Prayer Stop
PRAYER STOP at ALL HALLOWS BOW THIS LENT
There will be no buses stopping at what looks like a bus stop outside All Hallow’s Bow this lent. But, anyone will be able to stop, pray and ask for prayer.
The initiative, called the ‘Prayer Stop’, was officially opened by Archdeacon Peter the Sunday before lent and is a collaboration between All Hallows Bow and The House of Prayer for East London, taking prayer to the people and making Christian prayer visible in this urban housing estate setting.
Speaking to Premier Christian News, Rev Dr Cris Rogers, who leads the church, said the idea was born out of a simple challenge to create spaces for prayer in a city where church buildings cannot always safely remain open all day. “In a rural setting you might be able to leave your church wide open during the day, people can go in and pray. You can’t do that in east London,” he explained.
Cris and Mark Bishop who leads the House of Prayer in Stepney Green were having coffee when they began asking what alternative public prayer spaces might look like here in the inner-city. The House of Prayer community have a habit of praying while they wait at pedestrian crossings on prayer walks (they actually do wait there for the green man). While they wait to listen to God, look for where the Holy Spirit might be hovering or drawing their attention to something.
“So we thought, could we create a bus stop that will never have a bus come to it? A place of waiting, but a place where people could sit and pray in the heart of the community.”
So prayer stop was born. The structure mirrors a traditional London bus stop. Where passengers would normally check timetables, a sign instead reads: “No buses stop here, but you can stop and pray”
A QR code links to a webpage featuring the Lord’s Prayer, alongside written prayers for those who are grieving, struggling financially, or seeking to pray for the neighbourhood. Visitors can also submit prayer requests to the church.
Since posting photos of the Prayer Stop online, the church has received messages from across the country from congregations asking how they can replicate the idea. They are currently compiling a “shopping list” of materials so other churches can build their own Prayer Stops.
All Hallows and the House of Prayer for East London want to challenge negative perceptions of the inner-city and reclaim them as places where encountering God is possible. Mark said “Prayer can happen everywhere, and my favourite moments of prayer happen in the most unlikely places when I’m interrupted from just going through the motions and reminded to find God right here and right now.’ Cris said. “Being seen reading your Bible and praying is a wonderful missional activity. It says God is present here, present in me and present in this community.”
The church has made resources available for other congregations interested in launching similar initiatives through its website — https://www.allhallowsbow.org.uk/prayerstop
Listen to Premier's interview with Cris here —https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/from-bus-stop-to-prayer-stop-london-church-takes-prayer-to-the-pavementV
