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The Right Reverend Nigel McCulloch spent the afternoon of Wednesday July 11th 2007, meeting members of the local community in Old Trafford; visiting a local community centre, a Mosque and spending time with the local neighbourhood management team.
The bishop joined church members, local councillors, community leaders as well as members of the local Muslim community for a barbecue in the church grounds in Old Trafford.
After the barbecue, the bishop baptized and confirmed five adults and teenagers at Saint Bride's, in a service which reflected the multicultural character of both the church and the neighbourhood.
Among those confirmed was a Maronite Christian from southern Lebanon, who escaped from the war between Hizbollah and Israel last year to find his Christian faith afresh since arriving in the UK.
During the special service, which included songs in Urdu, reflecting the cultural background of several families in the church, the bishop laid hands on all members of the church who wished to come forward; praying for each one in turn.
The Commonwealth Games baton, which has accompanied the bishop throughout his pilgrimage, was presented back to the bishop by Dr Ilhaq Misih - (known as 'Billy') - a surgeon, in his early 30s, who was granted asylum in the UK in November 2001 after being injured in a gun attack on his church in his native Lahore.
The Revd: Phil Rawlings said: 'This was a great opportuntiy for the Bishop to share in the exciting things that are happening in Old Trafford.
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