus has been produced in collaboration with Hope Together.

Single Copies and Church Packs (60% off) are now available through PetersBrook.  Click Here to Order.

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Hope for Every Home – the Oikos Outreach App

Hope for Every Home -which is part of Hope Together and is a Resource Partner of Neighbourhood Prayer Network –  focuses on the local providing everyday ways to support churches and individuals to share the love of Jesus with their neighbours, friends and communities.

Their website  – www.hopeforeveryhome.org – contains a number of prayer resources and uniquely, details of how you can download and use the Oikas Outreach App on your phone.

The Oikos Outreach App allows you to tag where you have prayed, cared and shared the love of Jesus with people. Your street, road,  lane, home…it starts wherever you are. The tags are saved on the app. You can see where you have been and where others have been too. Become part of a movement trying to reach the whole nation for Jesus street by street, home by home…to the last home.

The Rooftop talks about Christians who go beyond the walls of the church, joining Jesus in His Mission and making Disciples who make Disciples.

Christians become Confused?

Christians look one way and see a building that has formed their view as to what church is. They usually know that is not actually true, but years of ‘conditioning’ means they can’t help it!

They look the other way and see ‘the world’

Christians are typically taught that Evangelism happens out in ‘the world’, but that Discipleship happens in ‘the church’. There are often special discipleship meetings or a course laid on. Much of the time this is about how to become a good Christian and avoid sin.

But, as Jesus modelled for us, Evangelism takes place outside the church, in the world, a big frightening place, where people seemingly and increasingly don’t understand or like Christians, or our message. A few ‘special Christians’ seem to be called to be ‘Evangelists’ and although we sort of know we should be too, we lack the training or confidence.

Many of us are confused Christians, who do not know what to do, so the easiest thing is to decide to become Disciples rather than Evangelists because then we haven’t got to go out and speak to all those scary people about Jesus!

A Paradigm Shift is needed.

But the Bible teaches that ALL Disciples of Jesus are also on His Mission. We have have access to the empowerment of The Holy Spirit to go out and do this. Therefore, we are also all about Evangelism and must be engaged in being Disciples who make Disciples, beyond the walls of the church.

Matthew 4:19: ‘Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”’

Jesus is above everything

So we need to start again, with Jesus. He is head of The World AND The Church – that being us, His followers, not a building. It is not about how full a church building gets, that can often be a reason for mission and unfortunately frequently becomes self seeking and serving.

When we recognise Jesus Christ is at the head of all, Discipleship and Evangelism become the same thing. Maybe we would better have just one word, Evangleship or Discipleism!

This third illustration has been described as a prophetic picture. Christians equipped and trained, filled with the power of The Holy Spirit, leaving their buildings and passionately engaging with the world, as Disciples, who make Disciples.

Which napkin are you on?!

David Gilbey
UK Pioneer, The Rooftop
and Leader of City Prayer

(Base material for this article and illustrations by Rev. Dennis Pethers, Founder of The Rooftop)

A Month of Sundays – the world has fast forwarded 10 years in the past year!

 As churches resume ‘actual’ services, it might be a good time to STOP for four weeks…!  

Not going back to how things were before, but going forward based on what has been learned.

 ‘Follow a roadmap towards Joining Jesus in His Mission by becoming a disciple-making  community’.

Click on image to enlarge and view as a jpg file

At this evenings, The Rooftop Prayer & Encounter meeting, an incredible story was told concerning two young Chinese women from Hong Kong, who felt The Lord tell them to go to be missionaries on an island off of the mainland, where there were no Christians.

Two years later, they returned to Hong Kong to buy Bibles and amazing story emerged of prayer and encounter with The Holy Spirit, that led to thousands becoming followers of Jesus.

How did they do it… read on…

The Holy Spirit Told Us Exactly What To Do

Several high-ranking church leaders from Europe, one a bishop of his denomination, visited a pastor in Hong Kong. The pastor took them to visit some of the churches. They found them inspiring, and uniquely Chinese, but they wondered aloud if perhaps they weren’t seeing the real church. They had felt the warmth of the heat through the vent, but they wanted to see the furnace where the fire raged.

On the final day of their visit, the pastor hoped to show them what they wanted to see. He knew they would not really be satisfied, nor would their trip to China be considered a success unless they met a real church planter.

At their last stop, the pastor discovered that two young women had just returned from their mission station for a short visit, so he asked them to come to the hotel late, to meet the visiting church leaders. These young ladies had both become Christian as teenagers while listening to radio broadcasts, and they each had immediately felt the call to be a missionary. The pastor had met with them and attempted to teach them how to witness right where they were.

“No,” they insisted, “the Bible you gave us says Jesus said to go to all the world. We want to go.”

“But,” the pastor argued, “you have only been Christians for six months, and you are so young.”

They replied, “Pastor, we have read everything Jesus said and nowhere does he ask people how old they are. We want to go.”

Smiling, the pastor asked them, “But can you give me an exegesis of the five classical appearances of the great commission in the New Testament?”

Their disappointed faces made him feel ashamed.

“Very well. We need some workers on Hainan Island.”

“Hainan Island, we have never heard of it.”

The pastor said, “It is an island off the mainland. The people there are fishermen. It is very rough. There are no Christians there. For young ladies it might be dangerous.”

Excitedly they responded, “How soon can we go?”

“Well, I have to go back to Hong Kong and make arrangements. There will be…..”

They interrupted him, “Oh no, no, we must not wait. Our Lord said ‘go,’ not sit around and plan. We will go to this place – what did you call it?” “Hainan. Hainan Island.” They looked at each other, rolled the name around in their mouths, repeating it. “Hainan, yes Hainan. That is where the Lord wants us to go.”

They had been there for two years and were now back for a short period of time to try to get Bibles and other literature for their new churches. The pastor had not seen them since the day they insisted that they “go now!”

After the arrangements were made, he went to the lobby at the appointed time and waited for the ladies to arrive so he could escort them to meet the visitors. While he waited, he watched the bellboys in their crisp, tailored uniforms, and the tourists who attempted to be casual in their designer clothes.

Then he spotted the two young women. Oh no, he thought as they walked in. They looked mystified by the revolving door; then they saw the pastor. Their black pyjamas and broad-brimmed fishermen hats stood in stark contrast to the appearance of the sophisticated hotel receptionist, quickly making her way towards them. The tourists ogled with that ‘how quaint’ look so often directed to the nationals.

The pastor moved quickly to intercede. “It’s all right, they are here to see me.”

Several people stood staring as he greeted them as politely as possible without drawing too much attention.

“Come, we will go to my room to meet some people from Europe.”

The two women looked at each other, then apprehensively followed behind, looking down at their bare feet sinking into the carpet. They attempted to step more lightly, as though they were afraid they would sink into this beautifully coloured ‘mud’. The pastor pushed the elevator button, keeping his head down and afraid to catch any of the many eyes staring in his direction. The elevator arrived and the doors slid open.

The two women looked as astonished as they had at the revolving door. Several tourists smiled at them as they stepped on. There were more ‘how quaint’ looks. The elevator operator pretended not to notice his passengers as he asked for the floor number. The women’s wonder changed to fear as the doors closed and their first elevator ride began to ascend.

Once in the room, the two European church officials graciously greeted them. They motioned for the women to sit down. The pastor pulled chairs toward them, so they would not sit on the floor. He gave a quick briefing to his guests and then proceeded to ask the young ladies questions, interpreting for his guests as he went along.

“Pastor, ask them how many churches they have established on Hainan.”

The women put their heads down and answered, “Oh Pastor, we have only been there two years…..yes, two years. Not many. Not very many.” Their voices were apologetic.

“How many?”

“Oh, not many, not many. We have only been there a short time. The people were not very friendly, no, not very friendly. Sometimes they became very vicious. Yes, sometimes they told us they were going to drown us in the ocean. Several men threatened us. Oh my, and because we were so young, even some of the ladies did not like us. Yes, some even called us terrible names…so not many churches…no, not many.”

The pastor interrupted and slowly repeated the words, “How many? How many?”

Again they both replied, “Not many, oh no, we have done very poorly, not many.”

The pastor fairly shouted the words, “How many?”

There was a moment of silence, then one of the women looked up with embarrassment and anguish, as though confessing to a crime, “Only thirteen.” The pastor looked astonished and interpreted for the guests. “Thirteen.”

One of the guests repeated the number, Only thirteen, only – my goodness. I haven’t planted that many churches in my lifetime.

One of the pastor’s assistants interrupted, “No Pastor, she did not say thirteen. She said thirty.”

The pastor looked at the two young women and asked, “Thirty?”

“Oh yes, not many, we have done very poorly. Only thirty…..”

The two guests could only mutter, “Thirty churches in two years, my word……”

Again the women began to apologise when the pastor interrupted to ask another question, “How many people are in the churches?” “How many?…..

Oh not many……” Again both heads went down, apologising for their failure. “Not many.”

The process repeated itself until, again, the pastor looked like he was ready to shake them and practically yelled, “How many?”

“Only two hundred and twenty people. Not many, no….not many.”

Quickly multiplying in his head, the pastor said, “Two hundred and twenty. Two hundred and twenty in thirty churches?”

“Oh no, in only one, but that one is a very small church, very small. There are bigger ones……”

As the pastor interrupted he heard the numbers repeated by his guests;

“Two hundred and twenty is small? Dear Lord, I wish I had some that large.”.

“Very small….not many,” the ladies mumbled.

“Ask them how many are in the big churches.”

The process began….but with a more reverent inquiry: “And how many in the big churches? You know the biggest one?”

“Oh….not many” “I know, ‘not many.’

But, please ladies, how many?”

“Oh, less than five thousand. Only four thousand nine hundred…..Yes, less than five thousand. We have just started.”

From behind the pastor came the sound of weeping;

“Dear Lord, forgive us.” “What did they do? How did they do it? Ask them what they did?”

When asked, they looked astonished. “What did we do? Why nothing. Yes, we did nothing, nothing.”

You did nothing? You have thirty churches – the smallest with two hundred and twenty people, the largest with almost five thousand new Christians! And you did nothing?”

“No, nothing, we just prayed.”

“I know you prayed, but what else did you do?”

“After we prayed, the Holy Spirit would tell us exactly what to do. We would keep praying and He would tell us what to do, we would do it. Then we prayed and then He would tell us what to do.

We would do it and keep praying…….”

“Dear Lord, they JUST prayed and the Holy Spirit told them exactly what to do and they prayed…..”

The pastor laid his hands on the shoulders of the two sisters. Behind him his two guests, on their knees, weeping, joined as they just prayed.

Carl Lawrence

Source: https://renewaljournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/RJ-12-Harvest-137.pdf

City Prayer are excited to announce that we are partnering with, specifically supporting in prayer, the vision for a new premises, in the centre of our City, for everyone who enters to have opportunity to access and encounter Jesus.

The Word Bookshop and Café

The Word Bookshop and Café is the vision of local Christian Linda Davis, who several years ago felt God clearly say to her that there should be a place in Chelmsford which would show and share the love of God with our citizens. It would do this as a bookshop and café stocked with the word of God and excellent food and drink.

The shop will be welcoming to all, staffed by people who love Jesus and filled with the desire to share their faith and pray with others.

The project is totally mission focused, non-denominational and it’s reason for being to offer hope, a listening ear, and the answer to everything, Jesus. It seeks to grow the Kingdom of God in Chelmsford by resourcing, serving and loving.

The Word Bookshop & Café would be a resource for local churches, that advertises and raises the profile of Christians and the work they do in the city, helping them take His presence outside the walls of their buildings.

Bringing the vision to reality, by prayer

City Prayer are joining with Linda and her own small team, who already have a Registered Company established and some funds accumulated, to be part of praying this enormous undertaking in!

Current prayer needs

Specifically, for a Christian accountant to assist with requests from HMRC. Preferably who will give their time free of charge.

Open doors, for the right contacts, provision of funds.

Provision of the perfect premises that the people of Chelmsford will have access and then an encounter with Jesus their Saviour.

Also, starting on Sunday 7th February, the now established, Praying Online for Chelmsford Zoom meeting, will include prayer for The Word Bookshop & Café.

Sundays at 9pm for 30 minutes – all are very welcome to join us:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/810337077
Meeting ID: 810 337 077

A combining of visions

It is worth saying that in 2014, founder of City Prayer, (then Chelmsford 24-7 Prayer), David Gilbey, when hearing The Lord tell him to establish a prayer movement in Chelmsford, also believed God said, ‘there will be a premises’, a place in our City Centre for prayer and encounter. David certainly feels that Linda’s vision is not at all unconnected and could well also be the fulfilment of that he himself still carries?

Start praying now and let’s see more of God’s Kingdom Come to our City.

Find out more at therooftop.org

The Rooftop is a global ministry equipping Christians to join Jesus in his mission by equipping disciples who make disciples. The Rooftop is inspired by Peter’s rooftop encounter with God recorded in Acts 10, which led to the spread of the Gospel ‘beyond the walls’ of the church.

City Prayer in the City of Chelmsford, the Birthplace of Radio, has partnered with The Rooftop, who are organising The Rooftop Global Encounter, the world’s largest Christian gathering to realign the focus from inside the walls of church buildings to God’s work beyond the walls.

To achieve this vision we are empowering Christians globally to unite on October 2, 2022 by hosting their own Rooftop Encounter with God, connecting millions at the same time.

An important message from City Prayer Leader, David Gilbey

Hello everyone, trust that you are continuing to navigate the ‘strange times’ that we find ourselves living in and are finding strength, peace and purpose in The Lord.

In September I sent a circulation to those on our mailing list. It had the following written in the first couple of lines:

He [God] has I believe given us a time to pause, breathe and prepare for what He will reveal in due time for His Church here – get ready for [really] different! All is in God’s perfect ‘Kairos’ timing.

I am pleased to say that I believe that one significant step for City Prayer has now been revealed and it starts with a personal announcement about a new role that I have moved into. This will affect everything that I am presently involved in and things are likely to look very different and will greatly affect the ongoing ministry of City Prayer.

The Rooftop – Joining Jesus in His Mission

Some of you will already be aware of my journey and growing relationship with the expanding global movement known as The Rooftop.

I am excited to tell you that with immediate effect, I have accepted an invitation to serve as The Rooftop UK Pioneer.

A focus point for City Prayer will now shift to supporting The Rooftop here in the UK and myself as Chelmsford based UK Pioneer, as its message to join Jesus in His Mission, goes to the nation.

I will also simply say that there is a second specific new focus for City Prayer presently under consideration and subject of discussions.

The existing role for City Prayer, that encourages the Christians of the City to pray in unity will continue, including at the moment our twice a week 30 minutes of Zoom prayer, which has a focus on the coronavirus situation – see the last part of this newsletter for details how to join in.

I have prepared a document which will tell you more about The Rooftop and for context, some personal background as to how I find myself now in this role:

click here to view/download the document as a pdf

A summary also follows:

The Rooftop – a brief overview

Founded in 2014 by Essex man, Rev. Dennis Pethers, from small beginnings, it now has a rapidly expanding representation in thirty plus countries around the globe.

Based on the moment in scripture where Peter went to a rooftop to pray, he received from The Holy Spirit a fresh vision of God’s heart for the lost, which allowed the Good News to spread to the Gentiles. (Acts 10). Many Believers today also need such an encounter, leading to their own paradigm shift in thinking and vision.

Groups of Christians have their own Rooftop Encounter. If possible on a roof top or high place over their city, town, or region. Together, they take part in a guided time of prayer, listening to God and with opportunity for an encounter with The Holy Spirit. Many leave with a new commitment to relationship and unity in The Spirit to join Jesus in His mission to the lost.

National Pioneers are commissioned in each country and develop relationship and partnership with individual churches, local, regional or national Christian organisations, streams and denominations. In turn, these are encouraged to become Partners and ambassadors for The Rooftop where they are.

Chelmsford to The World – October 2022

The current rallying call of The Rooftop, is The Rooftop Global Encounter which will take place in just under two years time, on 2nd October 2022. Through Partnerships, it is envisaged that potentially thousands of Rooftop Encounters will all take place on one day across the world.

The Global Encounter will be launched our City – Chelmsford, ‘The Birthplace of Radio’. In 1920, through the pioneering work of Marconi, the first ever transatlantic commercial radio broadcast was made from Chelmsford. The Rooftop strongly believes that through this amazing legacy and this time utilising modern media and TV/video broadcast technology, Chelmsford has been once again positioned by The Lord to be a most strategic place of global transmission, but this time for the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

My role and a new role for City Prayer to support The Rooftop

My immediate task is to share and offer understanding of the Vision of The Rooftop to my friends and existing contacts (in this case yourselves!). Gradually this will expand to others in local, regional and national contexts who already share The Lord’s heart to see the UK turn to Jesus. My experience over many years now is that God has an amazing way of opening doors to meet just the right people at just the right time..

The City Prayer website will be updated soon to reflect the new Partnership with The Rooftop and more will be circulated soon as to how you can specifically pray and support as things develop. Very exciting times ahead and it would be wonderful if you can continue and support the journey.

Blessings to you all.
David Gilbey
Leader, City Prayer

A Melding is taking place

Leader of Chelmsford 24-7 Prayer and Chair of Christians Together in Chelmsford, David Gilbey writes:

Ever since Chelmsford 24-7 Prayer began, I have had a clear sense that it was all about the Christians of our City coming together. The Church, not simply The Churches in Chelmsford. 

In 2015, I believed one of my first tasks was to connect with the then Churches Together in Chelmsford group, and immediately a positive relationship was birthed, that has continued to grow and develop. 

When, in May 2018, I felt led to stand to be Chair of Christians Together in Chelmsford, (name changed in 2016), I knew without a doubt that part of the journey would be in some way, to see a ‘melding’ of the two organisations. That journey is underway.

I am certain that the regular Prayer Spaces and Prayer Walks that I felt God tell us to facilitate over the last three or so years, around the churches of the City, have played a crucial role to sow and nurture the seeds of unity and love, for what God is now putting into place. But over recent months, these seem to have naturally diminished and by next month, we will be left with just two regular Prayer Spaces in the Cathedral, on the 1st  and 3rd Wednesdays.

Behold I do a new thing!

In the last few months, we have opened up what was a prayer meeting specifically for Chelmsford 24-7 supporters, to the whole City – in firm partnership with CTiC.

Prayer for our City is a monthly meeting on the 4th Thursday each month, at The Church of the Holy Spirit, Forest Drive, Chelmsford. Everyone is now welcome – all who want to see The Kingdom of God come to our City and Nation.

Chelmsford  – a Kingdom City

Chelmsford is no longer, as in its history, a provincial market town, but since 2012, a City – one that has a God given purpose and destiny.

Since the beginning of 2019, I believe that The Lord has started to reveal vision and strategy for our City as a place where The things of the Kingdom of God can be known and found, by all in our region and nation.

This is a bold assertion and those leading both Chelmsford 24-7 Prayer and CTiC are taking careful steps, one at a time, to listen to God further and in conjunction with other Christian leaders here, to see what this might mean.

We are in exciting times and we must, similar as in the Bible book of Revelation, listen to what The Spirit is saying to to The Church in Chelmsford  -and act accordingly!

More will gradually be revealed!

So, the organisation, and name of Chelmsford 24-7 Prayer will gradually decrease and give way to CTiC.

More about the vision for our City and information relating to Christian activity here, including prayer, will henceforth appear at ctic.org.uk, rather than on this website.

A tremendous thank you to all who have been on the journey with Chelmsford 24-7 Prayer. We pray you will continue it with us. alongside, literally as Christians together in Chelmsford.

Blessings

David