What’s in a name ?
A lot of people ask why we call them ‘Boiler Rooms’. Good question…

To be honest, the name ‘Boiler Room’ was originally just a working title for 24-7’s first intentional community in Reading, England. It was simply a nickname that stuck!  The title harkens back to the great days of steam when boiler rooms powered vast machines and systems. In these places fires were fuelled night-and-day, pistons converted pressure into unprecedented levels of power and generators turned heat into light for the community.

Much later we discovered that C.H. Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers of the late 19th Century, attributed the fruitfulness of his entire ministry to his ‘Boiler Rooms’. These were prayer meetings – often established in basements  - that facilitated intercession while he preached Spurgeon, who often preached to crowds of 10,000 in days before amplification, considered these ‘Boiler Rooms’ to be the very power-source of his ministry.

Where did the idea of ‘Boiler Rooms’ come from?

In September 2001, our first Boiler Room opened in Reading, England.  Based for its first three years in an old pub complex (incorporating three semi-derelict apartments, a basement and of course the original bar) the Reading Boiler Room has sustained a continuing rhythm of prayer throughout it's history.  The community  has also endeavoured to nurture creativity;  it has received over 200 pilgrims from around the UK and all over the world; it has worked extensively with and for the disadvantaged locally, building friendships with many marginalised young people and receiving the recognition of local statutory bodies. All this in the context of prayer.

As this wild experiment has taken shape, some exciting things have happened:
¨    A discipline of prayer has developed.  Many people visit the Boiler Room venue regularly, coming in week after week to seek God as part of a missional community.
¨    Prayers have been answered.  The venue has two volumes full of testimonies to answered prayer.
¨    The poor and lost have been reached.  For instance, about 150 needy young people come in and spend time with the Boiler Community each week.  Most of them are not Christians.  Local Government has recognised the effectiveness of what is going on and has sought partnership and funded projects.

Since Reading's commissioning, other Boiler Rooms have been started in Manchester (March 2002- November 2003), West London (October 2003). Wandsworth (November 2004 in partnership with the Salvation Army) and Calgary (January 2005).  All these venues have found that prayer, community and mission mixed together have amazing results.  Currently Boiler Rooms are also being planned in other UK cities such as Brighton (where a community has already developed) in Sweden, Germany, Spain, Mexico and in a number of cities in the USA such as Kansas City.  

For more of the latest information check out www.boiler-rooms.com

19 Apr 2005