The Prayer Box – presented, and installed on the Village Hall wall...

Carl Stafford presents the Prayer Box to Jill

During our morning service on Sunday 9th May 2004, Carl Stafford from "Message of Hope Ministries" based in Folkstone presented us with a Prayer Box.  It is now fixed to the outside front wall of the Village Hall, facing Rugby Road.

The story went back to the previous year, when Jill saw a news item about a Prayer Box that Message of Hope Ministries had located in Folkestone town centre.  The prayer box is a facility that can be used by anyone to post a request for prayer.  It is emptied frequently, and a small group of people within the church meet to pray the prayers that have been requested.  The requests are confidential to the small group.

Jill and the church leaders were excited about the possibility of providing a similar prayer box for Binley Woods.  First of all we approached the Parish Council, who gave their support.  And then we approached the Village Hall Committee, who agreed that the prayer box could be mounted on the front wall of the Village Hall.

The next task was to get the prayer box made.  It needed to be neat, strong and secure, and so we started to make enquiries about where such a box could be made.  Those enquiries were not making a lot of progress when we received the news that Message of Hope Ministries wanted to make our box and deliver it to us!

And so on 9th May, Carl and his wife came to our morning service to present us with the Prayer Box for Binley Woods.

Two tasks remained.  The plain black box was printed with neat information.  And then the box was fixed to the outside front wall of the Village Hall, facing Rugby Road.

The Prayer Box is for anyone to post a prayer request.  It is emptied frequently, and a small group of people from the church meet to pray the prayers that have been requested.  The requests are confidential to the small group.


We pray that each individual person will be aware of God's love, strengthening and mercy each day.

Listen to Jill's Prayer Box interview on Radio CWR on Sunday morning, 6th June (5 minutes) MP3 (2MB) or Ogg Vorbis (1MB)

The "Opening Ceremony" of the Prayer Box was on Monday afternoon, 7th June 2004. It was attended by (L to R) Parish Council Chairman Paul Salisbury, Village Hall Committee Chairman Pete Morris, Binley Woods Minister Jill Cheverton, and the Archdeacon of Coventry Mark Bryant.

Church members look on, with Mark Bryant, Archdeacon of Coventry