Since September, I’ve been amazed by the stories we’ve heard in Manchester, stories of students encountering the love of Jesus for the first time, students leaving other religious beliefs, picking up and reading the bible, walking into churches and living out their faith boldly on campus. Something special is happening in this city; the Lord is answering prayers. But when you peel back these stories, look behind the scenes, there is a significant factor that’s at play, something of spiritual significance, something that has been costly to build, which is at play in this city, and that is UNITY.
Here are a few headlines of stories we’ve heard from Manchester since freshers' season:
✝️ An international student from Beijing was having a conversation with one of the students on the stands, and he asked her, "What's stopping you from giving your life to Christ?" And she responded, "You haven't shown me how to yet, I want someone to show me". She was really keen and ready for today to be the day, so she gave her life that day! She is plugged into a local church, reading the bible with friends and turning up to Alpha.
? 'I walked by the Simpsons society's stall wearing Simpsons socks, where I was approached with "Have you heard the good news?" Assuming he was Christian, I dapped him up with "of Jesus Christ, of course!" He laughed at me, said he meant the Simpsons. After using my socks for an Insta post and chat, I got a text from a CU member saying that "a guy who took a picture of your feet then felt compelled to church, turned up at my church and gave his life to Christ!". He has been going to church regularly since and is reading the Word! God uses everything, even Simpsons socks.'
A Muslim woman approached students and asked for an Arabic Bible, and said she wants to know "my Jesus" because her faith isn’t helping her.
Churches across the city are seeing students coming to know Jesus, whether it's in the 1s and 2s or 10s and 20s. The Churches in Manchester are intentionally posturing themselves at the frontline of student mission for the sake of every student finding hope in Jesus and a home in His Church.
But, this doesn’t end here….
Zechariah 10:1 says “Ask the LORD for rain in the season of spring rain”
We are seeing these early signs not just in Manchester but in pockets across the UK. God is answering prayers; the reports are giving us the headlines, and our response to this was to gather as local churches and ministries across Manchester to pray all night for the sake of God to keep doing immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.
24 Churches were represented in an All-Night prayer meeting in October. Over 400 people gathered throughout the course of the night, the young and old standing together, united and crying out to God for more. We are asking for rain, while it's raining. We are not content with what we see; we want more.
I would love to leave you with this charge: Wherever you are in this nation, whatever the role is you play in student mission, and whatever the state of play is currently in your city and on your campus - PRAY. Let’s gather together for the sake of a harvest that isn’t just for our local church, but for the Church of Jesus Christ, a transformation of campus that won’t just increase our numbers on Sunday, but see heaven populated with sons and daughters coming home. This is the time to contend for rain, while it’s raining… There is more.
