Transformation Thurrock : Thurrock Day of Prayer - a turning point to the point of no return... and beyond!

Thurrock Day of Prayer - a turning point to the point of no return... and beyond!

The Thurrock Day of Prayer (TDOP) on Saturday (24 October) has been described as a ‘significant day for the church in Thurrock’ and ‘powerful & timely’ by those who were there. The day was itself prophetic, and the prophetic came out of the day.

Facilitated and resourced by Transformation Thurrock, the day included three main sessions of prayer and worship, with a ‘marketplace’ and refreshments happening throughout.

TDOP Intercessors Pre-Gathering
The first session of prayer was the Intercessors Pre-Gathering led by Jonathan Oloyede from Global Day of Prayer London. During this time the 50 or so people present focused upon the Lord Jesus and spent time resting in the presence of the Holy Spirit and inviting him into the whole day.

Jonathan also brought a challenge to see the borough covered by prayer and fasting each day of the month, and got individuals there and then to each volunteer to take a day, which was taken up again later by church leaders (above left).

20091024033-1

Jonathan said he had had a vision of a tall being standing at the back of the auditorium - wearing white, it held sword in one hand, which rested across the other arm. (Tim Harrold, who had opened the session, had also alluded to angels being in the place.) He also brought to us Exodus 25:9, “Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.” God has a plan for his people in Thurrock to follow. Jonathan made declarations while Phil Anderson held up a sword, symbolic of the word, the Spirit and justice (right).

There then followed mention of Micah 1:1 - “Marshal your troops, O city of troops, for a siege is laid against us.” This word confirmed a text sent to Tim and Rob earlier in the week by John Guest. God wants to raise an army for Thurrock: the church must become 'militarized', not in the legalistic sense, but in a disciplined way, with such military manoeuvres as the prayer and fasting rota. Richard Earll (formerly of Grays Pentecostal, now TCF), testified that this scripture had been a key motivating factor when the interchurch Prayer For Thurrock was up and running from around 1997 to 1999.

Prayer For Thurrock
The second session - at 20091024061 - Copy-1

tended by about 120 people - was Prayer For Thurrock. After a time of worship led by the team from The Kings Family Centre in Aveley, Jonathan once again led the prayer, focusing this time on the leaders, ministers, pastors and priests present. He had all 29 out the front in one long line, holding hands, and then made them ‘cross the line’, symbolised by one of the white lines on the hall floor (see top picture). As they did this, everyone else prayed for them. Again, Jonathan challenged the leaders to each take a day of prayer and fasting - to take the lead across Thurrock.

20091024060-1

There was a break in the prayer activity as we watched urban dance troupe Streetlife - this is a project for young people in the Thurrock area run by Christian dance teacher Kat Grant. The performance had a Christian theme and won a standing ovation from all who watched. Rob Groves then prayed with Kat on the stage, and all of the group were happy to remain on the stage while we prayed with her (right).

We then went on to pray for the community, and then Jonathan did a presentation about the Global Day of Prayer London, and how the church of Thurrock can get involved and feel included. GDOP builds upon what is already happening across the streams and networks and is not intended to takeover or be an add-on. The Global Day of Prayer is important because we live in the Day of Global Prayer.

Rob and Tim then invited some special guests to the front who each represented an aspect of Thurrock life, for a brief interview and then to pray with and for them. These were:

Stephen Metcalfe (prospective Conservative parliamentary candidate for East Basildon & East Thurrock constituency)
Phil Anderson (prospective Conservative candidate for Thurrock Council)
Tim Ball (Chaplain to the Essex Fire Service) (right)
John Peters (Chaplain to Grays Police) (right)
Natalie Collins (Faith & Freedom - counselling service provider for people affected by domestic abuse)
Sola Oshunniyi (physiotherapist, Basildon & Thurrock University Hospital)
Robb Harman (Bluprint, Thurrock-based business)
Katrina (Chaplain of Grays Convent)

We invited groups of folk to pray with each for them and for their sectors. During this time a group also prayed for Jonathan.

Worship & Word For Thurrock
20091024077-1

In the evening some 150 people assembled once again under the ministry of Godfrey Birtill, who’s unique brand of prophetic worship is stirring the church both nationally and internationally. He was joined by local sensational songsmith Gareth Marsh on drums and occasional prepared bass.

Godfrey began by telling us, “There’s another place to pray from - don’t pray ‘chicken prayers’ but soar like an eagle.” His song, Jesus, Faithful and True, contains the lines, “No more eagles on the chicken coop!” He led us in a mixture of ancient and modern, including some songs of his new album, Hijacked Into Paradise. With extremely challenging but liberating lyrics like, “We’ve gone so far out that we can’t go back, It’s a one way ticket up the ancient track, Beep beep! Beep beep!”, Godfrey, with the help of the Holy Spirit, took us “To breathtaking heights”.

20091024068-1

Back in January, Godfrey had told us he had a word for Thurrock, and so TDOP provided him with the opportunity to give that word. He talked to us about The Sound of the Land. Using the story of Jesus healing the demon-possessed man in Mark 5 as a backdrop, he talked about how we can be listening to the sound of wrong voices - even our own - but when we counter the unwelcoming, rejecting sound of the world (and sometimes even the church) with the welcoming sound of the Kingdom, then the land will change. Jesus told the ex-demon-possessed man to stay in the land - a place of difficulty - to be the sound of the Kingdom.

Godfrey said some very challenging things! He said, “Too much church work is fence building not well digging”, and that “the biggest stumbling block to change in the church is the old guard”. Beep, beep!

Some of us got to hear Godfrey lead worship and speak again on Sunday morning at Grays Baptist Church.

The TDOP Marketplace
PICT1337

We gave the opportunity for people primarily engaged in non- or cross-denominational projects and ministries to exhibit in the minor hall. Besides Transformation Thurrock, the following had displays:

Bar’N’Bus (www.barnbus.org)
Besom (www.besom.com)
Celebrate Recovery (www.celebraterecovery.co.uk)
Faith & Freedom
Global Day of Prayer London (www.gdoplondon.com)
GSUS Live (www.gsuslive.co.uk)
Hands’n’Crafts (www.ehso.org)
Heralds of Revival (www.heraldsofrevival.org)
Know Your Bible (www.knowyourbible.org.uk)
Mountain of Miracles & Fire, Grays (www.mountainoffire.org)
Stanford & Corringham Boiler Room Community (www.24-7prayer.com)

Over the day we saw about 300 people come and go, many saying how much they’d got out of the day and that we should repeat it at some stage. One person has said it was “a wonderful and fruitful weekend and we hope there will be more.” Another said, “Yesterday was just wonderful.” Richard Earll confirmed a previous word from a few months ago when he encouraged us by saying, “Keep using the hammer Father has placed in your hands: suddenly the nut will crack!”

Below, Your Thurrock's inteview with Tim.

A big list of even bigger thank-yous from Transformation Thurrock go to:
Jonathan Oloyede and Godfrey Birtill for their encouragement and provocation
Lucy Chipperfield of Your Thurrock for her coverage of the event
Tony and the Hassenbrook School Site Management Team for going the extra mile and being so accommodating
John Gorham for providing the worship in the first session
Stephen and his student from The Kings Family Centre in Aveley for the afternoon worship
Alan Jupp, Gbenga Agunbiade, Roy Edworthy, Allan Hubbard, Graham Marshall the intrepid pizza chef, the lad in the Chelsea shirt who made the tea, and rest of the team from Fresh Hope Community church (who worship in the school on Sunday mornings) for all their back 20091024072

stage, front-of-house, in-the-kitchen support and help
Gareth Marsh for drumming and bassing with Godfrey
Vera Harrold for the tuck shop
Jonny Harrold for the original poster design
The people who came from the four corners of Essex to be with us
The Suffolk folk (sorry about the tractor joke)
The Transiteers for coming from the four corners of the globe to serve in Thurrock
All who put stuff up in the marketplace
+ probably some others I’ve forgotten

Other useful websites:
Godfrey Birtill (www.godfreyb.com)
Sensation Smith (aka Gareth Marsh) (www.myspace.com/sensationsmith)
Your Thurrock (www.youtthurrock.com)

Tim Harrold, 28/10/2009