St Peter with St Andrew & St Mark, Levenshulme

When the Bishop of Manchester visited the benefice of Levenshulme on 3 November 2008, the church members were quite clear they didn't want to give him a history lesson. 'What was clear' the bishop observed, 'is that instead of worrying about ancient buildings' the parish is
(rightly) 'more concerned with being living stones today.'

The bishop began his visit at Saint Andrews' Primary School, where he met children and teachers and then held a short service of prayer.

Parker's Body Shop on Chapel Street; a vehicle repair workshop and local employer, was the bishop's next visit. After chatting to staff, the bishop was taken by the curate, Frank Kerr to Brookfield View Residential home where Bishop Nigel prayed with and anointed a number of residents.

A community reception in St Peter`s (held in a room designed by TV presenter Linda Barker for BBC's Changing Rooms a few years ago) attracted local councillors, school leaders, businessmen, representatives of the local Police as well as leaders of Levenshulme's other churches and the Imam of the Medina Mosque, next door to St Peter`s - around fifty in all, with members of the church council.

Around 80 people, including a number of guests from the reception attended the Pilgrimage Service. Two members of St Peter's spoke about what their church meant to them; Getahum Bero, originally from Ethiopia spoke of his long journey to Levenshulme and of the welcome that he and his family had received at St Peter's. Caroline Bubb, a young mum spoke of St Peter's as a supportive extended family around her and how worshipping alongside her extended family revives her

Photos from this Run the race Bishop's pilgrimage

week after week. Handing the baton back to the bishop was Arthur Wood (84); a stalwart of St Peter's for more than 70 years.

Team Rector, Les Ireland said, "The Anglican churches of Levenshulme are vibrant communities, and it is good to have the chance to celebrate what is special about our parishes: the emphasis on worship, with the huge variety of cultures and nationalities which make up our communities, as well as our commitment to serving the people of Levenshulme that is central to our life.

"I wouldn't say the event transformed our mission, but the bishop's visit was a great encouragement; a real boost for the congregation, and people are still talking about it weeks later. We hope we have a good reputation for hospitality; because it's very important to us, so we hope the bishop and his team felt welcomed too."

St Mark`s was visited by the Bishop earlier in the year as part of their 150^th anniversary celebrations. Appropriately enough, for such a diverse community, the bishop's visit coincided with the first Sunday of the Lambeth conference; 13 July 2008.