Stories from the Edge

Have you a heart for young people? An interest in what they face and where they're at?

Come and here Dave Wiles stories about his encounters with young people, as he launches his book, Stories from the Edge. (click the link above for more info)

8pm Thursday 2o May at the Odd One Out pub, Mersea Road (back room), Colchester. Car parking at Britinnia car park, off St Botolph's roundabout.

Check news from Colchester and 24-7 Prayer UK by clicking here

No Boiler Room meal on Sunday

There's no Boiler Room meal this Sunday 2 May.

The next Boiler Room Meal will be 12noon on Sunday 9 May at 170 Berechurch Road.

Richard

Saturday 15 May African afternoon for Ugandan children

On Saturday 15 May 2pm - 6pm there will be an African afternoon at Cardinal Bourne Hall, Priory Street, Colchester.

There promises to be music, food and crafts for sale. Come along and join in! The funds raised will go to the A-Z Childrens Charity in Uganda.

Sara is organising the fundraiser. She will be visiting the Charity in Uganda later in 2010.

An inspiring story from Sweden about children setting up a prayer room

Click the title above for a story from Sweden.

Next 24 hour Prayer Room Saturday 8 - Sunday 9 May

"The prayer room at 170 Berechurch Road will open for 24 hours of prayer from noon Saturday 8 May - noon Sunday 9 May. You can book a 1 hour slot for dedicated time with God, praying for Colchester, UK and the whole world. Contact Richard at mail@colchesterboilerroom.org.uk

During this time there will be an hour of led silent prayer 8pm - 9pm."

Boiler Room meals recommence Sunday 28 March

There's no noon prayer or Sunday lunch at 170 Berechurch Road from Thursday 18 March until Friday 26 March.

Noon prayer and Sunday lunch starts again on Sunday 28 March.

We're joining in with a prayer room at St Stephens Church, Canterbury Road from 9pm Thursday 1 April - 8pm Saturday 3 April. Email mail@colchesterboilerroom.org.uk if you'd like to book a one slot to pray.

And there's an Easter Egg Hunt for children 10am - 12noon at 170 Berechurch Road on Good Friday. : )

There's no daily prayer at 170 Berechurch Road on Wednesday 10 March

Prayer at 170 Berechurch Road re-commences on Thursday 11 March at noon.

Next 24 hour prayer room

Our next 24 hours of prayer is noon Saturday 6 March - noon Sunday 7 March at 170 Berechurch Road. Spend a dedicated hour with God, and pray for Colchester, UK and the whole world. Email mail@colchesterboilerroom.org.uk to book a slot.

Boiler Room meal cancelled Sunday 21 Feb 2010

Hi,

There's no Boiler Room meal tomorrow, Sunday 21 February, because Richard is ill.

Sorry to cancel.

Boiler Room meal recommences next Sunday 28 February at 170 Berechurch Road.

Creativity in prayer room

The prayer room was open for 24 hours last Saturday/ Sunday.

Friends from all over Colchester helped carry the prayer. and we saw some inspiring creativity in the prayer room....

Boiler Room meal and noon prayer latest news.

Boiler Room meals continue, every Sunday, starting with noon prayer, followed by lunch, at 170 Berechurch Road.

(There's no noon prayer at 170 Berechurch Road Monday 15 Feb - Wednesday 17 Feb inclusive. Noon prayer starts again Thursday 18 Feb.)

News from Colchester Boiler Room Community

There's no noon prayer at 170 Berechurch Road on Friday 29 Jan.

From Monday 1 February noon prayer is at 170 Berechurch Road every Sunday - Thursday.

Boiler Room meals are on Sundays at 170 Berechurch Road starting with noon prayer, then sharing food at 1pm. Come and share news, food, prayer, learning from the Bible and worship.

Richard

Next Overnight Prayer Sat 6 - Sun 7 February

The next 24 hour prayer room at 170 Berechurch Road is noon Saturday 6 February - noon Sunday 7 February.

Book your slot by leaving a comment, or emailing mail@colchesterboilerroom.org.uk or drop into the house.

Richard

An amazing poem

Here's an awesome, Holy Spirit inspired prayer, written in the 24-7 prayer room in Turkey in March 2009.

So I’ve been asked to look and listen to what you hear and see
But my gut reaction is to look at everything naturally
I put myself in the midst and think to myself, well, what do I see?

Well, it’s a big city
And it all seems fine, and if I look with my mind’s eye
I just sit, and wonder why
Coz, this place seems fine, and I’m forced to wonder if this is all a waste of time
Surly in this space and time, I’ve got better ways to spend my time
And as I begin to walk in this direction, I’m forced to stop
God, into temptation, lead me not
So, as often I do, deprived of sleep
I begin to pace the darkened streets
Searching for any kind of beat
And at firsts its silent, I’m not really tuned in
And I’m sure at this point your feeling some frustration

But

Then

In the silence

I begin
To start really listening
I start to pick up the heart beat of the city
And at this point I start to see
At least, I begin to see what you’re showing me.
I see a people struggling to be free
Struggling to find a true sense of identity
I see a pressure to be, all you’re told to be
And how that has an effect on being free
But sometime
It’s the stuff you don’t see
And I start to the heartbeat of broken lives
I hear you’re longing to comfort the cries
Your desire to answer the hows and whys
You explain you’ve been watching over for time
And you’re desperate to bring a turn in the tide
Since the pain you felt when Polycarp died
To your desire to wipe the tears from hurting eyes
And as we stand at the crown of ancient Smyrna
I slowly begin to understand
That your heartbeat
And that of this city
Go hand,
in hand
‘’But the streets are dark, and the walls are high’’
‘’The task is big and we aint got have much time’’
I begin to understand your broken hearted cries
Coz your heart and arms are open wide
But
Out of 4 million or so people. Most, just pass you by
We pray for your kingdom to come and for your will to be done
Through your spirit in the name of your son
But then we’re forced to pause, at the enormity of the request
But then, I see hope
As the heartbeat is felt across the nations,
And your call has started gaining momentum
And it reaches out in all directions
I have to smile at the response
‘’Hear I am Lord, Send me’’
I don’t know the language, and it’s a culture Iv never seen
But my trust is in you and I’ll go wherever you lead
And when you walk this earth you said ‘’follow me’’
So walking in your footsteps is where I’ll be
And as we witness the mobilisation of your people,
We begin to pick up your heartbeat

So I humbly say, please, ask me again what I see

I see a light, and at first it’s dim
Then a few more flickers start to join in
Pretty soon it starts, to really shine
The dark around starts to decline
And the heartbeat that’s been shadowed for time
Makes a sudden, shudder, at this sign
And as I look above the crowds
I see on the horizon, the smallest of clouds
And with faith in heart and hope in hand
I see a vision of rain on this fertile land
And uprising is at hand
It starts with the humble prayers of man
In response to the heartbeat of this land
And as prayer, passion and unity stand
With mission and action Hand in hand,
We boldly make are united stand
As storm clouds fill the sky
In one voice we cry ‘’ Rain in this city tonight’’
That peace and hope would flood the streets
That love and grace would wash the people’s feet

So

This is what I begin to see
The response of your people to your heartbeat for this city
So we ask that, what’s birthed in our humble prayers
Wouldn’t just stay there
But would spur the people
Into action
And take this light
Out there.

Agape (a Poem by Jason McLean)

Agape
By Jason McLean

Agape feasts not in the broils,
Of demons loathing, where hatred spoils,
Agape treads where malice won’t dare,
In places where love will never be rare,
Nor does it dwell in realms of ill,
For Agape is a panacea pill,
Nor does she reside in places unjust,
For trust is the must, in God we trust,

A lair of wrath is to some a home,
Home is the heart of a life of your own.
Agape learned what mankind is learning,
Power never corrupts if respect is burning,
In time peace locks love it is true,
Like two lovers meeting and then bidding adieu,
If love is for real and the deal sealed with passion,
The lover’s feelings won’t go out of fashion.

Agape finds what Agape seeks,
A place to rest a heart that is meek,
Enough manna and nourishment to move forward,
The beauty of Agape is its own reward,
Agape is Agape in day and in night,
The essence of which will see dark become light.

Agape is unconditional love,
Fused with desire it sets mans heart on fire,
Like a hand fits a glove Agape covers all ground,
Patience and compassion the triumphant sound.
Agape exists to mute the scream,
To turn a fantasy into a vision dream,
Agape knows no bounds,
Peace is found.

Agape stretches around the globe touching all mankind,
Gentle spirits and awakened minds.

Agape rests in eternity, Agape is the bliss of infinity.

And more Reflections on the Transit Pilgrimage

Here's Carla's reflections on her visit with us at the end of October;

"Personally I enjoyed going to Colchester, it was good to be back there and great meeting people I haven't seen in awhile.

It was great to get to know Richardand Katy and to hang out with them and everyone else in the Boiler Room Community. We were made to feel really welcome and it was great to be a apart of all they were doing. Everyone was very generous and kind.

I found it quite tough that week personally, my emotions were very up and down and was really anxious that week and things that wouldn't normally bother me, seemed to bother me. Which was a challenge and something I had to deal with during the week. Was hard not having my own space, a chance to be on my own.

On the other hand I really enjoyed everything we did,(well maybe not getting up for the 6am prayermeeting!!!!!!!lol). It was great to go along to the various prayer meetings and be a part of community life.

It really made me think during the week about prayer and how we pray, that prayer doesn't have to be something separate, and I know this and on a personal level it isn't something separate, I chat to God throughout the day, but as I'm going through the day with others, is prayer a part of it? not just the times where we meet to pray? Do we have to stop and say, ok, let's pray together or should prayer just be a natural part of our life with others that know Jesus?

There were times during the week where pray was a natural part of the conversation or came out of the conversation and this challenged me to think about this. Does prayer have to be be separate or is it and should it be apart of everything I do? I think this is something I'm really thinking about at the moment and will be sometime I'm trying to workout.

I really want to see the natural and spirtually things be one thing in my life, not two things that run side byside, but never mix. I want prayer, worship etc to be a part of my life all the time, not something separate. (don't know if i'd explained that well)

One of the moments that really stuck out for me was the community meal on Wednesday evening. I really enjoyed after the meal, chatting about journeys, itwas so natural and great to hear peoples stories. It didn't matter if the story was a spiritual one or not, it was good to share in that experience with others. Being creative and encouraging others was fun too. That evening was more than just sharing food together,it was about sharing our lives together.

Another cool thing was the tea and chat with the foreign students at the uni. We sat at the tables andas a student came, someone would direct the student toa table. It just amazes me how God works things out. The person who sat next to me was a Brazilian student,which was great, we were able to talk about Brazil. God's so good.

As a team it was really great Thursday when we put together the prayer room for Cre8, it was great to see us all working together and facing challenges together, where we weren't sure how to go about something we stopped and prayed about it and moved forward together. The prayer workshop went well too, all fitted together well. Was really great all the things we were doing and wouldn't have wanted to do any less coz don't feel we would have got a proper feel for what was going on in Colchester if we had.

It was hard to find time to do the reflection questions during the week, coz the time we did have free, we either spent with our host, or resting after earlystarts or having a bit of time in the town to do thetourist thing! Which meant we ended up doing the question when we got back. I don't know how i would change it, coz i wouldn'thave wanted to not do anything we did.

Was a good week all in all. Lots of praying, eating and laughing! Carla"

Reflections on Transit Pilgrimage to Colchester

BIG thanks to Tina for these reflections (and encouragements) on the Transit Pilgrimage week;

"Travelling to Colchester I didn’t expect to change or experience God in a new way. Carla asked us to spend the weekend before we went praying about God really using the week to stretch us and change us, but I mostly forgot to do that.

Getting to Colchester and being so warmly welcomed into a community of people was just amazing. I felt like I had come from home to my home. At that moment I realize that if I really wanted this week to be all that it could be I really needed to plug in and dig deep. I spend sometime praying and really just getting my mind wrapped around the idea of surrendering my all to God.

I really was challenged by the way the community of believes would just pray in normal conversation. If we were talking about a problem or an issue or a praise, they had this gentle flow of moving horizontal conversation and making it a vertical one without missing a beat. It showed me how easy it is to really put prayer into everything. Having a conversation with God is as easy as having a conversation with a group of friends over a bowl full of noodles.

I also really loved getting to create two prayer rooms. One was for a group of kids that would be going to a CR8 workshop and the other was for one of the outreach ministries the Colchester Boiler Room is involved with called Street Pastors. Both were amazing times of using my creativity in worship. It really sticks out to me because as a Transit team we were able to work together on a project and go through all the phases of putting it together as well as participate in the end result.

Lastly, coming from a Boiler Community that has an established Boiler Room hubbed around a building I was impressed to learn that mobile Boiler Rooms have a quite and unique strength about them. I learned the importance of being willing to go to the people and not always focus on bringing the people to a Boiler Room.

Overall this pilgrimage week gave me a chance to draw nearer to God and explore the ways he wants me to join him in the plans he has. Learning the ease in which I can intertwine God into the conversations and relationships I have will be a lessons I carry with me the rest of my life.

I’ve also been very encouraged to explore new ways of engaging with people in my community that are not focused around buildings but are free and movable.

Richard and Katy Smith were amazing role models for me to see how practical Christ center communities can exist in normal, funny, everyday life!"

Transits students inspiring Colchester Boiler Room Community... :)

And now some of Richard's reflections;

"I found it good to share what God is doing here with new people, but also challenging to be open about the difficult bits and disappointing bits.

I found it inspiring and life giving to share time with the Transit students, who have dedicated this time to praying and serving God.

As Community, it was a good stretching step for us to take together to host the Transit students, as it required sharing the hosting and meals between 4 homes. I realised these daring steps together are important for mobile Communities, because it can be difficult to have an identity as a body together when the parts are separate.

I found it gave me new vision and ideas to hear stories and vision from Corringham."

Practises for a missional community

Pete sent me some thought provoking stuff on mission centred community, from Frontier Youth Trust...I think from some teaching from Mike Frost.

Here's an extract with some suggested practises for a mission centred community...

Post a comment if you have reflections on this.

(ps Colchester Boiler Room Community is not committed to these practises....yet?!)


"Once they’d started to be part of a community and had been around for a while they brought in some missional rhythms:

• Bless three people every week (one member of the faith community, one non-Christian who was a part of the community, one other who is either). Blessing could be practical (financial or serving) or through affirmation (most common). Idea comes out of the idea of secret acts of kindness – if you’re found out, it doesn’t count. Christians will often ‘bless’ back. People who aren’t Christians find it really difficult and can be threatened by it.

• Eat with three people a week with whom you don’t live (one member of the faith community, one non-Christian in the community and one either). When people eat together they talk – also eating is a real equalizer.

• Spend one significant time each week listening to the Spirit of God. This is essential in terms of the other stuff you are doing. Prayer becomes really important in engaging missionally.

• At least one significant period of the week learning the person of Jesus through reading the gospels, books about Jesus, films etc. Importance of soaking yourself in the person of Jesus. We want to inspire people to become like Jesus. Lots of people coming to Bible College don’t hardly know anything about Jesus at all apart from a few facts. If we want to become more like Jesus we need to immerse ourselves in him. Area of mission activating discipleship is awakened here – we don’t have to look like Jesus in church but if we are involved in Christ-centred mission we can’t afford not to.
  

• Journal all the ways in which you have been sent into the world during the week.

What values do these practices release? – generous, hospitable, spirit led, Christ-like and Christ-centred, missionaries. Need to focus on practices rather than values, because engaging in practices will release the values."

New friends visit

This week has been an exciting week for us at Colchester Boiler Room Community.

We've been hosting Carla, Tina, Gemma and Charl from Corringham Boiler Room Community. They've come on pilgrimage here. And they've been joining our rhythm of prayer. And encouraging prayer in new places and fresh ways.

It's been great to meet them. And be inspired by their faith and energy (and jokes!).

Here's some pics from Colchester Institute. They were demolishing the library when we arrived!!