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On: Wednesday 7 April 2010 5:45pm-7pm
In the winter of 1999 – Some Portsmouth Christians in Business came together to organise a conference at a Southsea hotel. They were walking by faith sensing God was calling them to a new work place unity and mission. This community-wide vision, conceived in the hearts of some of the delegates is now coming to birth.
One of the key speakers during that conference was John Swindell who gave a presentation that pointed to a new model of Church where the Kingdom relationships were 'horizontal' across the different spheres of the City rather than vertical within parochial borders.
John painted a picture of a city where each of the gates represented a particular area such as Education, Sport, Commerce and so on. In Biblical times it was the elders who sat in the City gates and so today, the leadership of Church (the living stones carefully joined together by God) would form a relational eldership across the City that influenced and impacted all the areas of life in Portsmouth.
The 'Business Gate' then acted as a sort of template to encourage and envision other Christians in other spheres and now Portsmouth Christians in Business are working alongside Portsmouth Christians in Education, Portsmouth Christians in Sport, Portsmouth Christians in Health, and so on.
God is at work in Portsmouth. With personal spiritual regeneration come regenerated organisations, communities and cities. This is what God desires for our great city of Portsmouth.
Christians everywhere are meeting to pray with colleagues at work, running Alpha and discipleship groups and so impacting their workplaces with the love of Christ.
Over recent years we have seen God establish His Church in environments that impact people throughout the week: in schools it is the Christian teachers and pupils alike coming together to serve and pray for their community.
Indeed nowhere has this living faith been more powerful than at Portsmouth Football Club where born again Christian players and staff have begun to take responsibility for the territory in which God has called them – pre-match player prayer meetings have become a key part of the big game build up, and a shining example of Church in the workplace.
Christians in Business, in the Policeforce and other spheres of City life are beginning to understand that as the living stones of God’s Church they can make a Kingdom difference to their daily surroundings and have a unique opportunity to reach colleagues for Christ.
More recently Christians from across a wide range of denominations have come together as Street Pastors to bring the love and light of Jesus to some of the dark hurting places within the club and pub nightlife culture.