27/02/2024
Here is an update from House of Prayer leader Sophie Dearden and her husband Richard:
“As many of you will already know, this is a special week as it marks the final HoP meetings and final Tabernacle on Friday 1st March 2024 before I step down from leading York House of Prayer and Richard and I move on from The Belfrey Church.
The House of Prayer ministry and The Belfrey have been an extremely important part of both mine and Richard’s life and discipleship with Jesus. We have learned many valuable things over the 14+ years that we have been part of this fellowship and thank God for all He has done!
It has been with much prayer and seeking the voice of God that we have made this decision, and we know with certainty and expectancy that He is asking us to step into a new season and a new assignment at this time and so our desire is to be obedient to Him! We value your prayer support and any prophetic insight as we do this together. And do pray for the leadership of The Belfrey as they decide the way forward for the House of Prayer ministry.
I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity to lead the House of Prayer for the last 5 and a half years. The Lord has been so faithful, and we will treasure the countless testimonies and memories made during that time: of zealous freedom in worship, people released to hear the voice of God, those who have learned to seek the face of God and intercede powerfully, many prophets released into their calling, radical healings and deliverances, shifts in the spiritual atmosphere over York and we could go on… It has been the deepest honour to pray day and night for the church, the city, the region, and the nations over the last 10 years as part of the House of Prayer team. I will never forget all I have learned from so many of you prayerful people who have shown me what it is to be devoted to Jesus. We are so grateful for those of you who have journeyed with us, worshipped into the early hours with us, and shared in all the wonderful things the Lord has done through the HoP over the years – thank you!! And a special thanks to those who have been part of the core HoP team, what an extraordinary group of fiery people who have served diligently and at great personal cost, to honour and worship the King and fight in prayer for our churches and our city. They will always have an extremely special place in our hearts and will remain firm, lifelong friends.
We will still be living in York, so if you would like to stay in contact then please do and we can update you with what we’ll get up to next as the Lord leads us into this exciting new chapter! Richest blessings from our family to yours, in Jesus’ mighty name, all for His glory.”
