News
Next Stage Housing Helps to Create…
A New Start! We first met Robert when he was referred to us by his social prescriber who had called …
Next Stage Housing Needs..
A Helping Hand! Volunteer required for 1 to 2 days per month (flexible on days) for approx 4 hours o…
Evangelism…
At Our Food Club! After praying specifically for Divine Appointments, A man, M, walked into the Food…
Operation Joy Helps..
A Stolen Wheelchair? Some immediate needs are more pressing than others as Paul found out one day re…
Latest Homeless Statistics From The House Of Commons.
Next Stage Housing Provides Insight To The Numbers… Almost 6000 households with children were being …
Into The New Year With On The Wing!
Increased attendance at Prison Bible Groups... The chaplaincy teams have noticed a very encouraging …
Nourish at MCM Helps Open…
Another Much Needed Food Club. It was wonderful to see the latest Food Club set up at Trinity Baptis…
Operation Joy … On A Saturday?
Yes, Even On A Saturday! Paul is sometimes able to use a Saturday to catch up with contacts in Manch…
A New Year Catch Up…
God’s Perfect Timing! I had a new year catch up with a client who had had an appointment for her ‘Li…
The Food Club Celebrates an 80th Birthday!
Happy Birthday! It was great we could celebrate with Barry (with the cake), that it was his 80th bir…
God Knows What We Need Before We Ask For It…
Christmas Blessings! It has been lovely to see God’s hand at work on behalf of our clients this Chri…
Happy New Year!!
A Catch Up From Over Christmas and New Year With Operation Joy... A week before Christmas Paul fou…
Christmas Services, In Prison?
Yes, it's a poignant time of the year! For me as a prison chaplain it is a great joy and delight to …
The Gift That Keeps Giving!
More Generosity At Our Food Club! Thank you Cranswick Continental Foods for all the amazing gifts fo…
Sarah at 7:9 Asks…
Are the bells ringing? 7:9 has had so many wonderful opportunities over the last few weeks to tell a…
Do You Enjoy Singing Christmas Carols?
Christmas Carolling at Salford Innovation Forum... MCM hosted a Carol Service for the second year ru…
It’s That Time Of Year Again!
MCM Gets The Opportunity To Pass-on The Blessings! It was great to visit the traveller’s site and gi…
Would You Like To Volunteer With Manchester City Mission?
Here is a great opportunity… Manchester City Mission is looking for a special volunteer to help prov…
Could You Pray For Our Street Population?
Things Happen When You Do… Paul recently asked for prayer for the need of finding two of his contact…
Could You Be A Volunteer?
The Food Club Gets A Deep Clean.. It was great to welcome Steph, Jack and Karolina from Culture Amp …
Could Next Stage Housing Help You?
The Home I’ve Always wanted! Chantal first came to us as a guest in our Narrowgate Night Shelter sev…
It’s Amazing Who You Meet Walking Into Town…
Paul at Operation Joy does a lot of walking! While most of Paul's outreach is in Manchester, there a…
In Prison But Unashamedly…
Ready to receive Christ! Recently I spoke with a prisoner in one of my Bible groups and shared the g…
Urgent Appeal!
Dear Supporter... For a long time Manchester City Mission has chosen not to ask churches or members …
Clear Call.
Our Winter 2024 Edition Winter 2024 Dear Friends Out with the old and in with the new! This is a cr…
It’s in Genesis…
Operation Joy Links Life To The Bible! Sometimes it's possible to link a person's circumstances to a…
Disappointment - His Appointment…
God’s Bigger Plan – On The Wing. Recently, I was preparing for one of my usual Prison Bible groups w…
What Has Been Happening On The Streets Of Manchester Recently?
Operation Joy Updates Us . Paul has had time off in recent weeks, firstly when unwell in September, …
A day out!
Next Stage Housing Attends the Acts 435 Conference… A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending…
Spruce Court Food Club Hosts...
'Cuppa with a Copper' Our Food Club at Spruce Court was buzzing today as 'Cuppa with a Copper' had b…
Oh No! .. Not The Fridge!!
An Emergency Repair at Our Food Club… A recent emergency left our large glass fronted fridge out of …
I’ve Become A Christian!
To God Be The Glory! After a day in Manchester Paul was walking back through Bolton to home when he …
Operation Joy Remembers Birthdays!
Here’s an up-date on the recent ones... Sometimes when Paul carries birthday cards and presents for …
Sarah at 7:9 Asks…
Are You A Veggie? It was all hands to the deck to clear out the old MCM building, protective gloves …
Next Stage Housing Helps Create…
A Fresh Start! Yesterday I had the pleasure of picking up Paul to take him to his new home at Homes …
Harvest Festival Collection Gratefully Received…
At The Food Club. We are very grateful to our hosts at St Thomas’s Church for all their amazing supp…
Piece by Piece…
A Testimony From Threshold Coaching. J sought the help of Threshold during a very dark time, which i…
Does MCM Director Evangelise?
Yes, Astley Bridge Gospel Hall is testimony to it! On Sunday evening our director Terry Durose was i…
7:9 Asks, Are You Called?
Walking 1:1… Jesus walked and talked about God in his everyday life. He taught his followers that w…
MCM, A Grateful Beneficiary of ‘Good Things Foundation’
We can offer the gift of communication! When Paul was offered SIM cards which had been donated to Ma…
Operation Joy Has Been Praying…
In Piccadilly Gardens. Paul has had two differing opportunities to pray with people in the last few …
Bereavement Behind Bars.
Prison Chaplaincy with ‘On The Wing’… Losing a loved one is hard at any time, but for someone in pri…
Are Bibles Heavy?
This Week’s Story From Operation Joy.. In the course of the last few weeks there has been an ongoing…
Next Stage Housing,
Sharing the Burden… Some time ago we had a call from a gentleman with a pressing need for help with …
A gratefully Received Donation...
Thank You Hygiene Bank! Last week the Hygiene Bank delivered a generous donation of toiletries and h…
Great is your faithfulness.
How can we share the Good News of Jesus with young Muslims in our city? Have you ever been to a Chri…
Let Not Your Heart Be Troubled.
Recently in HMP Hindley… A prisoner was brought to my attention. He asked to come down to the chapel…
Out On The Streets Of Manchester,
With Operation Joy. Paul turned a corner and saw a familiar person sitting on the pavement. It turne…
All the way from Oklahoma to….
The Food Club at Bethel Church Laura and Jim, from Oklahoma, have been involved with the running of …
Who’s In The Fire?
Recent Unrest – A testimony from 7:9. Ali* hadn’t been sleeping well for weeks since his letter had …
MCM Is Now Offering Evangelism Training.
Insight Evangelism School. Over the last 20 years MCM has had the privilege of training and preparin…
MCM Has A New Coaching Project.
Threshold Coaching. Threshold Coaching is a new MCM project offered freely to those in Christian min…
Answer to prayer…
“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” Recently Paul had to report …
Little by Little…
Is Patience the Lesson? There is a scripture in Exodus 23:30 that says ‘little by little I will driv…
Yesterday On The Streets Of Manchester…
With Operation Joy. Sometimes the most encouraging story can come at the end of a shift in Mancheste…
Do You have Your ID to Get Into Heaven?
12 Prisoners at HMP Forest Bank Get Their ID! Nick, our prison chaplain and his wife Cath hosted two…
Operation Joy Asks...
Is Jesus Your Crutch? Not all stories have a happy ending. D was one of Paul's most regular contacts…
Call To Prayer!
How Often Do You Pray? This week I was chatting with some fellow followers of Jesus: Do you think it…
A Collaboration Delivers…
25 Bags of Shopping! The Manchester City Mission project, Nourish, that runs our Food Club had a suc…
50 Groundbreakers Assemblies!
Now it’s time to move on… It's a busy time for teachers and children at the end of the school year w…
3 WWJD Bracelets!
An Update from Operation Joy… Having recently sent in a story about some individuals who posted a pi…
Do You Know Me?
Prayers in Piccadilly Gardens! A young man approached Paul one day in Piccadilly Gardens and showed …
The Bury Food Club Had to Close… But…
The Salvation Army Steps In! The Bury Food Club at the Manna House had to close at the end of 2023 d…
Pendleton Together Housing...
Has a presence in our Food Club! Manchester City Mission has been partnered with Pendleton Together …
Have You Got a WWJD Bracelet?
Operation Joy finds opportunities in Piccadilly Gardens… Paul decided to sit down in Piccadilly Gar…
Have You Ever Felt Truly Desperate?
From Despair To Hope... I was called recently to attend a Multi-Disciplinary Team Meeting with a pri…
What is Eid?
Seven:Nine talks about atonement… Asking questions is a great way of getting to know someone better.…
Are you going the ‘right’ way?
An encounter on the streets of Manchester City Centre… Paul was walking along Portland Street last w…
Seven:Nine asks; Where Do You Start?
What’s the main point of the parable of the Lost Son? What details does Jesus include? Jesus took ev…
Is 6 Months Going To Be Long Enough?
Teen Challenge Spend Time In Our Food Club! Manchester City Mission are blessed to welcome Kenny and…
“I LOVE Groundbreakers assemblies!!"
The Purple Sweatshirt… A young man popped his head through the hall door of a Salford school and pun…
Clear Call.
Our Spring/Summer 2024 Edition. I want to thank you in advance for taking the time to read our lates…
News From Our City Streets.
A couple of recent stories... A is a relatively new contact for Paul. It appeared as though she was …
A Longer Read...
The Wondrous Story... in HMP Buckley Hall. I was recently given the opportunity of holding a short m…
Love Thy Neighbour as Thyself.
South Asian Fellowship. On a beautiful hot day, a small group gathered in an upper room … (there’s n…
The Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity...
Visit our Food Club and see the impact of their donation. Back in 2020 The Greater Manchester Mayor’…
A LONGER READ from On The Wing.
Delayed Grief. Recently at HMP Buckley Hall we held the final session of our current “Living With Lo…
Prophets’ Tales With Seven:Nine.
What’s your favourite story? Storytelling is a great way to practise English speaking and listening.…
Next Stage Housing Considers the Housing Crisis.
Working for the good of others! I recently read an article about a grassroots organisation in Grimsb…
Seeds Sewn in School Assemblies Have Taken Root!
More Than 10 Years Later… This week, whilst waiting for a Groundbreakers assembly to begin, a member…
Nourish Helps Plant Food Clubs Across Greater Manchester.
Updates From Radcliff 18 Months Later. Barry, our Nourish project leader has helped 6 churches to op…
Operation Joy!
Keeping Families Connected... I have been seeing B regularly which has enabled her to be in touch wi…
Food for thought with Seven:Nine.
An update with our recently launched Holy Book Group. People seemed keen to meet again after the fir…
Volunteer Opportunity...
Our New Family Hub. Manchester City Mission has been asked to set up a Family Hub for parents/guardi…
The Food Club Becomes A New Beneficiary.
The Hygiene Bank. Great news last week, a national charity called The Hygiene Bank has accepted our …
Hospitality, A Gospel Opportunity For SevenNine.
A Parable Given At Eid-ul-Fitr. The receiving of the Quran, the holy book in Islam, is remembered, a…
Operation Joy…
Provides Vital Assistance On The Streets Of Manchester. Sometimes I am asked to obtain a birth certi…
On The Streets Of Manchester And Bolton…
With Operation Joy. I mentioned a couple (J & B) who were wanting the WWJD bracelets, but that t…
Moving On.
Happily Ever After…. This week we received the happy news that P, who we have known for almost 5 yea…
Bible Study groups at HMP.
Stir-up Childhood Memories. Recently, in one of my Bible Study groups at HMP Forest Bank in Salford,…
Our Food Club Welcomes...
New Volunteers! It has been really great to welcome our first ever volunteers able to come from St T…
Easter With New Followers of Jesus.
From Eid to Easter... Eid. Imagine how you would feel if all of your usual Christmas celebrations, a…
Latest from SevenNine…
Harvest prayer (at Easter!). A small group of Christians gather on zoom each week to pray for God to…
Operation Joy - Reliable Presence on The Streets!
A Summary of Recent Conversations... D proudly showed me that she was still wearing her WWJD (What w…
The Nourish Food Club is Providing More Than Just Food.
Part 3: : Support Available in Our Food Clubs… It was great to meet up with Janet from the Growth Co…
Latest From Seven:Nine.
Brought Together For This Moment. I just so happened to be visiting a church last weekend which I ha…
Groundbreakers Inspires…
“I took the punishment”. Isn’t it so encouraging to know that what you’ve said has been listened to,…
Operation Joy Exists in the Hope That…
A Funeral is Attended. One of my street contacts, N, sadly had to tell me of her daughter's death re…
The Nourish Food Club is providing more than just food.
Part 2: Making Positive Impacts. Read what some of our members have to say about how using the food …
“I'm Trying to be a Christian”.
Simply Surrender To The Lord! Last week in my Wednesday Bible group in HMP Forest Bank, one of my gu…
The Nourish Food Club is providing more than just food.
Part 1: Interesting Statistics... From the launch of the Food Club in 2021 we have seen a rise in ne…
Food Club at Bethel Church Oldham.
Read what some of the members have to say… Back in October 2022 Barry, our Nourish project leader, h…
Not Just A Home But...
Just what she wanted. As housing is becoming increasingly difficult to come by these days, compromis…
Paul Finds Old Friends!
A catch up with recent events... Paul keeps a record week by week of who he has seen. This helps him…
New From Seven:Nine.
Holy Book Group Launch. Last week, a small group of us gathered over light refreshments in a comfort…
Bible Group in HMP Forest Bank.
Righteousness, Peace and Joy! Recently during my regular Wednesday morning Bible group in HMP Forest…
Encouragement from the Alpha Course
The highlight of the Prison Governor's day! The chaplains at Buckley Hall Prison received the follow…
A day in the life of Paul Winter
A summary of one day on the streets. As Paul encountered D she proudly demonstrated that she was sti…
Working One to One With Prisoners.
Part Three; Spontaneous Encounters. Walking through the prison I will often come across men who simp…
The Power of Prayer!
The Latest from Operation Joy. I mentioned last week that I had been speaking to E who had problems …
God’s Timing…
A Perfect Eggs-ample!! It is not usual for Groundbreakers to perform an experiment in their assembli…
Update for the Radcliffe Food Club.
It is Becoming the Place to Go! It was great to see all the progress that has been made to the Bridg…
What is your favourite Bible verse?
An Eventful Day! I never know what the day might bring, but looking back sometimes I see just how ev…
A Catch Up with Operation Joy.
A Relationship with Jesus. It had been a while since I had seen J in Bolton town centre, but when I …
Working One to One With Prisoners
Part Two; A Candle In The Chapel We often come across prisoners struggling with bereavement. Whether…
MCM Director Terry Durose.
Looks To The Future In This Final Episode. https://www.twr.org.uk/podcast... …
On The Wing
Ministry in Manchester Airport https://www.twr.org.uk/podcast... …
Operation Joy
Hear More Testimonies https://www.twr.org.uk/podcast... …
Truly Grateful!
Counting Our Blessings. As I was setting up for an assembly in an Oldham school, a boy with addition…
Working One to One With Prisoners.
Part One. Assessment Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) is the prison service care plan used for pr…
We share the light that never goes out!
Thank you, Tesco Community Grant. Groundbreakers has numerous mental health workshops booked for pri…
My Times Are in His Hands.
Birthdays, Coincidences and Football. God’s timings are always perfect, here we are reminded that “o…
What A Difference A Year Makes!
Home For Christmas. What A Difference A Year makes! Home For Christmas. You may remember us sharing…
The Windsor Centre Roof
Not Far From The Eye Of The Storm We wish all our friends and supporters a very blessed New Year as …
As Seen On TV
Lidl Toy Donation Bank You may have seen the TV commercial? Lidl have once again been the drop off p…
Food Glorious Food!
Lidl Staff Make Huge Personal Donation Lidl stores have long been a supporter of MCM's Nourish proje…
Generosity abounds at Nourish Food Club
A Christmas Gift For All A donation made by the staff at Fine Foods has blessed the older children o…
Go Behind the Scenes at Manchester City Mission
Janet Durose and Dave Butt share what it is like to keep the wheels of MCM in motion Janet speaks ab…
Amy Follet talks to Barry Matley about Nourish, MCM's Food Club
Manchester City Mission tackles food insecurity Barry explains how MCM's food club programme is help…
Singing Carols at Our New Home.
MCM team leads festive singing at the Salford Innovation Forum 13:12:23. Since October MCM has had a…
Barleycorn Trust Visits Manchester City Mission
Two Trustees Find Out About Our Work The Barleycorn Trust has been financially supporting the Manche…
Testimonies of people coming to Christ.
In this week's TWR episode we will hear more about Operation Joy from Paul Winter and Ryan Ackrill. …
On the Wing on the radio!
This week Amy Follett is joined by Nick Stirling from MCM's prison ministry, On the Wing. You can li…
Two chapters, five months apart
Paul Winter tells a story of two halves. N is Eastern European and had been asking people for help i…
Catch up on Trans World Radio's amazing series on Manchester City Mission
Listen as Amy Follett looks into MCM's Insight training and coaching project and find out more about…
Narrowgate Support Hub on Trans World Radio
Nick and Cath Stirling are interviewed by Amy Follett Listen here: https://www.twr.org.uk/podcast...…
Delayed Grief
Multiple bereavements led to drug use. I was speaking recently with one of the prisoners attending o…
What does it mean to have a relationship with God?
A volunteer comes to saving faith! A volunteer with the Nourish food club had been increasingly draw…
Trans World Radio's Amy Follet, continues to explore MCM's Next Stage Housing project
Cath Stirling takes us through the work of Narrowgate Next Stage Housing and we’ll be hearing a tes…
Amy Follet explores MCM's Insight program and Narrowgate Next Stage Housing
The next episode in Trans World Radio's Series on Manchester City Mission To listen to this episode …
"I need you to instruct me in Christianity..."
Iranian man comes to Christ in prison Back in September a prison staff member made me aware of a you…
Operation Joy Celebrates Volunteers
Action Together makes it possible! The last couple of years has been amazing as we have seen people …
Another Small Step
Paul Winter tells us about 'P'. I have known P for a few years now, and she has shown an interest in…
A hungry person is an angry person
Food club helps to bring family stability and security. Bethel Church Food Club in Oldham was repres…
Saved in HMP Forest Bank
Now he was in prison he was contemplating the things of God again. On the 13th September I was asked…
Trans World Radio Launches Series On Manchester City Mission
MCM Director Terry Durose gives an overview of MCM's work. On September 30th, Trans World Radio laun…
Volunteer re-decorates with money saved by using the food club!
Volunteer loves relaxing in his newly decorated lounge. With an average saving of £15 to £20 per sh…
What Does Jesus Say About... Responsibility?
Groundbreakers continues to produce online assemblies! The Groundbreakers team have continued to pro…
Seven Years of Prayer
How do I get God in my life? Louise, who serves in the Nourish food poverty project with our Residen…
She would be lucky to make it out of the hospital.
The life threatening illness was completely gone! Whilst Ryan was working in the Nourish project las…
What Does Jesus Say About… Thankfulness?
Encouraged! Mary has been very encouraged by the welcome she has received in schools already this te…
You light my lamp!
(Psalm 18:28 LSB) Some days seem brighter than others and while we would all wish for clear skies …
He wanted God in his life.
He had had enough, lost his job and was struggling to make ends meet. While Ryan was helping at the …
What Would Paul Winter Do?
Paul finds a creatively incarnate way to meet a spiritual need. Operation Joy’s Paul Winter goes ont…
Supported and Valued.
Making a real difference for some of society’s most vulnerable people. One of the most common challe…
Found in Translation
Ukrainian Man helped by Airport Chaplaincy. On Wednesday 16th August a young Ukrainian man, R, was r…
On the Right Track
Three prisoners respond to the Gospel On Tuesday 8th August, in HMP Hindley, Nick gave a Gospel mess…
A rock for uncertain times
Paul prays for a member of the Roma community. Few of us enjoy experiencing uncertainty in life and …
What are your biggest challenges?
Cath Stirling is interviewed about the challenges facing MCM's Next Stage Housing Project What are y…