Online Leaders' Gathering - June 2020

On 25th June 2020, Nottingham City Prayer held an online leaders’ gathering which saw over 100 church and city-wide ministry leaders from across Nottingham come together to pray and discern how God might have us move forward as a united church in the city.

It was an incredible display of church unity, not only in the numbers of leaders present, but also in the clear diversity of ethnicities and denominations represented.

David Mellen, Leader of Nottingham City Council

David Mellen, leader of Nottingham City Council and a regular at Nottingham City Prayer, spoke about his vision for the city. He shared about how this vision has been shaped by the existing pledges from previous council administrations, the particular pressing circumstances of this time, and his own values, which have been significantly shaped as a follower of Jesus. He shared a vision, not only of what could be achieved but of the good manner in how we might go about achieving it. David shared the council’s need to work in partnership with others, and celebrated what the church was already doing. He invited even closer partnership and church involvement in the city in the future.

Dave King, Ambassador of GATHER

Dave King, a former leader of a church unity movement in Salford and an ambassador for GATHER, a national network of vibrant missional unity movements, spoke powerfully to us about what could happen when a church gets vision for a city. He told inspiring stories of how his own city, Salford, was transformed by God, as the church united in prayer. He led us into prayer and discussion though giving us a number of thought provoking questions:

• What do you love about Nottingham?

• How good can Nottingham become?

• What is the gifting that God has placed on Nottingham?

• What could Nottingham look like in 15 years’ time?

• How can prayer and unity help change a place?

He spoke about the city’s need for a church that is strategic and co-ordinated in prayer and action.

We look forward to continuing to pray and discern together as a united church leadership as we seek God’s leading as to what he desires to do through us in Nottingham.

We give thanks for all that God did through this gathering and continues to do in our city.

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The Second Leaders' Lunch 2017

In October 2017 we had our second Church Leaders’ Lunch which gathered over 120 church and ministry leaders from around 90 different churches to discern how God might have us move forward as a united church in the city.  Yet again, it was a joyous occasion as so many church leaders ate, talked and prayer together.

Billy Kennedy from Southampton was our speaker and told the story of how the church in Southampton had worked together with the local authority to meet an issue facing the city of a significant lack of foster carers.  Just after he shared, a Christian lady who was a leader in the city council’s fostering department stood up and said “The doors are open for the church to work with the council in this way!”. There was such a sense that this was a word from God and that he was calling us to help Nottingham City Council meet the care crisis facing children in the city.

From this lunch we began to meet with Nottingham City Council to better understand the care needs facing the city. We learned that there were around 630 children in care, with more being added all the time, and that the council only had enough foster carers for around half of them!   After this lunch we also began to gather Christians who were already working on this issue to form a team that would further this agenda on behalf of the church across Nottingham. As part of this, the 100 Homes Campaign was born, a campaign to recruit 100 new foster homes from the church in Nottingham by March 2021.

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The First Leaders' Lunch 2017

In March 2017, we invited church and ministry leaders from across the city to come and hear from Lloyd Cooke, a church unity movement leader in Stoke-on-Trent, and to discern what God was saying to us as a church in Nottingham.  Over 120 leaders from around 90 different churches and ministries attended, representing a breadth of denominations and traditions, resulting in the largest gathering of church leaders in Nottingham in living memory.  It truly was a joyous occasion to be together!

There was a profound sense of God speaking to us, not only through hearing what God had done in Stoke, but also prophetically. 

The story was shared from Judges 7 of Gideon’s army surrounding the Midianite’s camp, breaking their jars, exposing their lamps in the jars and then taking the camp.  The interpretation was that the jars were churches, and that there were many good churches in the city that were carrying the light of Christ, but that it was too small a thing for each church to grow to a few thousand each.  The city would still not have been taken.  The call was for us to work together to impact the city, but that this would need us to crack a few jars.  There was a clear sense that we were being called to have a united concern for seeing the kingdom of God coming in our city as a priority over simply seeing the kingdom come through building our own churches.

The sense of unity that resulted from this gathering was tangible and this prophetic word, and our united response to it, remains a key moment in this unity movement.

It was a joy to be able to carry out the prophetic act of smashing a jar at the city wide Thy Kingdom Come event in May 2018. 

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History of prayer in Nottingham

It goes without saying that there has been plenty of prayer going on in Nottingham before Nottingham City Prayer came about in 2015!

We recognise that we actually only exist in answer to the prayers of the saints spanning decades, centuries and even millennia!

Some of the more recent history of prayer in Nottingham involves a woman called Ruth Bussell, who in 1960 received  a revelation of Nottingham as a city that brings God honour and renown (Jeremiah 33 :9,10) and a “House of Prayer for all nations” (Isaiah 56:7). In obedience to God, Ruth assembled a small group to respond to the revelation and a strategy for prayer emerged.  

Prayer, with a focus on praise and worship, started in many forms - prayer triplets, neighbourhood prayer watch, prayer camps, prayer walks and nights of prayer. A daily prayer email, called the Daily Bell was established that encourages prayer around 7 pillars of city life: Education; Local government and politics; Health and Social care; Business and Commerce; Media and Arts; Law and Order; and The Church.

Prayer Breakfasts took place at churches located  at the “gates “  of the city in the north, south, east and west as God established a  prayer watch over the city. 

In the year 2000 a significant event took place as this group of prayers, now known as Notts Prayer Network, worked with local churches and the city council to mark the city’s millennium celebrations. Thousands of Christians marched into the Market Square to celebrate Jesus as King. On Easter day of the same year, a celebration was held at Nottingham Castle when a flag was raised declaring “Jesus is Lord, this is His city”. 

In January 2011 Ruth died, but the Notts Prayer Network lives on and there is a great cross over between its current leadership and that of Nottingham City Prayer.

The Story of Nottingham City Prayer

NOTTINGHAM CITY PRAYER BEGAN WITH A WORD FROM GOD IN 2015…

The word was simple; to gather christians from across the churches to pray for the city in a high place. As a sign of God’s promise for this, the venue would be given to us for free.

Not long later we found ourselves on the top floor of the Castle Heights overlooking the castle and the city, with the owner letting us use the venue to pray, for free. 

From those early beginnings, Nottingham City Prayer has grown to become a widespread movement of christians across Nottingham regularly joining in prayer to see Christ’s Church United, God’s power released and the city blessed.

We now gather at 7:00am every 2nd Thursday of the month in different Church locations across the city, with each one bringing their own unique welcome and worship as they help lead us in prayer.

From these significant times, God has been doing a mighty work. Not only are we seeing prayers answered across the city, but new initiatives such as the 100 homes campaign and leaders lunches have all launched in response to what God has been saying to us in the city.

Despite our different traditions and backgrounds we stand united in prayer, seeking Jesus and his love above all else. As churches and christians continue to join this movement, we hope to one day see our whole city in prayer declaring God’s kingdom come in Nottingham.