There will be a new monument in the UK in honor of the countless prayers that God has answered! One of the undeniable proofs of God is the countless testimonies of Christians. He has done so many miracles, and answered so many prayers, that most of us remain ignorant of! Simply seeing Christians come together to celebrate the wonders God has done in their lives personally will be a great encouragement, as well as a powerful statement to the world.
During a recent Parliamentary reception in London, an ambitious project to build an iconic national prayer landmark in the UK took its next step forward as the shortlist of five concept designs were unveiled.
In September 2016, The Wall of Answered Prayer, working with the Royal Institute of British Architects, launched a global competition to obtain concept designs for this colossal structure of a million bricks. 134 entries from 24 countries were received and following two judging panels, the entries were whittled down to four as well as a public vote winner.
The Host of the reception was the Rt. Hon Stephen Timms, MP, a member of the judging panel and Chair of the APPG for Faith and Society, who said: “I hope it’s going to secure a really firm place in Britain’s national consciousness just like great churches and cathedrals have done in the past.”
One hundred invited guests heard about the vision of the project by The Wall of Answered Prayer Director, Richard Gamble in an interview by BBC World Service Business Presenter, Sally Bundock.
This was followed by Chair of the Judging Panel and Architect, Renato Benedetti unveiling the four winning designs, with the designers present at the event. The fifth shortlisted entry was selected by the public via an online vote on social media.
The shortlisted Architects are:
Snug Architects (from Gloucestershire, England)
Luke Macnab & Andrew Wardrope (Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios) (from Bath, England)
Mathias Bank & Asbjørn Lund (people’s choice) (from Denmark)
Quattro Design (from Southampton, England)
Stefano Baseggio & Francesca Simoni (from Italy)
When this Wall of Answered Prayer is built, it is estimated that this could be the size of 100 houses. The aim of the project is to see this structure built by the side of a British freeway.
The next stage of the project will be a national tour later in the Spring.
Welcoming this second phase of the project, Richard Gamble, Director of The Wall of Answered Prayer said: “To actually be able to see what The Wall will look like after 13 years of waiting is a real thrill. We are now gathering significant momentum and now we press on to locate and finalize the site.”
Gamble, who is the former chaplain of English Premier League soccer team Leicester City FC, added: “Thirteen years ago I felt God tell me to carry a cross around Leicestershire. I wanted people to think about Jesus during Easter and about 250,000 people saw that. After that God gave me this idea of building a wall of a million bricks with every single brick representing an answered prayer.”
Each time someone donates a brick to The Wall of Answered Prayer they will have the opportunity post their answered prayers online.
Gamble says his answered prayer came after more than two decades of praying for healing for a major back condition he’d suffered from.
“I had a condition called ankylosing spondylitis and that resulted in a degenerative disease that fused my spine together. It was starting to get pretty severe and the bouts were more regular. I would wake up in the night with the muscles in my ribcage in spasms and being unable to breath,” he said.
“After more than twenty years of praying for healing suddenly I felt a heat go down my spine. A month later I went for an MRI scan and they said the disease had stopped, which they told me was not possible.
“There is power in sharing your testimony. When I share that story, I know there are people who may have had a similar disease for decades, but will know God listens and answers.
“The thought of creating an opportunity for people to read and listen and see a million testimonies, will give great hope to the nation. For many generation to come people who are in the storms of life will find those stories of answered prayer a refuge and an encouragement.”
To find out more, visit The Wall’s official website!
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