London's financial district is crying out for more office space and the only answer in an already dense area is skyscrapers.
The Gherkin, built on the site of the former Baltic Exchange, is nearing completion and that is only the start. A 50-storey building has been approved for Aldgate and a 48-storey glass structure is planned for Leadenhall Street, east of Tower 42. Until the building of Canada Tower at Canary Wharf, Tower 42 was the tallest building in London.
However, this and all the other lofty newcomers will easily be eclipsed once the 66-storey London Bridge Tower, known as the Shard of Glass, goes up. This will have the honour of being one of the tallest skyscrapers in Europe.
The rise of the skyscraper will mean a vast increase in the number of workers based in London, a fact which has obvious and exciting implications for Christians.
Opportunities
Just one new skyscraper will house thousands of people who, due to the nature of working patterns in the City, will tend to spend up to 60% of their lives in the workplace. Many workers commute into the City from the suburbs and this cuts down further on the time they spend at home. It is often through work, rather than from home, that relationships are formed and friendships made. One only needs to take a stroll around the thriving City bars and restaurants at any lunchtime or in the evening to see evidence of that. The City workplace is where people are chiefly based, where opinions and attitudes are on display and where the Christian has the privileged responsibility of living out and seeking to explain God's truth to those around them.
If the church is to recognise this and seek to penetrate the south-east of England with the gospel then workplace ministry needs to be an essential part of our strategy. We need to see that the life pattern of many City workers means that it is here, in the City, where we need to concentrate our efforts in evangelism and support and resource Christians who seek to stand and speak for Jesus.
Taking the initiative
One way we can do this is by making use of lunchtimes, when many workers may be free, and having events where they feel comfortable and the gospel is clearly proclaimed.
St. Helen's Church, off Bishopsgate, has been running such an event every Tuesday lunchtime since the 1960s. It consists of a 30-minute formal meeting with a talk and a hymn, and the option of staying on at the end for a sandwich lunch. However, over 18 months ago a group of around 30 people committed to the work began to meet together to pray and talk about the setting up of another service on a Thursday. It was thought that the lecture-style Tuesday meeting could potentially seem outdated in an environment where networking and the sharing of ideas, often over drinks or a meal, was the norm. So, they decided to try out a different formula, more tailored to the manner in which City men and women were used to conducting business and living life.
On Thursdays, workers are greeted by hosts as they enter St. Helen's and then directed to a table, just as they would be in a restaurant. Over lunch, people listen to a talk and then get the chance to put questions to the speaker and chat with others who are seated with them. This more relaxed style of meeting has met with appreciation: 80-100 people now gather each week, including a significant number of unbelievers. Increasingly, many firms arrive as a group to sit and eat lunch together and talk through what they have heard.
All over the capital
Similar works have also been set up elsewhere in the City, although to date these still use the old Tuesday format. It is thought that there is still a place for the more traditional straightforward meeting: as well as requiring less manpower to set up, it may also have the plus of being less threatening for those who just want to slip in unnoticed. Such meetings take place weekly in Aldersgate (Tuesdays) and Fleet Street. (Wednesdays at St. Dunstan's in the West). As with Thursdays at St. Helen's, Fleet Street began as a result of the prayers and work of a small core group of Christian workers with a vision for sharing the gospel with their colleagues. Now around 50 go along every week, with around 15% being non-Christians.
Canary Wharf
While the City and its growing population might be a prime harvest field, it is by no means the only one in London. Over in Canary Wharf, there is a weekly event that meets on a barge moored at West India Quay. There are also meetings in Westminster, Mayfair, Clerkenwell, Oxford Circus and Covent Garden. All have a slightly different clientele, a different atmosphere, and are run by a number of London churches and supported by workers from various church backgrounds. Some are big and thriving while others still feel fragile and new. However, all are united in the aim of making Christ known to those who work in their particular area of London. We need to pray that in a city where Jesus is ignored and reviled, many would come to see their workplace as a key area of their ministry and come to the talks, pray for the work and seek to bring friends along to hear the Good News.
What advice then to the Christian worker in London who is not yet involved in this work?
1. Have a look at the list below. Is there a weekly event near your workplace that you could be involved with?
2. If you are in an area where there does not seem to be a weekly meeting, get together with the Christians in your workplace and in the surrounding area. Meet to pray for colleagues who are still unbelievers. Pray for the opportunity to arrange occasional events.
Contact details
Bishopsgate Talks, Tuesday 12.35 pm & 1.15 pm and Thursday 1.10 pm
St. Helen's Church, off Bishopsgate
Contact: William Taylor 020 7283 2231, w.taylor@st-helens.org.uk
Aldersgate Talks, Tuesdays 1.00 pm
St Botolph's, Aldersgate
Contact: Simon Dowdy 020 7283 2231, s.dowdy@st-helens.org.uk
Fleet Street Talks, Wednesdays 1.05 pm
St Dunstan's in the West Church, Fleet St.
Contact: Simon Dowdy 020 7283 2231, s.dowdy@st-helens.org.uk
Canary Wharf, Wednesdays 1.05 pm
St Peter's Barge, West India Quay
Contact: Richard Bray 020 728 32231, r.bray@st-helens.org.uk
Christians@Work, Wednesdays 1.05 pm
St Paul's Church, Robert Adam Street
Contact: Jago Wynne 020 7580 3522, jago.wynne@allsouls.org
Christians@Work, Thursdays 1.05 pm
All Souls Church, Langham Place
Contact: Jago Wynne 020 7580 3522, jago.wynne@allsouls.org
Covent Garden, Thursdays 1.15 pm
The Vine, 34 Neal Street
Contact Charlie Skrine 020 7283 2231, c.skrine@st-helens.org.uk
Westminster@One, Tuesdays 1.00 pm
Westminster Central Hall, Storeys Gate
Contact: Jason Roach 07957 473507, westminsteratone@thebibletalks.org
Midweek in Mayfair, Wednesdays 1.05 pm
Regent Hall, 275 Oxford Street
Contact: Peter Matthew 07919 577676, peter.matthew@midweek.org.uk
JC Works, Wednesdays 1.00 pm
St James's, Clerkenwell
(First Weds. of month is outsider-friendly.)
Contact: Glen Scrivener 020 7251 1190, mail@jc-church.org
London Bridge Network, Mondays 1.05 pm
Guy's Chapel, St Thomas' Street
Contact: Steve Wilcox 020 7283 2231, s.wilcox@st-helens.org.uk
