CAPTION: The disused space has been transformed by volunteers and prayer stations set up around the room
Torquay Youth Group Transforms Church Boiler Room into 24/7 Prayer Space
A church youth group from Torquay has helped transform a disused boiler room in the church building into a prayer space.
The room in the basement of St Mags church in the town centre had been disused for a number of years.
Over 50 people came to pray in the room during a 24-hour prayer event held in the space just after it was completed.
The room was full of junk and painted black so the young people helped clear it
The Vicar, the Rev’d Sam Leach, said “I have had a 24/7 prayer room on my heart for some years now and we decided that we would use the disused boiler room under the church as the ideal place to start.
“It was full of decades of junk so we spent two weeks clearing it. Then over the course of a weekend we painted it and within it week it was ready to go.”
The room had been painted black, so a team from the Youth Room, the church’s young people’s group, helped others to convert it on a shoestring, painting it white and adding a new carpet, soft furnishings and fairy lights.
The whole makeover cost less than £700.
Sam said “For the 24/7 prayer event, we gathered for sung worship and prayer at the start and end of the time with slots throughout the 24 intervening hours. The young people took the lead.
The makeover took just over a week
“I have been hearing stories of people sensing the presence of God in the space, encountering him, of someone having a vision, or friendships made, art created, time with the Father enjoyed. Such a wonderful and encouraging weekend.”
Jude Fortune, who is training to be a Licensed Lay Minister, said “We’ve been doing a series on prayer at the church and decided to turn the boiler room literally into a boiler room of prayer.
“The young people did the first lot of whitewashing. We now have different stations around the room and different ways for people to connect and encounter God, and it be a dedicated prayer space for people to use.
“The youth were the first ones into the space when it opened. It was amazing to see these young people who turn up week after week to our youth group but don’t always come to church on a Sunday.
Jude said it was great to see young people leading worship and engaging with the prayer stations
“They engaged with all of the activities, you could tell they were alive and excited and really intrigued and wanted to know more.
“The feedback on our church WhatsApp group from people who went over the weekend was that they were all really moved. They found it an amazing space to just sit and be with God. There wasn’t something that they had to do, there was no formula to it, it was just a space where they could choose to connect with God in whatever way was right for them.”
The Boiler Room prayer space will be available for people to spend time in whenever the church building is open.
You can find out more about running a 24/7 prayer room here.