Dr Jonathan Oloyede (right) – who led the afternoon session at the 2009 Thurrock Day of Prayer – has personally asked Transformation Thurrock to encourage church leaders, prayer warriors and intercessors to come to a series of prayer meetings being held over the coming year.
Jonathan, who was born in the UK but who lived for much of his younger life in Nigeria, converted from Islam to Christianity as a young man. After becoming a doctor, he came to London in the early 90s for what he thought would be a holiday – but God had other plans!
He had worked with Victory House in the East End and also Transform Newham, but is more recently known for his role as convener for the Global Day of Prayer London. Jonathan has overseen the growth of GDOP London since 2006 when the first GDOP gathering took place in the well known Emmanuel Centre in Marsham Street, Westminster. In 2007, London’s GDOP was at West Ham United; in 2008, at Millwall; and in 2010, at West Ham again. His vision is to ultimately hold a GDOP event at Wembley Stadium and fill it with 80,000 praying Believers.
But for now Jonathan and GDOP London are facilitating six major prayer events throughout 2011, simply called the GDOP Nights of Prayer, and bearing the strap line, “Raising a banner of PRAYER over our Nation”.
In this week when Christians have again come under persecution for adhering to a law higher than that of the land, and at the start of the year Dr Clifford Hill is describing as the ‘turning point’ for the UK, it has become more and more imperative for Followers of Jesus to gather to pray for the nation where God has planted us.
There is a window of opportunity – but this doesn’t mean it’ll be open indefinitely.
The dates of the GDOP Nights of Prayer are:
- Wednesday 26 January
- Tuesday 15 March
- Tuesday 24 May
- Wednesday 13 July
- Wednesday 7 September
- Tuesday 8 November
Each evening begins at 7pm and is held at Emmanuel Centre, 9-23 Marsham Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3DW.
Jonathan said to Transformation Thurrock: “The focus (is to) call the churches to more prayer as well as providing a ‘boiler room’ like Marsham Street for all of us to come together in prayer. It would be great to have your own network and church personally involved with these special GDOP nights of prayer. Kindly pass on the list of dates for the year onto all the Pastors and churches in Thurrock or your contacts… thanks! We want to begin the journey towards Wembley in September where we expect to have around 1000 Leaders from all over the country’s Villages, Towns and Cities.”
So Transformation Thurrock are linking in with these nights, and if you want to join with Tim Harrold in going up to London then please get in touch on 07 929 878 089 or tim@transformationthurrock.com.
“All God is saying is, ‘Prayer and Unity.'” Jonathan at an Across Havering prayer meeting of ministers, November 2007
