Along with the rest of the UK and Ireland, churches across London are preparing for a month of mission in Easter 2022 as part of the initiative A Passion for Life (APFL).
The prayer of those in the London Gospel Partnership is that there might be clusters of churches equipped and actively on mission in each of the 32 boroughs across the city – that many across London might be reached for Christ.
Nathan, a church pastor in Enfield, is one of those who is looking forward to the opportunities that A Passion for Life provides. He comments on how ‘it really helps keep our focus on making Jesus known in our community as we start to emerge from this unusual year as a church! We are also excited for the sense of partnership it will bring across churches in London and the UK to reach the lost’.
Indeed, that sense of partnership in mission is one which is being fostered in boroughs across London, as planning for APFL gets underway. Rick, a church planter in Barkingside, shares something of his experience within his local cluster in the Redbridge borough:
‘We regularly meet together as a group of local church leaders to pray, but we are looking forward to building on that with A Passion for Life, and thinking creatively about how to reach people in our borough with the gospel. That being said, we don’t want this to just be a one-off for us next Easter – we’re praying that APFL would be a launchpad to a culture of missional praying and planning together more generally.’
Beyond localised praying and planning, it was an encouragement to see over 40 London leaders attend a recent central prayer gathering – joining online over lunch to urgently pray for God to do a work across the city – and there are plans for training sessions and further prayer gatherings in the autumn term. For the London Gospel Partnership, the prayer is that A Passion for Life 2022 is just the catalyst for an increase in the ‘mission heat’ of local churches – establishing a culture of evangelism across London that lasts far beyond next Easter!
