Fresh Expressions today announced that the 24-7 Prayer movement has become a partner in the initiative.
Listen to Andy Freeman explaining why 24-7 Prayer are joining the Fresh Expressions initiative below.
24-7 Prayer is an interdenominational movement of prayer, mission and justice that began with a single, student-led prayer vigil in Chichester in 1999. It has since spread to more than 100 countries.
The movement has given rise to numerous new initiatives, communities and ministries particularly focusing on the poor, the marginalised, students and those outside the reach of normal expressions of church. The missional communities, inspired by ancient Celtic monasticism, are generically known as Boiler Rooms though they may also be known by a local name – such as Houses of Prayer.
Andy Freeman is on the 24-7 Council and pioneered the first 24-7 Boiler Room in Reading, overseeing the development of similar communities across the world. He is now training for ordination at St Mellitus College while developing Reconcile, a mix of an Anglican fresh expression and a 24-7 community.
Andy said,
Conversations have been going on for some while between Pete Greig, director of 24-7, and Bishop Graham Cray as leader of the Fresh Expressions team, about the possibility and potential of partnership. I had also talked to Bishop Graham about it in relation to my own training as a priest. The result was that it felt like the right time, something that God wanted us to do.
There are a lot of parallels between the work of Fresh Expressions and 24-7. I think the biggest one is that fresh expressions start with the process of listening. This listening to culture, listening to what's going on and listening to each other is also very important within prayer rooms and nearly all of our communities would have started from that same place.
Bishop Graham Cray, Archbishops' Missioner, commented,
I am delighted that the 24-7 Prayer movement is becoming a partner in the Fresh Expressions initiative. 24-7's emphasis on prayer, spirituality and mission exactly accords with ours, and will strengthen us as we develop patterns of discipleship for fresh expressions of church and as we engage with young adults.
Andy Freeman sees further similarities in work relating to training, how to stay flexible and mobile while working alongside more established forms of church, and enabling continued thinking on associated ecclesiology and theology.
We are really interested in how we can help Fresh Expressions, but I think we are also conscious how Fresh Expressions is going to help us too. In particular I hope that prayer rooms could be part of the listening process for people on the ground wanting to build mission communities and fresh expressions. I'd also love to see ways in which younger people could get the opportunity and be given the permission to start fresh expressions of church. To play our part in the Church's continued change and growth in its development of the mixed economy will be very exciting indeed.