I am grateful to Mother Doreen who found this story.
A church in east London has created an outdoor prayer space designed to look like a bus stop. The idea, called ‘Prayer Stop’, was put together by All Hallows church in Bow, as a way of trying to make prayer more visible and accessible in a city where church buildings can’t always be left open all day.
“In a rural setting you might be able to leave your church wide open during the day, people can go in and pray. You can’t do that in east London”, said Parish Priest, Rev Dr Cris Rogers.
Apparently the idea grew out of a conversation with a colleague about what prayer might look like on an inner-city estate. “We were saying the one place we spend most of our time just sitting and waiting is bus stops”, Rev Rogers said. “So we thought, could we create a bus stop that will never have a bus come to it? A place of waiting, but a place where people could sit and pray in the heart of the community.”
The structure looks like a London bus shelter, but in place of the bus timetable, there is a sign saying, “Friends, there’s no bus coming. But what a great place to sit, wait and pray.” A QR code then links people to a webpage featuring the Lord’s Prayer, alongside prayers for those who are grieving, struggling financially, or seeking to pray for the neighbourhood.
“Prayer happens everywhere”, said Rev Rogers. “Being seen reading your Bible and praying is a wonderful missional activity. It says God is present here, present in me and present in this community.”
Read the full story here on Premier Christian News. Read about All Hallows Church, here.