God's Race-Stories of faith

"We walk by faith and not by sight"

2 Corinthians 5

Victoria's Story
Victoria Matthewman, 24, from Barnsley, a football coach with Bolton-based Ambassadors in Sport, was chosen to pass the baton to Bishop Nigel at the start of his pilgrimage around the churches of the diocese.

Victoria's journey of faith began as a 14 year old schoolgirl in the choir. "One day, I was singing, and the thought came to me: 'I don't know what these words mean'."

She began to ask questions about what faith was about. "The chaplain at my school and his wife lived out their faith in a compelling way. Their lives made a real impression on me. They helped me realise that faith is a decision you make every day. I remember the moment I decided to trust Jesus."

St Ann
Manchester
Canon Roger Hill  (Pictured with friends above) Run the Race Missioner said: "I love living and working in Manchester, one of the world's greatest cities.

It's good to be busy and work is a blessing, but peace and quiet is good for everyone's health. I guarantee that if you spend five minutes a day in silence, you will see exciting things happen in your life."

Rogers Govender, the Dean of Manchester. He went out on the streets of Manchester to find out what the people of the city wanted from their Cathedral.

St Mary the Baum
in Rochdale

Some people thought the church St Mary the Baum in Rochdale didn't have a future.
Although some restoration was underway, the task ahead was huge and the congregation numbered 15 mostly elderly people when Canon David Finney arrived as vicar.

He remembered: "There was no heating. My first winter it was below zero in church. In the summer it was 75 degrees. But the people there were faithful. They stuck with the church through thick and thin. "

That congregation raised a quarter of the
restoration costs. "And the week we reopened,
nearly half a million pounds later", recalls David "we wondered - will this be a white elephant? Will anyone come?"

That was the week the local council lost its venue for weekly lunchtime concerts, and needed help.

The only other local venue was St Mary's. The
council loved it and provided concert seating and a grand piano. A new community concert venue was born, and now the church, which has excellent acoustics, hosts 130 people a week for performances, services and everything in between.

David explained: "Our job is to reveal Christ in the community and make Him available to local people. People come in and we let Him speak for us. It's not a hall. It's very much a church. It's an opportunity for people to come in for other reasons, but when they get here, they find themselves worshipping in their own way."