Christ Church, Patricroft & St Paul, Monton

The Bishop of Manchester visited the two parishes of Christ Church, Patricroft and St Paul, Monton on Tuesday 16th October. As Christ Church was without a team vicar, the Revd Andrew Young, Team Vicar of St Paul's, accompanied the bishop to both parishes.

The bishop began by praying with nearly fifty members of Christ Church, joining them for tea afterwards, before crossing the road to meet staff and students at a local computer training centre, which runs training courses  for all ages, abilities and backgrounds. The bishop then made his way to Eccles fire station, where he met the  divisional commander and fire service personnel, including Eccles' pioneering specialist Water Rescue Crew. The bishop received a warm welcome and the Fire Service expressed its interest in keeping an "open door" with faith communities.

A community reception at St Paul's followed, with local councillors, the  Mayor and consort attending. The local police support unit and the village community association also brought displays about their work. Both church councils were there to meet the bishop and community representatives.

The Pilgrimage Service was well attended with over a hundred present in church. The service was well received by the local community and there were many encouraging and positive comments; particularly about the blessing and anointing which concluded the service, described by the mayor and local councillors as 'a very moving experience.'

A young people's group performed a drama on the theme of 'the Christian Race', and two representatives, one

Photos from this Run the race Bishop's pilgrimage

from each church, both in their early thirties; one of them only recently confirmed, spoke of the welcome and openness they had found in the churches, and of how their Christian faith had grown as a consequence over the last few years.



The Vicar of St Paul's, the Revd. Andrew Young said afterwards that he had initially been nervous about the visit: 'In so many aspects of the planning, I had to rely on other people's contacts and links with the community. St Paul's and Christ Church are very different congregations, but from the youth group up to the older members of the church, everyone was very positive and spoke of having been really encouraged by the experience.

He continued, 'We are hoping to build on the contacts we have made, especially with and through our young people.'