The Church that Stays Open All Night

With our nation in the financial down spiral that it is in (that I believe is part of a Divine judgment because of breaking God's command against idolatry), I thought the following story might encourage us to stay about the Master's business. This group is reaching out in a novel way and the fruits demonstrate its validity. Perhaps it is time for us to pray about what God is directing us to do.


It all began with an all night prayer meeting held in a former bank
building. Lichfield Diocese's mission priest Gordon Crowther and
his team were asking God how they could engage with the local
community when the local community began to drop in.

At first it was a group of girls out clubbing who began to peer
through the window; then a group of five lads, one of whom wanted
to talk. The others wanted to move on to their next venue - a strip club.

Eventually all five went in - one dressed as batman; four waiting for
their friend as he talked about his life and God. And as the night
went on several others wandered in, curious to know what was
going on.

And there and then Gordon and the team realised they had their
answer: open the doors and the people would come - and that has
been their tactic for Night Church ever since.

"The idea was to engage people who did not traditionally come to
church as we know it," explained Gordon. "Initially we used to
meet on Sunday afternoons for a worship service, but we still felt
we were missing a group who would not engage on that level. So
when the five lads interrupted that prayer meeting we knew that
the way to go was a night-time project that targeted people who
were usually out at that time.

"At first we started off opening the doors monthly on a Friday night
from 10.30pm to 2am, but the response and the needs were so
huge that we had to go weekly and stay open until 4am."

Hospitality is key to the initiative, with all kinds of people being
made welcome - asylum seekers, people sleeping rough, clubbers
and older people who are in the city at night just wanting
something to do or someone to talk to.

"It has been marvellous to see what God has been doing in
people's lives," said Gordon. "We have had great conversations
and meetings with people. We once had a young man from the
Royal Marines who had been to Afghanistan. He had witnessed
three of his friends get killed and on the night we met him he was
out to get drunk. He came in and stayed for hours and we had the
opportunity to pray with him.

"I remember too the 17-year-old girl who came in and knelt in front
of the cross and just started praying aloud about some trouble her
friend was in. We went and prayed with her. She wanted to talk
with us about some strange spiritual experiences she had
encountered and it ended up as a deliverance session. Afterwards
she told us that she felt free.

"... It has been great to see groups who would not normally work
together now working together for the good of the community."