Vision & Objectives
‘Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder' Zephaniah 3:9
Vision
To call together the Body of Christ in the British Isles and
Ireland to mobilise and encourage prayer, that the church will be
passionate in worship, united in love, faithful in witness, and
determined to see the nations transformed. (Matthew 28:18-20;
Luke 10:27)
Objectives
To promote and facilitate prayer for the transformation of every area of society within British Isles and Ireland
To encourage world-wide prayer for British Isles and Ireland.
Goals
- To develop and maintain a website.
- To provide resources e.g. Prayer Alert.
- To encourage prayer within the life of the local church.
- To facilitate prayer events and conferences.
Values
Acknowledging, submitting, serving, encouraging and standing with
one another in the Body of Christ, based on the Apostle's Creed.
Background
The desire to pray, work and stand shoulder to shoulder across the British Isles and Ireland has developed over many years through a small group of individuals meeting regularly together to pray, worship and plan; and by annual/biannual conferences drawing together leaders with a heart for prayer. At each meeting or conference the Lord has always encouraged us to go deeper in understanding both our unity and our diversity as His children in the Body of Christ across these nations; challenging us to repentance about issues that have caused hurt; giving us deeper insights into how to pray for issues and calling us together to remember our calling to be carriers of the gospel into His world.
2002:At a prayer leaders conference in December 2002 at Swanwick (facilitated by the prayer department at Evangelical Alliance UK) those represented committed to move together as a network of prayer ministries across our nations based around:
Zephaniah 3.9: ‘Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the Lord and serve him shoulder to shoulder'. .
Romans 15.5-6: ‘May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ'.
2004: This desire to be more connected across this family of nations was taken to another stage at a meeting held on Isle of Man in January 2004 when the Prayer Association of British Isles and Ireland was started. The Prayer Alert prayer resource was then commissioned link to Prayer Alert..
2007: Further discussions took place in January 2007 as the Prayer Association began to look at how it could move forward in mobilising prayer and facilitating communication amongst networks, ministries, churches and individuals. At the first Prayer Forum conference (His Isles) money was given to setting up a website. From a meeting which took place at the Christian Renewal Centre in Rostrevor, Northern Ireland, in September 2007 it was agreed to move forward together under the new name ‘The Prayer Forum of British Isles and Ireland'.
2008:The Prayer Forum was publicly launched at the World Prayer Centre's Trumpet Call VII national prayer event on 21st June 2008.
Facilitation
Core Team
At the heart of the Prayer Forum is a core team drawn from Scotland, Wales, N Ireland, England, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Republic of Ireland who meet to listen, pray and stand together; and are in regular communication with each other bringing information from their area and distributing information as appropriate.
May 2009
