Let’s celebrate all that God has done through the largest outreach event in the Northwest of England for a generation!
Tens of thousands were reached with the Gospel message.
Enjoy this day-by-day glimpse into the festival action…

Again, as soon as the festival opened in the afternoon, the sun broke through and queues of people poured into the park for a third day of fun, festivities and live music. As the evening drew near, blankets were laid out in front of the stage, and groups congregated for what developed into a live worship event featuring Guvna B, Kingdom Choir and Matt Redman.

We have had an outstanding time with the people of Wythenshawe, and are delighted that we have been able to share the gospel with so many. A praise report will follow shortly once we have a chance to collate more stories, but we are already receiving messages of thanks including one from a man who has always lived on the Wythenshawe estate. He didn’t manage to attend and doesn’t know Jesus but thanked us for our generosity on behalf of all the people of Wythenshawe and for bringing hope to so many at such a difficult time.

Thank you for your support throughout this event. I really hope that we have been able to convey through these reports just how invaluable your part is in this incredible work. We really appreciate you. If you would like to remain up to date with the future work of LPA UK, please sign up to our mailing list using the button below. We have many exciting projects lined up for the future as we seek to spread the gospel throughout the UK and Europe. Could you consider supporting us financially on a monthly basis? To find out more, click the ‘give’ button at the top of this page.

People came. Thousands of people, came! Prayers were answered in that moment as we saw queues of people snaking through the park, waiting to enter the site well before the gates were opened.

It was a beautifully sunny afternoon as family groups and friends streamed through the gates to enjoy the fairground rides, extreme sports displays, entertainment on the Kids stage, the beach, zorbing, and so much more! The gospel message was shared again throughout the programme and across the site to a great response, with large numbers meeting Jesus for the first time and plenty of opportunities to minister to people. We must pray for these people, that God continues to impact their lives.

We have hosted a large group of delegates, invited from across the UK and around the world to experience a Palau festival first hand. It has been so encouraging to see their joy and enthusiasm grow over the past couple of days as they have networked and considered the impact that this model could have for the Kingdom in their own cities. Please pray over the coming weeks as they return home and we all digest what we have seen and experienced, seeking God’s direction for cities to work with in the future.

These past couple of weeks in Manchester have been outstanding! It has been such a privilege to host these events and witness lives being touched and changed as people have come into contact with the unconditional love that Jesus offers.

But Festival Manchester is now just beginning and we have just wrapped up night one of our 3-day festival. Tonight’s emphasis was on youth and the field was packed! The extreme sports displays were outstanding, generating quite a crowd, and later despite the pouring rain, the young people were energised, dancing and singing passionately. The gospel was shared from the main stage and also from the ramps with over 500 people responding to the Good News. As you looked out over the crowd, festival friends could be seen comfortably talking and praying with groups of people.

Please keep praying as we head into the weekend. Pray especially for the weather - we’d love clear skies over the whole site so that people can spend the whole day relaxing in the park. Let’s continue to lift up the people who will attend the Festival and hear the Gospel proclaimed.

We are arriving at the point that marks the end of the build-up events and the beginning of Festival Manchester weekend. Thursday started with The Message Trust and the whole Luis Palau team meeting together for a time of prayer and worship.

The day ended with a Latin unity event held to bring together leaders of churches from the Spanish and Portuguese speaking communities across the North West. It was a night of joy, excitement and expression as pastors and their families representing churches from Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham, spent the evening sharing a Latino barbecue and stories of how God is working in their cities. The pastors were passionate and in agreement for the need for unity across the church, and a real belief that a move of God would follow.

Kevin Palau joined Andrew and Wendy for the evening throughout which it was clear the warmth with which these people held the LPA ministry the impact Luis had had on their lives.

Today has been a significant day! The site build has begun. Following two years of prayer and planning, we are finally seeing the site at Wythenshawe Park take shape. Structures are being assembled from the purpose built skate ramps to the main stage, and now the true scale of the site, as well as Festival Manchester itself, are becoming apparent.

In the evening, the team divided again to cover multiple events. The first was a street party hosted by The Message Trust for the women of Wythenshawe. It was a relaxed evening where approximately one hundred women spilled from the cafe’s lounge onto the terrace outside. Magicians entertained groups as they chatted, and live acoustic music played in the background whilst Prosecco and street food was served.

Later, everyone gathered in the auditorium where Olympian Abigail Irozuru shared her testimony, in particular about how following Jesus impacts her approach to training and competing, and then Wendy shared the gospel. Both women were engaging, natural and humble - the impact of these messages and the love of God was clear throughout the room. Many women responded and there was quite an extensive time of ministry for those women who responded.

At the same time, Andrew was with a similar sized group at !Audacious church who hosted a 3 course meal for the homeless community with live music from Soverign, a band from Kenya, and a lot of dancing! It was a vibrant night. All who attended were loved upon and treated with dignity. Andrew shared the gospel and again the impact was clear. Opportunities like this are staggering where we witness Jesus’s love breaking through to the unloved, forgotten and broken.

Already this week we have seen hundreds of people across many different areas of society be moved by their first encounter with the loving God! Let’s pray for remembering that God will continue to persue them - his affection for each individual is so great that he gave his Son for of them.

Late on Saturday we welcomed the team of sports evangelists from the US just in time to join Andrew on a prison outreach event the following morning. Again, we have been unable to take photos, but Andrew and Vic had the opportunity to lead the chapel service, share the gospel and minister to many of the men who joined them for the service.

We are now entering a couple of slower days before the affinity events continue from Wednesday. Thank you so much for following our updates so far. We know that many people are enjoying gaining as sense of what is building here in Manchester. It’s great to witness firsthand that this approach is relevant, enabling people from such different spheres of life to hear the wonderful message of what God has done for them. Each day we have seen faces light up and demeanours change as God’s love is shared. We will continue updating these post daily for the duration of the festival, but if you would like to remain up-to-date with the work of LPA UK throughout the year, please click the button below to sign-up to receive our LPA UK newsletters.

Please continue to push on in prayer, remembering those who are organising the site build right now, those who have been touched by what they have heard about Jesus this week, and for Wendy and Andrew as they prepare for the coming events. We have a delegation of church leaders arriving mid-next week to experience the festival and witness the effectiveness of this ministry in person. It’s our hope that leaders from cities across the UK and Europe capture the vision and invite us to replicate this in their home cities.

It was an extremely busy day, with what turned out to be some of the most worthwhile opportunities to share Jesus’s hope with a diverse cross section of people who are clearly in desperate need of the transforming love and power of God.

Wendy spent the morning at a Manchester church that was hosting a banquet for vulnerable women in the Manchester area. We won’t be able to share photos or specific details because of the nature of the issues that the women face, but as we walked in, we found formal tables laid in the church, arrangements of flowers, pot plants, prayer stations, clothing rails, a non-alcoholic bar, and large silver balloons spelling out LOVED across the platform. It was a place of love, safety and dignity where the girls were served and listened to. Wendy shared her own experience of God’s tangible love to a room of vulnerable women who were captivated. They slowed and listened intently - they took it in and our team were able to minister and pray with them afterwards.

Registered with Festival Manchester as a Love Where U Live project, this was a landmark event in the the ongoing ministry of this particular church, led by ordinary women, clearly empowered by God’s Spirit, making a difference to the lives of women who are abused, enslaved and broken.

In the evening, Andrew attended and explained the gospel at the first of three homeless banquets that we will be involved in through the coming week. The homeless community that St Mary’s church in Stockport regularly work with were invited along for great food, live music from Sovereign, a band from Kenya, and dancing. Local leaders are excited to continue to work with these people in the months to come.

The day concluded with a women’s outreach event at the Hilton Deansgate Hotel in the centre of Manchester. The room buzzed with colour and fun, as hundreds of women enjoyed delicious food together in a stunningly decorated hall. During the dinner, actress Sally Carman shared her testimony, and then Wendy shared the gospel with a clear invitation from the front to accept Jesus. I was struck by the contrast of the days events, and the ease with which we see Wendy and Andrew pivot as they faithfully share the gospel message in both intimate and formal settings.

Many women responded to the gospel message this evening, and committed their lives to Christ for the first time!

It was wonderful to welcome Wendy and Andrew back into the UK today! We are so excited for the events that they are going to speak at, but right at the top of their programme was the Gala dinner - an outreach event offering beautiful food and an evening of entertainment in a stunning setting.

40 tables were set beneath the wings of Concorde with lights reflecting off its surfaces and upon which the Festival Manchester logo was projected. Just seeing this built anticipation for the Festival. Visually it was stunning, creating a warm, joyful atmosphere whilst hundreds of invited guests mingled.

The evening started with a champagne reception and a tour of the plane with live acoustic music playing in the background. The dinner was well attended by several hundred guests who were entertained by award winning actor and comedian Tim Vine before Scottish Businessman Sir Brian Souter shared his testimony, highlighting the impact that Christ has had on his life and work.

Andrew then took to the stage and described his own experience of his family surviving a plane crash, to urge and encourage all those who were there, to consider the hope that a life with Jesus secures. There was a great response and we know of a number of people who committed their life to Christ for the first time as well and requests to find out more.

Again, let’s pray for these seeds that have been planted and that everyone who heard the message is blessed by it.

Thank you for following our updates in the build up to Festival Manchester. Thursday evening was the first of our outreach events building upon links that have already been made with the skate community in Manchester. The event was hosted at Projekts MCR, an amazing open-air facility, created beneath an overpass in the city centre with every surface, ramp, bowl and rail a skater could dream of.

The evening kicked off with a free-style skate session, plenty of pizza and drinks, followed by live music. The space was amazing - vibrant and full of activity. What struck me was how a previously dark space in the city had been transformed - still characteristically urban, but creative, safe and alive. We were told that it is very much perceived as a legacy piece from Festival Manchester 2003, and the owner of the club who is a Christian, was eager for Festival Manchester to use it in order to reach out to skaters with the Gospel.

As the band came to the end of their set, one of the members shared his testimony to the group of about 75 people who had gathered. He touched on mental health struggles that this generation is so familiar with, but talked about the true and lasting hope that Jesus offers. Several good conversations were had as a result, each ending in people been given links to our online material to explore further at home.

It was a gentle, relational evening of service, with a hugely positive atmosphere, the gospel was shared and invitations given encouraging everyone to come along to the festival a week today! Please join us in praying for those who attended, for the lasting impact of the gospel, that Jesus would do a loving work through the service and conversation of everyone who was present.

Please also pray for us as a team as we continue to host these events, that we would be open and ready to be used by God, reflecting Jesus in every situation - ready with his words to speak and serve.

And please pray for Fridays event - a Gala dinner for around 400 people invited by friends to share a beautiful evening of food and entertainment. Pray that even at this late stage, further tables would be booked and more friends invited along. Andrew will be sharing the gospel so please pray that God uses his words to speak directly into the hearts of everyone present, and people come to know Jesus, his love and power for the first time.