2819 comes to London

A couple of years ago, I discovered Philip Anthony Mitchell on YouTube. What I liked about him was his very direct preaching style; he doesn’t sugarcoat things or tell you what you want to hear. He tells you what you need to hear. Everything he preaches is biblically based, and he’s not afraid to speak truth regardless of how people feel about it. One thing about me — I love outspoken people (as I’m quite outspoken myself lol). Since then, I became a digital disciple. I said to myself that one day I would fly to Atlanta to see him preach in person. I had even discussed this with someone from my church who had been thinking the same thing.

Last November, I saw on the 2819 Instagram page that there would be a summit in London on 1 February 2026. I was over the moon — I started messaging my friend to let her know, but before I could finish typing my message, she had already messaged me about it. We were determined to make it to this event by any means necessary! We were thrilled. Luckily, on the day the tickets were released, she was able to secure tickets for us. I was so happy that the event was happening at ExCeL London, which is local to me, and on top of that, the event was free! This was perfect. Many people from my church also got tickets.

When 1 February 2026 came, I was fired up. We got there a couple of hours before the event and were near the front of the queue. I couldn’t believe it was finally happening — I would finally see Philip Anthony Mitchell preach live without having to travel to Atlanta. While in the queue, we even prayed that when we got inside the arena, we would get seats near the front in the middle, and guess what? God answered that prayer, and we had a perfect view. As soon as we walked inside the arena, it felt so surreal. I actually felt like I was in the 2819 Church in Atlanta, as the setup was identical to what I have been watching on YouTube every week.

The praise and worship was amazing. I loved the songs they sang, including Jehovah Gibbor and Marvellous (I have been playing Marvellous on repeat). When I saw Philip Anthony Mitchell on the stage, I was so excited!!  His message was about the book of Jude. Pastor Philip emphasised that we do not have much time left and that we need to be serious about our faith and get right with Christ. We need to speak up and contend for the faith; we can’t be scared to “offend people” or be passive, otherwise other religions and ideologies that do not align with Christianity will continue taking over the UK. If we are not careful, Christians in the UK will be persecuted (which has already started happening). We have a duty to spread the gospel and defend Christianity against worldly movements. This message really moved me, I was locked in the entire time. I genuinely don’t think anyone in that arena left the same — it made all of us realise there’s a lot of work for us Christians to do. 

I am so grateful to God for allowing me to have this life-changing experience and for being able to share this with my sisters in Christ. For years, I had been praying to God for Christian sisterhood. I wanted a group of mature Christian women who could provide me with wise counsel, challenge me to grow closer to Christ, and lift me up in prayer. God answered that prayer for me (“Walk with the wise and become wise" Proverbs 13:20). We can’t walk on this Christian journey alone. God has been showing me the importance of community and being in the right environment for growth. That is why I'm also grateful for my church community. Though I’ve spent most of my life in church since childhood, ARC Forest Gate is the only church I have ever felt fully connected to. I remember praying to God about what I wanted in a church, and ARC ticked every single box. I will forever be grateful to my girl Shak for inviting me to this church. Since joining the church, my faith has grown more than ever before. I believe it is alignment, as both ARC and 2819 have been journeying through the book of Matthew in the ESV version during their sermons. I am excited to continue walking with Christ in this community, to grow in boldness in my faith and to spread the gospel. This season has been full of answered prayers, love, joy, and peace.