History of the origin of hop Basel
Bernhard: On the night of January 1, 2007, I was watching God TV and heard Mike Bickle preach on Isaiah 56. 7: "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." I was deeply touched and knew in my spirit that God was talking to me about houses of prayer and that something deep was happening in me at that moment. I was so moved that I even woke up my wife and told her what was happening to me.
We had visited the prayer mountain in Uganda before and knew several other prayer movements. We had also organized regular 24h worship and prayer in our church, Oikos International Church.
History of the origin of hop Basel
Bernhard: On the night of January 1, 2007, I was watching God TV and heard Mike Bickle preach on Isaiah 56. 7: "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." I was deeply touched and knew in my spirit that God was talking to me about houses of prayer and that something deep was happening in me at that moment. I was so moved that I even woke up my wife and told her what was happening to me.
We had visited the prayer mountain in Uganda before and knew several other prayer movements. We had also organized regular 24h worship and prayer in our church, Oikos International Church.
History of the origin of hop Basel
Bernhard: On the night of January 1, 2007, I was watching God TV and heard Mike Bickle preach on Isaiah 56. 7: „My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.“ I was deeply touched and knew in my spirit that God was talking to me about houses of prayer and that something deep was happening in me at that moment. I was so moved that I even woke up my wife and told her what was happening to me.
We had visited the prayer mountain in Uganda before and knew several other prayer movements. We had also organized regular 24h worship and prayer in our church, Oikos International Church.
But we had not heard of Kansas City, where people had been praying around the clock for almost 7 years at that time. We made arrangements to visit the International House of Prayer (IHOPKC) in Kansas City in the summer of 2007. We attended a four-week school for leaders. When I entered the prayer room in Kansas City, tears ran down my face and I felt, "I have arrived home." A dream or longing that God had allowed to grow in my life over the years became a reality at that moment.
I have arrived home.
Claudia: For me, all this was still somewhat foreign. I saw my calling in serving the marginalized groups. For many years I worked with drug addicts and led mission trips to Mongolia. I did not see worship and prayer as my main calling. However, during these four weeks my life changed and God began a deep work in my heart. In summary, the main message that challenged me was ONE THING! David prays in Psalm 27:4, "One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek".
To be anxious for one thing, to chase after that one thing, to make the most important thing the most important thing. This has to do with our priorities in life. How do we spend our time? How do we handle our finances? Who or what do we put our trust in? etc. For me, these four weeks provided a new direction for my life. I was doing a lot for God and serving Him with my life, but my relationship with Him was not at the forefront. I realized that my focus was on service and not on relationship, and that I was getting tired and burned out, but I didn't see a different way forward. God spoke to me during that time in Kansas City and revealed His love and passion for me all over again.
One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek...
When we returned after that month, we began to reprioritize our lives. We set aside times that we consciously spent with God. We installed a television in our living room, where most of the time we streamed the live broadcast from the prayer room in Kansas City, in order to create an atmosphere of worship and prayer in our home. More and more the longing grew in us to have such a place in Basel, where God is worshipped day and night and people can come to meet Him.
One thing that impressed us about Mike Bickle's ministry was the many ministries that sprung up around the prayer room. But the center was the relationship, the encounter with God. So often we put ministry first, and prayer is something that we do so that God blesses our ministry. Here it was the other way around. God is worshipped simply because He is worthy and out of that fruitful ministries emerge.
We knew that this project was far too big and too expensive for us...
We started to gather people with the same vision around us, organized 24h or 48h worship in our church premises again and again and started with a 2 hour block of worship and prayer on Monday morning from 05:00-07:00. More and more this became known in the city and people from different churches came to these prayer meetings.
In December 2008, we looked at a building for the first time, with the vision of purchasing it and establishing a prayer room as well as a residential community in it. After a lengthy process of negotiations, fundraising, discussions with architect and financial experts, after a few months, it became clear that this dream could not be realised. On the one hand we were disappointed, but on the other hand relieved. We knew that this project was way too big and too expensive for us and if God did not bless and confirm it, and we did not want to take another step without Him.
In the summer of 2010 we had our first conversation with the owners of our current building and soon it went into concrete negotiations. In the next months, it was a process of repeatedly letting go of our own thoughts and plans and trusting God. This project was even bigger than the last one. This whole process of letting go and trusting lasted over 1 year. We learned to trust God during this time and to hold on to the fact that He is building His house and that it is His work. We learned not to fight with human weapons, but to worship Him and know that He holds everything in His hands. God wanted our trust and challenged us greatly on this point.
Finally, we were able to purchase the building in Margarethenstrassse in Basel on 01.01.2012 and celebrate the opening shortly thereafter.
Historical outline of the prayer movements in Germany and Switzerland
With the birth of hop Basel, we join a long history of worship and intercession. We may learn from what our predecessors have sown. Below is an insight into two movements in our region.
Herrnhut history
In response to a request from refugees, Nicklaus Ludwig, Count of Zinzendorf, provided land in 1722. The new settlement quickly expanded and was given the name Herrnhut. People came mainly from Bohemia and Moravia to build a new life. There were also those who came from other parts of Europe who were attracted by a way of life at this original and lively Christian community.
The Herrnhut community is known for its strong unity, its committed living together, and its willingness to live sacrificial lives. Zinzendorf divided them into groups, called small groups, in which they met regularly to pray, share openly, confess sins to each other, and encourage each other.
On August 27, 1727, two weeks after their Pentecost experience, they began a 24-hour/7 days prayer vigil. In doing so, they were inspired by the verse from Deuteronomy 6:6: "A continual fire shall be kept burning upon the altar; it shall not go out." Initially, 48 men and 48 women signed up for prayer. The average age of those praying was 30; Zinzendorf himself was 27. Two men and two women each prayed together for an hour until the next team relieved them. This pattern was maintained around the clock, every day, every week, every year for about 120 more years.
Six months after the beginning of the prayer vigil, the Count challenged the community to boldly dedicate themselves to the further spreading of the Gospel and go to the West Indies, Greenland or Turkey. As a result, 26 men stepped forward to begin this mission. Thus, in 1732, the first missionaries were sent out. Some Herrnhuters even allowed themselves to be enslaved to bring the Good News of Jesus to a place like Suriname in South Africa. They saw themselves as pilgrims on earth and lived for Christ. Dying was a gain for them.
In the 20 years following their Pentecost experience, they sent out more workers for the harvest than the entire Reformation movement had in the previous 200 years. Within a generation, they reached every continent. 100 years later, there were already 42 mission stations worldwide.
Fact: 65 years after the beginnings of the Prayer Vigil, this small Herrnhut community had sent out 300 missionaries to the ends of the earth.
A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.
Their Influence on the History of Revival and Mission
For John Wesley (1703-1791), an encounter with the Herrnhutters tipped the scales in his radical conversion. Wesley was used by God as England's preeminent revivalist and founded the Methodist movement. He was fascinated by the confidence of the Herrnhuters, which did not waver even in the face of impending death. A longing for such unshakable faith grew in him and he wished he could spend the rest of his life in Herrnhut, as the glory of the Lord covered that region "like water covers the sea".
Likewise, the Herrnhuters were a model for William Carey, the great Baptist reformer, pioneer of world missions and founder of several missionary societies.
Many Christian leaders believe that almost every missionary achievement of the 18th and 19th centuries, regardless of denomination, came from the sacrificial service and intercession of the Herrnhuters.
A history of the prayer movements in Switzerland
St. Maurice, Valais: In 515, King Sigismund called a group of monks to his foundation with the task of starting an uninterrupted choral prayer to praise God. Thus they prayed in 8-hour shifts day and night, 7 days a week, for over 200 years. These prayers are not unanswered!
Now this was a short excerpt from the past. We are in awe of what God has done throughout history and are excited to see what else He will do in the future.
They prayed in 8 - hour shifts day and night, 7 days a week, over 200 years.
