After three and a half years of building a team, searching for buildings and renovating, the day came: the opening of the Rotterdam House of Prayer! 

On the Friday evening of our opening week, we gathered as a prayer community: friends from different churches in Rotterdam, our children who came along on the adventure, the elderly who have been praying for years for this city, groups of students – curious about what was happening here. Together, we toasted to Jesus – the One for whom we started to build this House of Prayer for, and are continuing to build it for. 

Together, we prayed Psalm 24 out over Rotterdam:

Wake up, you sleepyhead city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
    King-Glory is ready to enter.

Psalm 24:8 (MSG)

Together we were amazed by the presence of God when we prayed for His outpouring over the city. What followed was a week of people encountering our community:

Open House days – Where all kinds of people curiously walked around the residential houses – and prayer room. Family and friends, supporters and prayer groups, and people who walked by. 

In the neighbourhood, rumours circulated about the new prayer room that had opened.

A family without any religious background walked in and the two children (around eight or nine years old) immediately knelt in front of the cross. 

We hosted: 

• A seminar on prayer and creativity
• A lunch for pastors and church leaders where representatives from 17 different churches prayed that the prayer room would be a blessing for the city
• An evening with regional houses of prayer
• Slots with prophetic appointments
• Prayer moments led by different community members – sometimes liturgical, sometime expressive
• And finally: a silent worship disco to close the week! 

It was a good moment to mark our vision of Jesus in Rotterdam!

Find out more about the Rotterdam House of Prayer and our other 24-7 Prayer Communities.