Christians and church leaders from across London gathered on April 2 to share the vision for the London Global Day of Prayer (GDOP) 2009 event, to be held on May 31.

For the last two years, the Global Day of Prayer has gathered tens of thousands at stadium events at West Ham and Millwall football clubs.

Jonathan Oloyede, convener of Global Day of Prayer London, said the vision for this year was different. Instead of gathering everyone in one place, he spoke of lighting up the whole of London in prayer by organising prayer events in all 33 London boroughs.

“We began to knock on the doors of Tottenham Hotspur late last year and the Lord shut that door, so we thought maybe we should go to the O2. We knocked on the door, the door was slightly ajar but the Lord shut it again,” he explained.

“The Lord was saying to us ‘That’s not what I want you to do, I want you to tell my people to put a stake in the ground where they are so that every borough of London will be taken over by the united church, coming together to exalt Jesus Christ as Lord and saviour.’”

He added, “The GDOP is not just about one big event. It’s about a movement of prayer and inspired mission into our communities.”

Oloyede called on Christians and church leaders to network with each other and with GDOP London to ensure that every borough in London is able to take part in the GDOP.

The prayer meetings and services on May 31 will be cross-denominational and reflect local concerns as well as national needs. There will also be a strong emphasis on youth participation.