In these unsettled times where statues have been toppled and people live in fear, Christian visionary, Richard Gamble aims to share hope by building a massive monument to God’s faithfulness. It is known as the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer and takes the shape of an infinity loop.
The wall will be composed of one million bricks, each signifying a trial in somebody’s life where God intervened. Visitors will be able to scan each brick by means of an app on their smartphone and read the personal circumstances behind each testimony.
The new national landmark will stand alongside a busy highway outside Birmingham where it will have maximum exposure. At 169 feet tall it will be larger than other major monuments including the towering Angel of the North in Gateshead. The Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer is expected to attract some 300,000 visitors annually. Construction is due to start in 2021 with completion in 2022.
The North Warwickshire Borough Council recently granted planning permission for the project, which was then ratified by the Secretary of State. The announcement that the project has been given the go-ahead has received widespread media attention and was widely reported in UK national newspapers on Sunday 13th September which is a testimony in itself!
Obviously such a vast project has been a huge journey of faith and has required the support of Christians throughout the UK. Church leaders from different denominations are backing the project and individual believers are financing it’s roll out through crowdfunding. So who is Richard Gamble and why did God led him to do this?
Richard Gamble
Richard has been described as a “legendary man of extraordinary faith”. He had the idea for the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer in 2004, but only felt released to go ahead with the project in 2015. Since then, he has shared the concept all across the UK, rallying people behind the belief that one individual’s answered prayer can be another person’s hope.
Richard gave his life to God in 1990 and was led to study the Scriptures at Bible college. He started his working career in the corporate world before co-founding a software business and a marketing consultancy. He is a huge footbal fan and became CEO of Sports Chaplaincy UK and was former chaplain of Leicester City Football Club. He and his wife live in Leicestershire with their three children.
“We are building a very special landmark and it is an amazing opportunity for the British people to leave a legacy of hope for future generations,” Richard says. “To finally receive the official consent is incredible.
“The Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer will make hope visible to the UK. It is unique in that it is all about the community: it is crowd-funded and a million people will come together to crowd-create this incredible piece of art with their stories of hope. What we’re doing is historic.”
Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer
You can see a three dimensional visualisation of the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer below. It is amazing to think that such a prominent position has been secured for this Christian landmark in the heart of the nation. Set between the M6 and the M42 motorways it will be seen by half a million drivers each week. Towering 51.5m into the skyline it will declare ‘Jesus is alive, He listens, He answers’.
Furthermore, the project is set to have a major impact on the local enconomy, contributing in the region of £9.3 million. It will create 60 new jobs during its two year construction phase from 2021, thereafter providing 20 full-time positions in the visitor centre, café, bookstore and a 24 hour on-site chaplaincy support service.
Richard’s vision is to help create a nation of storytellers; to transform the culture of the UK, so that stories of the miraculous can become part of the nation’s consciousness; and that Christians are emboldened to share their personal accounts of answered prayer.
The Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer will also help preserve the Christian heritage of the nation; ignite a faith for prayer on a national level and proclaim Jesus to the country.
“We want to celebrate and remember all the prayers that God has answered for individuals throughout our nation’s history,” Richard concludes. “Each answered prayer could provide hope to those who visit. Our desire is to create thought-provoking public art and offer a space for recreation and reflection for everyone. Our hope is that those who visit will see how God can bring peace in life’s storms and be encouraged to reflect on the power and relevance of prayer.”
Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer is gathering one million answers to prayer. Share your experience of God’s faithfulness.
Find out more about the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer and how you can help support it through crowdfunding.
Gareth Russell contributed to this article.
Al Gibson
Wordsmith, overcomer and exhorter. Al has a degree in Journalism and Media Studies and years of communications experience in Africa, the UK, Israel and USA. He left South Africa in 2001 and worked for GOD TV in England for 18 years. He now heads up Countdown Creative, a content creation business in Exeter. Al is the author of three biographies. Blogs he writes for include GODTV.com; International Christian and UK and US Christian.
Incredible vision and project….. can only be God-inspired and led!!!!!
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Just amazing…..,
I have been watching this journey for a few years, and have been amazed at how God has had his hand on things even when things seemed to be against the project. I am delighted and encouraged by the advancement of this unique piece of architecture/art that will boldly declare “what the Lord has done” in this nation and around the world. It reminds me of Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” This is really great to see.