News from the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer project

Christians from across the country have so far given £350,000 in three weeks toward the much anticipated new national landmark, the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer.

The Crowdfunder aims to raise £1 million in just 40 days, with each penny contributing directly to the building of the monument itself, creating a crowd-funded, crowd-created piece of public Christian art.

The 169ft structure will include a million bricks, each representing an answered prayer. The project aims to make hope visible to the nation. Since the project received the green light from the Secretary of State over 7,500 generous Christians have donated over £1 million to the project, but a further £650,000 is needed before construction can start.

Founder of the Eternal Wall, Richard Gamble says, “The response has been amazing – a movement of people is being raised up across the UK. We have so many great stories – one church asked every member to bring their loose change and raised over £1,000, a local farmer is selling his eggs on the side of the road, and others have made contributions big and small. Everyone is doing their bit to make hope visible to the nation.

“This has been a 17-year journey with many ups and downs along the way. It’s pushed our team’s faith to the absolute max but there’s a sense we’re now in touching distance of making the dream a reality.”

Gamble believes the spiritual temperature of Britain has changed since the Covid-19 pandemic. A recent survey he commissioned revealed 37 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds agreed prayer had a positive role in society, and 51 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds pray, either alone, with a small group or at church.

Gamble added: “We’re not building this landmark to have something nice to look at, we’re seeking to provoke a national conversation about prayer and inspire generations for hundreds of years. Christians now have the chance to be a part of this movement.

“Recent surveys and reports in the media show that things are changing. We have already started a national discussion on prayer and that can only be a good thing. The UK has a rich heritage embedded in Christian prayer and while many will take the viewpoint that prayer is merely a false hope, a comfort blanket when you can do nothing more – let’s recognise the increased spiritual awareness our nation is currently experiencing.”

Being built between the M6 and M42 motorways, the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer will be twice the size of the Angel of the North, and is expected to attract 300,000 visitors each year, contributing £9.3 million to the local economy. Half a million cars are expected to drive past each day and it will be in view of planes landing into Birmingham Airport. Once built, the project aims to generate over £30 million for charities and good works, in its first 20 years.

Andy Street CBE, Mayor of the West Midlands says, “It’s an incredibly ambitious, stunning project... in terms of a real statement, a landmark for the Midlands, I think it’s an incredibly progressive, ambitious piece of architecture.”

Find out more or donate to the Crowdfunder

This Christian landmark will be visible from over six miles away and will be built within the Archdiocese of Birmingham at Coleshill.

The Archdiocese is supportive of the project and Monsignor Timothy Menezes, Dean of St Chad’s Cathedral, is a member of the project’s Council of Reference.