Let’s celebrate all that God has done through the largest outreach event in the Northwest of England for a generation! Tens of thousands were reached with the Gospel message. Enjoy this day-by-day glimpse into the festival action.

Again, as soon as the festival opened in the afternoon, the sun broke through and lines of people poured into the park for the third day of fun, festivities, and live music. As the evening drew near, blankets were laid out in front of the stage, and groups congregated for what developed into a live worship event featuring Guvna B, Kingdom Choir, and Matt Redman.

We have had an outstanding time with the people of Wythenshawe and are delighted that we have been able to share the Gospel with so many. A praise report will follow shortly once we have a chance to collect more stories, but we are already receiving messages of thanks including one from a man who has always lived on the Wythenshawe estate. He didn’t manage to attend and doesn’t know Jesus but thanked us for our generosity on behalf of all the people of Wythenshawe and for bringing hope to so many at such a difficult time.

Thank you for your support throughout this event. We hope that we have been able to convey through these reports just how invaluable your part is in this incredible work. We really appreciate you.

People came. Thousands of people came! Prayers were answered at that moment as we saw lines of people snaking through the park, waiting to enter the site well before the gates were opened.

It was a beautifully sunny afternoon as family groups and friends streamed through the gates to enjoy the fairground rides, extreme sports displays, entertainment on the Kids stage, the beach, and so much more! The Gospel message was shared again throughout the program and across the site to a great response, with large numbers meeting Jesus for the first time and plenty of opportunities to minister to people. We must pray for these people, that God continues to impact their lives.

We have hosted a large group of delegates, invited from across the UK and around the world to experience a Palau festival firsthand. It has been so encouraging to see their joy and enthusiasm grow over the past couple of days as they have networked and considered the impact that this model could have for the Kingdom in their own cities. Please pray over the coming weeks as they return home and we all digest what we have seen and experienced, seeking God’s direction for cities to work with in the future.

Enjoy Andrew’s powerful Gospel message from Saturday night…

Festival Manchester is now just beginning and we have just wrapped up night one of our 3-day festival. Tonight’s emphasis was on youth and the field was packed! The extreme sports displays were outstanding, generating quite a crowd, and later despite the pouring rain, the young people were energized, dancing and singing passionately. The Gospel was shared from the main stage and also from the ramps with over 500 people responding to the Good News. Looking out over the crowd, festival friends could be seen comfortably talking and praying with groups of people.

Please keep praying as we head into the weekend. Pray especially for the weather - we’d love clear skies over the whole site so that people can spend the whole day relaxing in the park. Let’s continue to lift up the people who will attend the Festival and hear the Gospel proclaimed.

Thursday marked the end of the build-up events and the beginning of Festival Manchester weekend. Thursday started with our team and The Message Trust meeting together for a time of prayer and worship.

The day ended with a Latin unity event that brought together leaders of churches from the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking communities across the North West. It was a night of joy, excitement, and expression as pastors and their families representing churches from Manchester, Liverpool, and Birmingham spent the evening sharing a meal and stories of how God is working in their cities. The pastors were passionate and in agreement with the need for unity across the church and a real belief that a move of God would follow.

Kevin joined Andrew and Wendy for the evening. It was clear throughout the evening the warmth with which the people held the LPA ministry and the impact Luis had on their lives.

The site build has begun. Following two years of prayer and planning, we are finally seeing the site at Wythenshawe Park take shape. Structures are being assembled from the purpose-built skate ramps to the main stage, and now the true scale of the site, as well as Festival Manchester itself, is becoming apparent.

In the evening, the team divided again to cover multiple events. The first was a street party hosted by The Message Trust for the women of Wythenshawe. It was a relaxed evening where approximately one hundred women spilled from the cafe’s lounge onto the terrace outside. People chatted while live acoustic music played in the background and street food was served.

Later, everyone gathered in the auditorium where Olympian Abigail Irozuru shared her testimony, in particular about how following Jesus impacts her approach to training and competing, and then Wendy shared the Gospel. Both women were engaging, natural, and humble—the impact of these messages and the love of God were clear throughout the room. Many women responded and there was quite an extensive time of ministry for those women who responded.

At the same time, Andrew was with a similar-sized group at !Audacious church who hosted a 3-course meal for the homeless community with live music from Sovereign and a lot of dancing! It was a vibrant night. All who attended were loved upon and treated with dignity. Andrew shared the Gospel and again the impact was clear. We witnessed Jesus’s love breaking through to the unloved, forgotten, and broken.

Already this week we have seen hundreds of people across many different areas of society be moved by their first encounter with the loving God! Let’s pray for these individuals and remember that God will continue to pursue them—His affection for each individual is so great that He gave His Son for them.

On Sunday, the team of sports evangelists joined Andrew during a prison outreach event. We were unable to take photos, but Andrew and Vic had the opportunity to lead the chapel service, share the Gospel, and minister to many of the men who joined them for the service.

It was an extremely busy day, with what turned out to be some of the most worthwhile opportunities to share Jesus’s hope with a diverse cross-section of people who are in desperate need of the transforming love and power of God.

Wendy spent the morning at a church that was hosting a banquet for vulnerable women in the Manchester area. We won’t be able to share photos or specific details because of the nature of the issues that the women face, but in the church, there were tables laid with arrangements of flowers, plants, prayer stations, clothing rails, a non-alcoholic bar, and large silver balloons spelling out LOVED across the platform. It was a place of love, safety, and dignity where the girls were served and listened to. Wendy shared her own experience of God’s tangible love to a room of vulnerable women who were captivated. Our team was able to minister and pray with them afterward.

Registered with Festival Manchester as a Love Where U Live project, this was a landmark event in the ongoing ministry of this particular church, led by ordinary women, clearly empowered by God’s Spirit, making a difference in the lives of women who are abused, enslaved, and broken.

In the evening, Andrew attended and proclaimed the Gospel at the first of three homeless banquets that took place through the following week. The homeless community that St Mary’s church in Stockport regularly works with was invited along for great food, live music from Sovereign—a band from Kenya—and dancing. Local leaders are excited to continue to work with these people in the months to come.

The day concluded with a women’s outreach event at the Hilton Deansgate Hotel in the center of Manchester. The room buzzed with color and fun, as hundreds of women enjoyed delicious food together in a stunningly decorated hall. During the dinner, actress Sally Carman shared her testimony, and then Wendy shared the Gospel with a clear invitation from the front to accept Jesus.

Many women responded to the Gospel message and committed their lives to Christ for the first time!

At the Business and Civic Leader’s Gala, 40 tables were set beneath the wings of Concorde with lights reflecting off its surfaces and upon which the Festival Manchester logo was projected. Just seeing this built anticipation for the Festival. Visually it was stunning, creating a warm, joyful atmosphere whilst hundreds of invited guests mingled.

The evening started with a champagne reception and a tour of the plane with live acoustic music playing in the background. The dinner was well attended by several hundred guests who were entertained by award-winning actor and comedian Tim Vine before Scottish Businessman Sir Brian Souter shared his testimony, highlighting the impact that Christ has had on his life and work.

Andrew then took to the stage and described his own experience of his family surviving a plane crash, to urge and encourage all those who were there to consider the hope that a life with Jesus secures. There was a great response and we know of a number of people who committed their lives to Christ for the first time.

Let’s pray for these seeds that have been planted and that everyone who heard the message is blessed by it.

Thursday evening was the first of our outreach events building upon links that have already been made with the skate community in Manchester. The event was hosted at Projekts MCR, an amazing open-air facility, created beneath an overpass in the city center with every surface, ramp, bowl, and rail a skater could dream of.

The evening kicked off with a free-style skate session, plenty of pizza and drinks, followed by live music. The space was amazing - vibrant and full of activity. It was amazing to see how a previously dark space in the city had been transformed - still characteristically urban, but creative, safe, and alive. We were told that it is very much perceived as a legacy piece from Festival Manchester 2003, and the owner of the club—who is a Christian—was eager for Festival Manchester to use it in order to reach out to skaters with the Gospel.

As the band came to the end of their set, one of the members shared his testimony to the group of about 75 people who had gathered. He touched on mental health struggles that this generation is so familiar with and talked about the true and lasting hope that Jesus offers. Several good conversations were had as a result, each ending with people being given links to our online material to explore further at home.

It was a gentle, relational evening of service, with a hugely positive atmosphere. The Gospel was shared, and invitations were given encouraging everyone to come along to the festival! Please join us in praying for those who attended, for the lasting impact of the Gospel, and that Jesus would do a loving work through the service and conversation of everyone who was present.

OUTREACH EVENTS

JUNE 23: Youth Skate Outreach

JUNE 24: Business and Civic Leader’s Gala

JUNE 25: Stories of Hope Women’s Event

JUNE 26: Sports Outreach

JUNE 27: Homeless Outreach #1

JUNE 29: Homeless Outreach #2

JUNE 29: Women's Outreach #2

JUNE 30: Latin Outreach

JULY 1-3: Festival Manchester