From playing stadium gigs with Eric Clapton to leading worship in settings large and humble, DAVE MARKEE has done it all. The rock industry veteran spoke to Stuart Dearsley.
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Why the market place?
"I feel that God chose to
have this church in the market place. It's an amazing place. I speak
to so many people and am beginning to build up relationships with
them. I don't want to preach the gospel straight away. You have to
gain a trust first and believe me the market place has a lot of
potential. I've learnt things and we're having a Christmas party here
for them as well."
How has Folly's End developed?
"It all started
in January 1984 when we used to hold meetings in our house, but after
a while we moved out and in September of this year we moved into our
premises in Surrey Street. The Americans say there are three important
things about a building; location, location and location! We're now in
the heart of Croydon which has the largest number of workers outside
the West End! I have a staff of 30 and we have a big vision here. We
have plans on education, counselling, children, Bible School, a
Christian Training Institute, schools of prophecy, of the Spirit and
also music."
Education seems to be proving a success already.
"Back in 1990 we started a school in borrowed premises and the
number of pupils has doubled in the last two years and we now have
over 50 attending. We are at present looking for a new building and I
am hoping to progress into secondary education as well. We currently
have a long waiting list and over the next 10 years we expect to have
over 300."
You've also taken the rather unusual step of instigating a
Research And Development department.
"When most churches
aim at growth they look to evangelists, but I felt that God was
pointing me in a different direction. The leader of the R&D
department is a top London research manager and she works for me two
days a week. It's still in the early stages at the moment and is part
of a five-year plan.
"As a church we are currently taking time to find out God's will and we are looking to push the boundaries out. People today are searching and if we don't reach them, they will find something else."
I believe you're quite involved with Toronto?
"It all started a couple of years ago in March '94 when a friend of
mine, Dan Cutrona, rang me to tell me about the Toronto Blessing and
wanted to know what I thought about it. I said I couldn't tell him
without seeing it myself and it was June '94 when I finally got over
there.
"I found it an incredible blessing and experience. One of the most valuable things is being intimate with God and here were a group of people prepared to be intimate with God.
"It was a great challenge to decide if God was there. I was impacted by the Spirit and it smelt like God, it felt like God and it looked like God! I talked to the worship leaders and started friendships, one of whom was Jeremy Sinnott, the worship leader and assistant pastor. After that, I studied and got the theology together and decided it was definitely a Biblical manifestation.
"During that first weekend I was blown away by the power of God and attended a Brian Doerkson concert and after being prayed for I spent the next four hours on the floor! I led worship at their January celebration in front of 2,500 people and I've just come back from their Festival Of Joy which was a worship conference attended by such people as Bob Fitts, Larry Norman, Graham Kendrick, Kevin Prosch and there were over 5,000 people there."
What gigs stand out in your memory?
"On a
negative side, one I played in Warsaw with Eric in the early '80s. The
fans were getting excited and the police started beating them up in
front of us! On a positive side I've had lots of amazing ones, in fact
probably too many to mention. The recent few at the conference were
excellent and some of the most anointing times ever. When the power of
God is flowing over that many people it really is an awesome sight. It
feels like Heaven and it's a great sensation to play music and be
yourself."
What are your hopes, ambitions and plans for the
future?
"Ultimately, I want to fulfil the destiny God
has for my life and to do the work he has for me here at Folly's End
and its associated projects. I want to lay the foundations for the
future generations and I want to see my music affecting a wider
audience."
I'm just re-typing your 'Sometimes when I feel out on my own' to use at a Cafe Church - great song and timeless