Can we really pray for every street in the UK?

'If we said to people, “Prayer is powerful! Wouldn’t it be great if we could pray for every street in this country?’, they would say “Yes!” If you then said “Is it possible?”, they’d say “Praying for every street in the country?! No!” So – we are trying to create a movement to make it possible.'

'We want to help people see that this huge undertaking comes down to them stepping out of their front door, praying for their street and a few streets around them, and if everyone does that – we have to expect God to move and things to happen!'

Speaking about the prayer app OIKOS, Sammy Jordan, Project Lead for Hope for Every Home, showed her passion for the vision that every home in the United Kingdom could be reached with the good news of Jesus. She is keen that we take the opportunities that have presented themselves to us despite the challenges our country has faced in this post-pandemic world:

‘God has called his church out of the building. He has rooted people in their local area like never before. So many of us are now mobile during our daily exercise time, with many people reporting that they’re walking more than ever before. Through all of that, God’s been positioning people so that now, the invitation is to turn our daily walk into a prayer walk.’

God, I’m going for a walk – will you come with me?

‘It’s as simple as saying “God, I’m going for a walk – will you come with me? What do you want me to notice?”’ says Sammy. ‘All of a sudden, you get a different perspective, because things take on a different layer of meaning as we learn to see things from God’s perspective.’

To help build a sense of momentum and connectivity, Hope for Every Home has developed a prayer app, which encourages people to track which streets, roads or lanes they are praying for. Called ‘OIKOS’ (the Greek word for ‘every home’), the hope is that the app will create a national picture of all the ‘little and local’ prayer that is happening across the country. Users are encouraged to ‘tap to tag’ their street once they’ve prayed for it, which will then mark it as ‘prayed for’ with a pin. They can then go on to add ‘share’ pins to capture moments where they’ve shared the love and hope of Jesus with their neighbours – be it through words or action.

‘The app resources the vision,’ says Sammy. ‘Churches are really busy, and people are really busy too. This is not about asking people to do something new – it’s about saying “What are your daily habits?” and weaving the opportunity for greater connection with God and with your neighbours into the fabric of your every day.’ Prayer walking can be done virtually, too, for people who are unable to get out and about for a daily walk.

Sammy hopes that the app will inspire people to see that praying for their little corner of the world is part of a much bigger picture, as well as significant in its own right. And the app is just one part of the vision of Hope for Every Home. ‘I want to debunk the myths about evangelism,’ says Sammy. ‘Sharing Jesus can be done by everybody, every day, in everyday ways.’

Sharing Jesus can be done by everybody, every day, in everyday ways.

Download the OIKOS prayer app today and become part of a movement trying to reach the whole nation for Jesus - street by street, home by home… to the last home.