Clear CallThe newsletter of Manchester City Mission

Issue 13 Spring/Summer 2012

175th

BirthdayEdition

Early 1900’s Early 1980’s Present day

The Director’s bit by TERRY DUROSE

The Perry Equation

A FEW weeks ago John Perry, a long standing MCM Trustee,

conversation he walked over to the whiteboard that occupies

following “mathematical” equation:

As he wrote, he began to explain that scientists have been working on a “theory of everything” that would unify Newtonian Physics and Quantum

Up to now this theory has proved to be

had caused John to wonder if it would be possible to write an equation that would

As a maths “dummy” I was relieved when he began to expound his theory as follows:

Incarnation plus Compassion (times Love squared), plus Proclamation to

(without whom we can do nothing) equals

I’m not sure what the Maths department at the local University would say about it, but our experience is that this equation certainly has missiological integrity!

As though to prove the point, even as I was writing this piece, Dave Bullock, our Windsor Drop In Coordinator bounced

has been staying in the Narrowgate Night

Pavel considered himself to be a Christian and had always attended the Bulgarian state church, but as Dave opened up the message of reconciliation he saw that Pavel was being touched by

to accept Jesus as saviour was gladly accepted and once again the equation

conversation he walked over to the whiteboard that occupies

following “mathematical” equation:

John Perry

I was hungry, and you formed a humanities group to

I was imprisoned,and you crept into your chapel and prayed

I was naked,and in your mind you debated the

I was sick,

I was homeless,and you told me of the shelter found in

I was lonely,and you left me alone to go to pray for

but I am still very hungry-and lonely- and oh so very cold! - Author unknown

mum but the other Mary!”

The answers surprised even the Archbishop of Canterbury as it was found that less than half of the children knew the words to the Lord’s Prayer compared with 40 years ago, but 43% of children believed that religion DID play an important part in life even though far fewer people now go to church and one in three state that they do not follow any

The Archbishop believed that the importance given to “religion” was due in part to schools now being more varied and children being exposed to different kinds

My experience is that in many of the schools I visit, there is a general lack of

Collective Worship to be of a broadly

most vital task, to help children explore the Christian faith in ways that are exciting and memorable, whether that be a “Jesus Picnic” in an RE lesson with 5

themed assembly complete with conveyor belt!!

Who knows what the results of a Newsround survey will be about religion in another 40 years time, but hopefully the children we see through our work with

but more importantly, the truths that we seek to put across each day as we go out

“Are you called Mary?” asked one of the mums, as I saw a class of children out at the end of the day in a local primary

daughter talks about you a lot, and the RE that you’re doing, but when she talks

What a reputation!! And how fantastic that a little girl of 5, who doesn’t normally talk about school, is so excited about RE!!

To mark forty years since Newsround

over 1000 children aged 6 to 12 and 1000 adults who would have been that age 40

whether religion played an important part in their lives and whether they knew the

By MARY BUTT,Groundbreakers Co-ordinator

received gifts of £1,800 and had engaged 29 missionaries to visit ‘districts’ of 400 families

and offer spiritual, physical and material

missionaries met with people at the point of

By 1860 MCM had 88 missionaries, including Deaconesses, whose task it was to ‘advance the domestic welfare and spiritual instruction of the most degraded and destitute, especially women’

received, ‘house’ or ‘cottage’ meetings were set up and these, eventually, became

1884 and 1900, under the leadership of c

or assemblies were built in the City of

175 years and

- a brief history of the Mission!

for the present, and future, of Manchester

area to form an evangelical organisation based on the newly-founded ‘City Missions’

The purpose of Manchester City Mission was to unite all Christians within the city

Manchester area was growing rapidly due to

in 1840 many families were poorly housed

Manchester City Mission was founded on 25th April

Chairman, Isaac Crewdson, with David Nasmith gathered a group of Christian men from the Manchester

area to form an evangelical organisation

Break time meeting

Sadly, much of MCM’s archive material

much information about the work before this

1950 - 1970

Windsor Christian Centre in Salford, where

Windsor Christian Centre, Salford

MCM developed a youth work including

‘Telephone Church’ was set up and a gospel

1980 – 2006The work developed, smaller churches

Evangelism began to include drama and

people, so it is no surprise that missionaries were involved in visiting markets and industrial estates to pass out literature

developed into ‘Street Soccer’ which is now

2006 - 2012Under the Directorship of Terry Durose

and the Leadership of our Trustees, MCM was

– love responding to the unmet needs we

football to reach vulnerable young men)

work) were introduced, closely followed by Resonate, the Windsor Drop In Centre and, more recently, the Narrowgate Emergency

Our prayer is that you will continue to support us as we look forward to another

Manchester Police) - Telephone Church launch

The Windsor Drop In is now

has been memorable for a variety of reasons, but for me the overriding miracle is that two organisations – Manchester City Mission and Salford Loaves and Fishes, have been able to collaborate to produce this vital service to the homeless, and

As with all miracles, it

was in the process of re-inventing herself and we needed new team members

had applied for the post of missionary and, in the process of the interview told me about a dream he had for a drop

the services they needed from nourishing food through to

“A Miracle in Progress”Chris began a process of

consultation, talking to church leaders and others about our

heard that there was indeed a need for this kind of ministry in

Eventually we had a

call from a group called Salford Loaves and Fishes who had been running a successful local drop in for a long time but was

They had a full raft of services to offer, MCM had premises

Could we possibly do something together?

It took a lot of hard work but within a few months, Chris’s dream of a “one stop shop” for the homeless had been

Almost six years, several staff changes, and one secret millionaire later, that dream

that the WDI offer currently include food, clothes, drug and alcohol support, arts and crafts, smoking support, laundry, medical services,

While the guests are sleeping, I just look on

We are all in a place where we feel we belong.

A place to come to sleep in or just to feel good.

To get some advice, hot drinks and some food.

We all need a safe place, we all need a friend.

Nothing like a warm face on which we can depend.

On most of us, society looks down.

They look down their noses, they sneer and frown.

They don’t like to admit that we’re people too.

They don’t want to see us - we simply won’t doSo this place is a God send when the streets are too cruel.

This place is our best friend, which we rate as cool. - by Laura McMillan, Client and Narrowgate VolunteerDaily life in the Drop In

A review of nearly six years of ministry by Terry Durose

showers, dental services,

advice, support work and the all-important opportunity to

It is never easy to get two organisations to work

culture and unique way of

many opportunities for communication breakdown

eighty people who visit the centre each opening would

Team Changes Again!“...2 new team members share their stories”

addiction and buried problems deep within me rather than facing them. As soon as I started to understand that I was able, with the help of my Father in heaven to

rebuild my life, I went for it! It has not been easy, but I know God is there with me every step of the way, and in Jesus I have the most amazing role model.

In the past 11 years, by the grace of God, I have done and got, so many things that I thought I would never have in my life. I know how much God loves me and that His love is available to us all.

The story of the Good Samaritan really inspires me and I try and live my life now with the attitude of the Good Samaritan; to give as much as I can; to show God’s love in a real practical way; and I know from my own experience that it can make a real difference in all our lives – we just have to believe and trust in Him.

What a real blessing and a privilege it is to become part of the team at the Narrowgate Night Shelter and I am really excited about the future. - By Andy Willis

readymade family, so I was ‘ given’ to his mother,. Although I was loved it’s not the same as having a Mum and Dad. Over the years, the knowledge that I had been rejected by both parents left a vast gap in my life, and an aching in my heart that nothing could fill.

I felt unwanted, unloved and angry inside, so much so that over the years I built a “brick wall” around me that no one could get through. I thought it would stop the hurt, it didn’t of course, it just made it impossible for me to care about other people’s feelings.

After a period of volunteering in the night shelter I started filling in as temporary Team Leader, I started going to the Windsor Drop-in Centre’s Bible Classes

I started helping as temporary Team Leader, and when I started going to the Windsor Drop-in Centre’s Bible Classes my whole life changed. Leo came along to Church and Bible classes with me, and we both found Jesus together. Now that we have let Jesus into our hearts and lives we both feel so much happier and content.

Personally I can now put a whole chapter of misery, fear and helplessness behind me. Finding the true meaning of Christianity has given me a new life, and I give praise to God everyday for bringing me here, and for giving me closure on my painful past. - By Lyn Rumley

At the time of writing this in mid-January 2012, I have been part of the Narrowgate team for nearly a month and to say I have enjoyed every minute is an understatement. Christmas has never been the best time for me but this Christmas made up for so many.

11 years ago when I became a Christian I never thought I would be doing work like this, but God made it very clear in my new life that I should never forget where I came from and I am pleased to say I haven’t.

I spent the best part of 18 years in and out of prison, living on the streets in hostels and squats without anywhere I could call home. I struggled with Andy Willis

Lyn Rumley

My husband Leo, and I started volunteering at the Windsor Drop-in volunteering in April 2010.

At first I helped out in the kitchen, but then I got more involved with support work, helping guests filling in support forms etc.

In the August of 2010 I also started volunteering to work nights in the Narrowgate Night Shelter. I found I loved the work– to me it felt like I had discovered a whole new family, in fact it filled a void in my life.

Let me explain. My parents divorced when I was 5 years old, and although my father had custody of me, when he re-married his new wife did not want a

MANCHESTER CITY MISSION is based at Windsor Christian Centre, Churchill Way, Salford M6 5BU.Tel: 0161 736 7959;email: mancitmis@aol.com;www.manchestercitymission.org.ukTrustees: Richard Haworth (Acting Chair); John Perry; Helyn Uwubamwan; Ray Jackson; Dr Diana Forrest; Chris Bailey.MCM is a registered charity (number 224626).Project logos by Oz Durose.

MCM would like to acknowledge our project partners and volunteers for their collaboration on our shared initiatives.

Even though I came into this position with my eyes open and had a good idea of what I was getting into, I still had a few surprises and indeed challenges.

I say this because when I first became a Christian in May of 1972, I had a lot of interaction with un-churched people. I started witnessing on the streets, doing youth work and holding outreach meetings. Then eventually I got into prison ministry. However, as the years went by the emphasis began to change and I found myself ministering more to God’s people as a worship leader and Bible teacher. So when this position of chaplain to the homeless was presented to me I relished the opportunity to engage once again with those who did not know Christ.

I spend my time chatting with guests, befriending them, counselling them and praying with them, then just before everyone retires for the night I hold a time of devotions in which I might sing a little, share a short message from God’s Word then close in prayer. I have been greatly impressed with the way the guests gather for these times and how they sit listening with due reverence and respect for God and His Word.

Please pray for the work of the Narrowgate night shelter, both for the physical needs of the guests, the staff, and the volunteers and also for their spiritual well-being, that they may come to know Christ and grow from strength to strength in Him.

Holly went with her Mum to see the Christmas (2010) lights in Manchester. As they got nearer to the festivities, Holly became more and more agitated. Her Mum asked her what was wrong. She said that she was concerned about the people she saw, bedding down for the night in shop doorways, cold and hungry.

Although at the time Holly was only 5 years old, she wanted to know what she could do and asked her Mum how she could help. Thinking quickly, her Mum suggested that she save her pocket money through the year, and then give the money to a local charity who could help provide overnight shelter for those with no home of their own.

Holly, was very determined. Although she lived in a very deprived area, Holly managed to raise a total of £110!

We had a call from Holly’s Girls Brigade leader enquiring if we could use a cash donation to provide bedding for the homeless. Could we? You bet!

The constant washing of bedding means that laundry needs to be replaced frequently, and so this donation would be of significant help.

Arrangements were made for Phil Brown, the Narrowgate Night Shelter Manager, to visit Holly at a Girls Brigade evening to be presented with the

Holly’s Story by Phil Brown

money by Holly herself.

Holly is an inspiration to us all.Anyone and everyone can do something to help. The question is, will you do something to help?

Nick Stirling

Phil Brown receiving gift from Holly

I have been working with Manchester City Mission as Chaplain at the Narrowgate Night Shelter since December 2011. In that time I have had the privilege of seeing several people come to know Christ as their Saviour or rededicate their lives.