A lot of people ask why we call them ‘Boiler Rooms’. Which is a good question!
To be honest, the name ‘Boiler Room’ was originally just a working title for 24-7’s first intentional community in Reading, just west of London. It was little more than a nickname that stuck! The title harkens back to the great days of steam when boiler rooms powered vast machines and systems. In these places fires were fuelled night-and-day, pistons converted pressure into unprecedented levels of power and generators turned heat into light for the community.  andy freeman Much later we discovered that C.H. Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers of the late 19th Century, attributed the fruitfulness of his entire ministry to his ‘Boiler Rooms’. These were prayer meetings – often established in basements - that facilitated intercession while he preached Spurgeon, who often preached to crowds of 10,000 in days before amplification, considered these ‘Boiler Rooms’ to be the very power-source of his ministry.
 ch spurgeon In September 2001, our first Boiler Room opened in Reading. Based for its first three years in an old pub complex (incorporating three semi-derelict apartments, a basement and of course the original bar) the Reading Boiler Room community sustained a continuing rhythm of prayer. They also endeavoured to nurture creativity; they received over 200 pilgrims from around the UK and all over the world; they worked extensively with and for the disadvantaged locally, building friendships with many marginalised young people and receiving the recognition of local statutory bodies. All this in the context of prayer. And as this wild experiment has taken shape, some exciting things have happened:
 A discipline of prayer developed. Many people visited the Boiler Room venue regularly, coming in week after week to seek God as part of a missional community.
Prayers were answered. The venue had two volumes full of testimonies to answered prayer.
The poor and lost were reached. For instance, about 150 needy young people came in to spend time with the Boiler community each week. Most of them were not Christians. Local Government even recognised the effectiveness of what was going on and sought partnership and funded projects.
Since Reading's commissioning (and it's subsequent move to a new site in Caversham, before closing in June 2006), other Boiler Rooms have been started around the UK, in;
...Manchester (March 2002- November 2003)
...Staines/West London (October 2003)
...Wandsworth (November 2004, in partnership with the Salvation Army)
...the City of London (June 2005)
...Brighton (October 2005)
...Liverpool (September 2005, again in partnership with the Salvation Army - this Boiler Room is undertaking it's probationary year)
...as well as Calgary in Canada (January 2005) and Kansas City, USA.
All these venues have found that prayer, community and mission mixed together have amazing results. In the UK Boiler Rooms are also being dreamed and hoped-for and planned in places such as North London, Guildford, Colchester and a couple of other UK places. Boiler Rooms are also being dreamed and hoped-for in many other locations around the world!
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