About
Urban Presence was set up in 1996 with two aims
resourcing of Christians and Churches living and working in inner-city areas of Manchester
recognition of such areas within the wider Christian Community as modern ‘mission-fields on our doorsteps’
resourcing of Christians and Churches living and working in inner-city areas of Manchester
recognition of such areas within the wider Christian Community as modern ‘mission-fields on our doorsteps’
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resourcing Working with people, organisations and churches with vision to serve and minister in an urban context, our role has usually been an enabling and supportive one ‘behind the scenes’, to better facilitate the main activities. Over the years this has included providing training of various types from practical to academic (in partnership with the Nazarene Theological College), pastoral support, setting up of infrastructure (e.g. charitable status, finding administrative resources), designing printed and web-based publicity, and organising fund-raising and other events.
We have also been involved in supporting several community-based projects and organisations working, from a basis of shared concern, to generate some good news in urban localities. Urban Presence does a lot of informal networking and linking of urban activists, through personal contacts and a mutual support gathering called ‘RefUrb’. |
recognition It is an uncomfortable fact that although a majority of people in the UK live in inner-city areas, a majority of God’s people don’t. Working from the assumption that this does not reflect God’s attitude to the poor, we seek to encourage everyone to seriously consider the ‘where’ aspect of Christian calling, as well as the ‘what’. In the past this aspect of our work has involved us meeting with national Christian organisations to ask where urban ministry comes in their priorities, and to investigate levels of learning opportunities in colleges and at conferences. We have links with others doing similar work around the country.
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