Last year we gathered to Feast, this year we're inviting you Home...  The 24-7 Feast has had a change of name and focus.  24-7’s International Gathering for 2008 is now called ‘Home’.  Pete Greig, 24-7’s International Team Leader, unpacks what motivated us to change direction…  

“I shared a memorable evening recently with the musician David Ruis.  We talked about his friend John Wimber, who’s life affects so many of us to this day, even though (for me) Wimber belonged to an earlier generation. David Ruis told me lots of stories about John – many of them private ones - that made me realize what an amazing, insightful, human leader he truly was. Eventually, I looked at David and asked him the million dollar question: “If John Wimber was here now, sitting right there, next to you on my sofa,” I said, “what do you think he would say to 24-7?”  
“He’d love you guys so much,” replied David without hesitation. “He’d love your passion, your values, your vision. But he’d challenge you to be clearer about doctrine - what you really believe. He’d want you to stand up and be counted. Otherwise, if you keep it too vague, you will trade short-term popularity for long-term influence.”
 
In response to this gentle rebuke, we have decided to ‘take the bull by the horns’ when we gather in Southampton, England from the 12th- 14th September.  We will be addressing one of the most important (and contentious) verses in Scripture:

“My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations”
Isaiah 56:7

Let’s face it; some people have developed some pretty weird understandings of what this verse means - some whacky theology is flying around. But the fact is that this prophecy impelled Jesus to aggressively evict moneylenders from the Temple. It was Christ’s final public act before crucifixion, according to all three synoptic gospel writers – an act so outrageous that his arrest became inevitable. John however places the event at the very start of Christ’s ministry. This means that, either the clearing of the temple took place twice, at the beginning and then at the end of Christ’s time on earth – which makes it an extraordinarily significant event. Or John considered the event so important that he repositioned the chronology in order to use it as a way of setting the scene for the whole of Christ’s ensuing ministry. Either way, this call for the house of God to be a house of prayer which blesses the nations, is without doubt one of the absolute keys to understanding Christ’s ministry and the calling upon us as His people – especially at a time when we are witnessing a mass mobilization of prayer around the world.

What, then, does it mean for us? What does this verse say about the end times and Israel? Where is God’s Temple today? How do prayer and mission movements fit together? How are we to pray at a time of such global turmoil? What are prayer rooms and Boiler Rooms really about?
 
Isaiah 56:7 is inevitably a key verse to understanding why 24-7 exists and where we are heading as a distinctive, global movement of prayer, mission and justice. Why don’t you consider joining us in September as we explore the world-shaking implications of this scripture?  We have a growing clarity and conviction about the urgency of our calling to impact the nations for Jesus. We know what we’re here for, we know where we’re going, and we know it’s time to stand up and be counted for the things we have come to believe. Maybe its time to kick over some tables: The Father wants His house back! In our day He is angry at the exclusiveness, greed and hypocrisy which continue to exclude the poor and the lost from His grace. He calls us – His Temple - to be a place of prayer and radical hospitality for those outside the church. He is challenging every local congregation, every intercessor and prayer group, every missionary and missions agency, every mercy ministry, and every worshipper of His son Jesus Christ, to fling wide the doors of heaven and say to our neighbors here on earth ‘Welcome Home!’
 
The winds of the Holy Spirit are blowing hard in our day. Together we must navigate stormy seas. If you possibly can, come join us in September.”

In response to this challenge we have shifted the focus of our international gathering away from feasting and towards exploring the idea of the Father’s house of prayer as our ‘Home’:

Home is:
        Where our Father is…
                Where we belong…
                        Where the lost are found…

We’ll have streams of teaching and equipping seminars, free time to make friends from across four continents and space for prayer and celebration.  Tickets are now available from the 24-7 Shop so reserve your place now.

Date and Venue:

Grab your Diary and write ‘Home’: A Gathering of the International 24-7 Family from the evening of the 12th to the evening of the 14th of September and then book your ticket and your travel to Central Hall, home of New Community Church in the coastal city of Southampton, England. 

Tickets:

Entrance to the gathering is priced a little differently this year as we want to reflect the travel costs of those coming from further a field so make sure you booking the right ticket!

If you’re coming from within Europe the gathering will cost: £67
If you’re making the journey from outside the continent the gathering will cost: £49

Accommodation:

During the weekend of the ‘Home’ gathering Southampton is also hosting it’s famous Boat Show.  This will mean there will be lots to do and see in the city but that the accommodation available will be booked up quickly and will be more expensive than normal.  With this in mind 24-7 has reserved single rooms at Southampton University, just three miles from our Central Hall where we will be meeting.  Three nights bed and breakfast will cost £86 per person.  This will be by far the cheapest accommodation option you will find unless you have friends in the city!  You can reserve your room through the 24-7 shop when booking your ticket.

The 24-7 Carbon Neutral Scheme:

24-7 is pioneering a new scheme this year to give you the opportunity to offset the carbon footprint of your travel to the ‘Home’ gathering.  Lisa Borden, a member of the 24-7 International Team, and her family live and work in Tanzania.  The Bordens and the Wild Hope team will be planting trees on their own property and that of a nearby orphanage.  They have plenty of trees to plant so do take part!  The cost is worked out depending upon distance traveled and factors in the price of trees that are native to the area and their careful planting and nurturing until they are able to survive on their own.  You can neutralise your carbon footprint in the same area of the shop as you buy your tickets.  It’s cheaper than you think so no excuses!

Book Soon!

Last year the 24-7 Feast (our equivalent gathering in 2007) sold out a month before the event!  We were so sad to turn have to turn so many people away.  This year we’ve booked a larger venue but are anticipating a lot of interest.  To make sure you reserve your space we recommend you book ASAP and be aware that bookings will close on the 29th August.

Spread the word:

Help us spread the word.  Blog, Facebook, MySpace and Bebo about the ‘Home’ gathering.  If you want to spread the word by email or print a flier to advertise it at your church download this simple image and get advertising.  It’s gonna be a lot of fun! See you there.