AlanTaylor's blog

A Different Perspective

 

 

Hi! My name's Ashleigh, and I'm guest blogging for Ivy Fallowfield.  So I actually already wrote this blog, and it got reviewed and sent back. "Too long," they say.  So now I have to rewrite it; take out half my words and exchange the other half for shorter ones.  I'm not too good at rewriting things, as normally I'm quite happy with the first draft.. Never did it in school, and I... Oh, hold on.  You don't know who "I" am.  Let's begin there.

 

I come from a land

From a faraway place

Where the bears and the cougars roam.

Where it's flat and immense,

And the cold is intense.

It's barbaric, but hey, it's home!

 

Where the wheat's from the east,

And the wood's from the west,

And the oil in the sand is right.

Come on down,

Say good bye,

Get on an airplane and fly,

To another Canadian night!

 

Yes, I'm visiting from Canada! (bonus points if you know what movie the above was adapted from!)   Doing a bit of volunteering with Ivy (which is how I came to know of Fallowfield), some sightseeing, and a lot of meeting people and experiencing British life.  It's fantastic.  

 

I've now been here for almost four weeks, and my first impressions of the church at Ivy and the smaller plant at Fallowfield have definitely been positive.  We don't rent out movie theatres or pubs to hold church in at home, and although a rather foreign idea to me I think it's definitely expanded my view of what "church" can be.  As in it doesn't have to be in a nice little dedicated building with an organ and pews.  Not that my church is in one of those either, but we do have a church building.  Fact is, though, I'm realizing more and more that church really is anywhere that a few believers gather to pray, worship, and teach each other about God.

 

I love how Ivy Fallowfield especially has taken that mandate of "church can be anywhere," and hence are currently holding their services in the Baa Bar in the Fallowfield neighbourhood.  It's been awesome to hear stories of how members are really trying to reach into the large student community, through events, prayer walks, football tournaments, and other ventures I probably haven't been made aware of.  It's really encouraging to see these people and their heart for their city, and I've noticed a lot of things.  But this blog is long enough, so you'll have to check part two for extended revelations.  ;)

 

2011 Review

Below is a report that goes out to all of the Ivy Manchester Church. Its a review of 2011. Thanks for being part of the journey. Lets press into everything God has for us in 2012. 

Love Alan

 

Students

 

There’s about 80000 students in Manchester with roughly 1% connected with a church. This is an astounding statistic that continues to stir me to be part of raising up young leaders that are deeply rooted in God’s story and encountering the Living God in the power of Holy Spirit. I continue to call students to live out their faith in community and reach out in love through creative ways to an increasingly unreached generation.

 

 

Churchinaclub

 

It’s felt like God has said yes and amen to Churchinaclub this year. We started the year with Churchinaclub being in local newspapers, national radio and being filmed for a BBC documentary. We have not paid a weeks rent at the Queen of Hearts club or our new venue Baabar, and we’ve even been allowed to bring our own food in. All of this has come as quite a surprise. Great though!

 

Churchinaclub continues to move forward with a vision to see a living dynamic expression of Christ’s body, his church visible on campus, in Fallowfield and in our daily lives. We have taken a step of faith in our year of surprises by moving from a fortnightly service to a weekly gathering. This has been a success with new people coming every week often with little or no faith and certainly with no connection to a church. This year, with a core community of about 60, we have connected with over 200 people - that is God’s grace and smile on us.

 

We’ve seen 3 students baptized this year, one of them was in the nightclub (don’t know how we got permission for that!). We’ve put on studentalpha courses, football tournaments, been out on the streets as a visible presence in Fallowfield and campus talking and praying for people connecting with hundreds of young people. We’ve resourced the CU’s mission and developed stronger relationships with other churches in the city (see www.thegatheringuk.com. I’ve been very encouraged to see leaders take on more ownership for the church gathering and mission with younger people involved in leading worship, services, prayers, grow groups and evangelism.

 

Churchinaclub is becoming an exciting base community for mission, discipleship and releasing young leaders. One example of quiet influence was seen in the summer when the riots kicked off in Manchester. The police, who know me from our late night ministry in Fallowfield giving bottles of water out, called me in to be a mediator during the riots. As church we are getting known in the area and becoming a trusted stakeholder. We hope to build on this in the future as we bless the local community and break the student bubble lifting their eyes to serve a city in need and be in relationship with a multi-generational family at Ivy.

 

This year has been a stretch for the team (and me) but God continues to add people and we’ve been so blessed by people willing to get stuck in and serve sacrificially to reach new people and set a higher bar to following Jesus. I’m convinced there is more on the horizon. I see us growing to hundreds of firebrands through many young leaders in teams pioneering the way in multiplying small communities in bars and clubs and further impacting the Fallowfield community with the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is destined to bear lasting fruit.

 

 

Prayer

 

As many of you know I have long felt a desire to see the church pray together in unity for God to breakthrough in revival. I’ve been privileged to be involved in seeing God stir and awaken hundreds of young people at Prayerstorm, most recently on 11/11/11.  The 7:14 gathering is another prayer initiative that I’ve been connected with to see public displays of prayer which involved over 50 cities around the world simultaneously praying for God to heal their city and land.

 

 

Finally

 

A mention to the hugely creative and gifted Nick Duffy whom I’ve closely worked with to oversee and lead this ministry at Ivy and increasingly the leadership team (Rick Ashton, Jon Pearson, Ruth Taylor, Becky Duffy, Emily and Theo Bowyer, Dan Moynihan and Zeb Bowyer) at Churchinaclub. Thanks to all the students who make up who we are at Ivy and being part of turning the tide of a generation away from God. Finally, as with all married leaders in church ministry I massively appreciate my spouse. Thankyou Ruth for being so supportive and encouraging.

 

Bring on 2012!

Missional Mass

Five of us from churchinaclub were out in Fallowfield during the Friday of fresher's week. The place was absolutely packed with hundreds of students walking the streets from pub to pub, queueing up outside vodka bars, ordering their kebabs. It was 1130pm and we were setting up for our 'midnight mass' on the streets outside the Fallowfield Tesco car park. The bread and wine of communion is still so recognisable to most people and a proclamation of the gospel of grace (1 Cor 11:26). Midnight is such a great time to be out on the streets with hundreds of students out, so we thought we'd have a go.

 





We set up a gazebo, a table of bread and wine, a wooden cross, a ridiculously high pole with a banner for healing, our churchinaclub banners and more! You could not miss us just opposite the Revolution Bar. We chatted with dozens throughout the night, prayed, blessed, shared communion with them. A couple of us spent an hour with a guy who was so drunk an ambulance had to be called. His friends were visibly moved by our care for him, hopefully a sign to them all of God's love. The manager of a local vodka bar came out to chat with us, police looked on approvingly and bouncers told us to call them if there was any trouble. Mass means 'dismissal', we felt that God wanted us to experience grace in bread and wine and then dismiss us or tell us to 'go!' So after mass we gave out hundreds of bottles of water to the students.

 

 



Throughout the night we met people identifying them self as a catholic, a protestant or an orthodox Christian. All of the people we spoke to had little or no Christian community but recognised the need for the grace seen in taking bread and wine. We hope to continue with midnight mass and call people to recommit their life to God through enjoying forgiveness as well as a belong to a body of believers. That's what I call missional mass.

 

Slaughtered

I was out on Monday night with Nick Duffy praying and chatting with new students outside Owen's Park. We were watching big groups of students head off into town with many already looking totally smashed. We thought statistically out of some of the groups emerging they'll be some Christians, and we were right, there were! We felt they were going off like lambs to the slaugher!  Its great to go out with your new flat/course mates but the big question is: are they ready to face the pressures?

It took me a good year or so after becoming a Christian at uni before I was secure enough to say to the crowd when in a bar "I've had enough thanks" - the peer pressure is massive. I know its tough for students, particular guys, but there is truth in 1 John 4:4 "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

We're children of God, we have Christ in us, He is greater than any force looking to test us. We can be secure in our identity as loved and accepted in Him, no pressure outside can squeeze us into a world indulging in selfish pursuit. We are different! I want to live differently this year, go deeper in God, discover more of who God says I am. Jesus went to the slaughter, freeing us from guilt, condemnation and shame, providing a new start to enjoy every day. There is power to be free from any force shaping us away from our identity in Christ. He who is in you, is greater than the one in the world.

 

The calm after the storm of a big night for students in Fallowfield.

What's it going to look like?

This year I have been preparing for the birth of my first born (no I don't know if it's a boy or girl). It could be any day now! Yes, I'm a bit nervous, and quite rightly, I have very little idea about babies! I'm sure it'll be fine.

This baby is very active, its like its doing gymnastics in the womb. I’m increasingly excited about meeting this baby, wondering what its going to look like.

Likewise, this year I’ve been intrigued at what exactly churchinaclub is going to look like. The bible talks about a group of Christians as a life form, this life form is actually the body of Christ. Yes, churchinaclub is, in a mysterious way, part of the Jesus Christ’s body. Amazing!

And what has Christ’s body looked like at churchinaclub? Well, bodies are absolutely visible, so we have been!

The body of Christ has been seen bringing God’s love in our daily lives wherever that is as well some organised activities such as LOVEFALLOWFIELD which involved cleaning litter from the streets, giving bottles of water to clubbers and a football tournament.

We’ve also gathered in a great visible location at Queen of Hearts on Sundays. There has been a special sense of God’s Spirit in the place bringing grace and truth.

The church are the hands and feet of Christ.  I pray that we continue at churchinaclub to be the sort of community that demonstrate a different kind of faith to the world. I hope we continue to surprise the world with what we look like.

We have two final services for churchinaclub (Sunday 29th May & 5th June) before a break over the summer. Hope to see you there as we pray for those people finishing uni and moving on from Mcr and for a fruitful summer.

Why not bring a friend along to see what we look like? They maybe surprised.

 

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Contact Info

Phone: 0161 434 5505
Address: Ivy Manchester, Didsbury
E-mail: alan@ivymanchester.org

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