Last week’s Thurrock Leaders’ Prayer met in Dennis & Celia Brockhurst‘s photographic studio (right) at High House Artists’ Studios in Purfleet.
Some 12 people in various leadership roles in Thurrock’s church came to what some might consider an unlikely venue. But it’s the people who are the church, not the place, and the art studios are a great place for the church to gather to pray.
The meeting began with a couple of songs and then folk prayed. The themes were Purfleet, workplace chaplaincy, the arts and media.
Thurrock Methodist Church’s Children’s & Family Worker David Bates shared an image with the group which led to a lot of prayer about how the church sees the world and itself, how it presents Jesus to the world, and how the world sees the church, or rather, Jesus in us. In David’s own words, this is what he saw:
During a time of free prayer I was listening to the sound of someone praying in tongues. While I listened a picture started o from in my mind. I found myself looking out of the large plate glass windows of a building. They seemed to compose the entirety of the walls. I saw that the outside of the glass was covered with red which was being scrubbed away. As the red colouring started to clear, markings were left, as if the original colour had been made up of these patterns being overlaid repeatedly. The patterns that remained seemed to have been flags (a Union Jack) and large print words (none specifically recognised).
If you’d like to join or host the TLP group at any time, please email our diary holder, Sharon Bartels on sharon.bartels@mycommunitychurch.org.uk who will book you in.
Here are the TLP venues for the next three months:
February
2 Breakfast – The Rectory, St Mary’s Church, North Stifford RM16 5UE
19 House of Praise, Side Entrance, Queensgate Centre (opp. Thameside Theatre), Orsett Road, Grays RM17 5DF
26 Wendover Vicarage, College Avenue, Grays RM17 5UW – hosting for St Clement’s
March
5 Aveley Christian Centre, Aveley Close, off Stifford Road, Aveley RM15 4AB
12 Breakfast – Sockets Heath Baptist Church, Premier Avenue, Grays RM16 2SB
19 Community Church CSM, Defoe Parade, Chadwell St Mary RM16 4QR
26 Wendover Vicarage, College Avenue, Grays RM17 5UW – hosting for St Clement’s, West Thurrock
April
2 TBA – could it be you?
9 Breakfast – Aveley Christian Centre, Aveley Close, off Stifford Road, Aveley RM15 4AB
16 44 Northumberland Road, Linford SS17 0PU – hosting for St Catherine’s, East Tilbury
23 TBA – it could be you!
30 Sockets Heath Baptist Church, Premier Avenue, Grays RM16 2SB
For more information, please see https://www.transformationthurrock.com/Articles/428769/Transformation_Thurrock/Prayer/Thurrock_Leaders_Prayer/TLP_refreshes_the.aspx
