24th February 2010 by John Manwell, Christian People’s Alliance

Liverpool Businessman and Church leader Steps forward for Walton in General Election

A North Liverpool businessman and church leader is stepping forward to stand for a fresh approach for Liverpool and the region in the coming general election.  Following the decision of Peter Kilfoyle MP to stand down from Parliament on health grounds, John Manwell said that as a resident of the area for 20 years, he had decided to offer the people of Walton a new approach. With turnout in last year's EU elections at less than 1 in 5 voters in some wards in Walton, and just 45% in parliamentary elections in 2005, residents had become disaffected and disillusioned:

"I am one of the majority who want a fresh approach to politics. The nation is angry and frustrated with the politicians who continue to talk while the country gets worse. In Liverpool and the country, we need fresh thinking, fresh voices and fresh action. Our city's deep well of Christian values of service to others is a motivation for my decision to stand. "

A former senior manager with United Utilities, John Manwell's career has been in business, whilst always showing a passionate commitment to the community in Liverpool through voluntary action. A resident of the city since 1988, John has had a variety of jobs in industry as well as wide involvement in church and community groups. Most recently John has been chairman of Merseyfest, an organisation working with churches across the Mersey region to encourage working together in the community. In 2008 John helped organise a major street festival in Hope Street - "The Festival of Hope" - which saw 25,000 celebrating hope for the region.

A member of the Christian Peoples Alliance party, John stood in the European parliament elections in 2009 - strongly arguing for a return to Christian values in Britain in such areas as family life, freedom of speech and integrity in public life. He strongly believes that the major political parties have failed to do what was promised in not permitting a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

At the start of his campaign for Walton, John Manwell said he would show a passion for a new approach to local politics, that would see Liverpool develop  a more united approach:

"For too long the north end of Liverpool has been left to decay. We don't need politicians to talk about change in north Liverpool, we need to see some joining together for action. We need some politicians who will ask some important questions, not just pretend to have all the answers."

John Manwell has worked as a school governor for 15 years and has been leading the board of Orrell Park Community Association for several years.

He added:

"I don't believe that Christian faith is about only attending church meetings, but rather serving to see society improved, and making a difference."

Pastor Tani Omideyi, of Liverpool Lighthouse in Anfield said he welcomed John's decision to stand:

"I have known John for twelve years, and we have worked together on projects and city-wide initiatives. He has a passion for regeneration and progress in this city, and I have seen him open doors across the world when he has promoted Liverpool."

ENDS

For more information: John Manwell  call: 07909 970 206  or email john@optics.ltd.uk  or call 07873 625396  Visit www.cpaparty.org.uk or www.susa.info/resources/cpa

John Manwell

18 December 2009 by Victoria Geoghegan

Marketing Officer Liverpool Lighthouse

North West leading the healing in 2010

Several leading Christian ministries are joining together to present a North West musical prayer festival in 2010s Year of Prayer. The musical ‘Heal Our Land’ which is planned for May, will be revealed at its launch event by steering group Together for the Harvest (TFH) on 23rd January at Liverpool Lighthouse, Anfield.  

‘Heal Our Land’ has been written by Jimmy and Carol Owen, who’s previous work includes the successful ‘Come Together’ and ‘If My People’, both of which played a significant role in past renewal movements. ‘Heal Our Land’ has been adapted by major British based songwriters and artists from different styles and ethnicities. It has already seen success in other parts of the country and TFH alongside other leading Christian organisations such as SHINE and Churches Together Merseyside Region (CTMR), plan to reproduce the same success here in the North West. The 2 week festival programme will see ‘Heal Our Land’ musical sandwiched between 6 days of prayer activities and a further 7 day programme of Evangelism activities entitled ‘Love GB,’  carried out across the region.

The creative team behind the national tour of ‘Heal Our Land’ has described the production as “designed to encourage believers from all traditions, streams, age groups, ethnicities and races to come together for two weeks, bringing healing to their communities.” They state that “Christians need to ‘find their voice again’ and take the message of salvation ‘to the streets’.

The launch event of Heal Our Land aims to get as many North West Christian organisations as possible on board with the giant project. It is 1 of just 3 launch events planned across the country and the only event in the North West. Proactive church leaders, musicians, prayer group leaders and other church members can learn how their church can get involved with this high profile event that has already obtained the support of Together for the Harvest, Love and Joy Ministries, SHINE, CTMR and Premier Radio who are the official media sponsor for the event. John Manwell, TFH Chair says “I am personally thrilled that in May 2010, the Liverpool City region will take the lead in the North West with the timely and highly significant event ‘Heal Our Land’. We do believe that our region has a key role to play in shaping the future of our land. Having seen some of the material and the programme, I want to encourage leaders to come to this preview, to be inspired and to be part of this very exciting Kingdom venture.”

The preview launch event is being held at Liverpool Lighthouse, Oakfield Road, Anfield on 23rd January from 5:30pm to 7:30pm. For further information or to reserve your free ticket please contact Margaret Henry on 0151 476 2342 or email Margaret.henry@ljmgroup.org.uk 

-Ends-

For further information please contact Press contact: Victoria Geoghegan, Marketing Officer on (0151) 476 2342 or email Victoria.geoghegan@ljmgroup.org.uk

Interviews can be arranged on request.

14 March 2009 byJanine Yaqoob, Crosby Herald.

St Luke's Church in Great Crosby launches Continuous Week of Prayer

St Luke's Church, Great Crosby has launched its Continuous Week of Prayer as part of a Year of Continuous Prayer organised by Christian churches across the Merseyside region.

The event, which will run until Saturday, March 22, and on each day there will be a different prayer theme.

On Monday the church will be praying for the nation and on Wednesday prayers will be said for the region.

Thursday sees prayer said for the community and on Friday St Luke's will be praying for the Church, nationally and locally.

A prayer space will also be created in St Luke's parish office, which will be open from 10-12noon and 2-4pm, Monday to Friday for anyone to come in and use.

Rev Pete Spiers, of St Luke's Church, commented: "Our aim is to pray for the nations of the world, the region and the neighbourhood.

"We believe that God is interested in all of life and that he answers prayer and we believe that in times of uncertainty and difficulty people want to pray.

Rev Spiers added: "As part of this week, we are eager to give people the opportunity to make a prayer request which we will then place in our prayer space so that throughout the week, people can know they are being prayed for."

If you would like to make a prayer request they can email ps@stlukecrosby.org.uk, text 07590 690780 or write the request and place it in the boxes provided in Crossroads Cafe, Sunter Hair for Men on Cooks Road and Catherine Caddick jewellers on Moor Lane.

For more information please visit www.stlukecrosby.org.uk.

Published by ChristianToday.com

Posted: Thursday, October 2, 2008, 8:28 (BST)  and reported on  by Premier Radio

New collective calls for faith and hope in business world

A new collective of socially conscious business people is presenting a radical ‘back to basics’ message of faith and hope to the business world at the Liverpool Summit this week.

‘Together for Transformation’ is calling the business world back to a fresh perspective of generosity, servant leadership, engaging communities, and aligning corporate goals with community goals in the sphere where work is conducted.

Liverpool businessman and founder of Together for Transformation, John Manwell, said that his faith led him to want to promote an alternative way of doing business in anticipation of the global economic crisis.

The group is keen to promote ‘micro-financing’, which has enabled many businesses to support initiatives in the developing world, whilst empowering people and lifting them out of poverty and squalor. Together for Transformation is also looking to engage with people who are keen to use their faith as a motivation for positive community projects much closer to home, such as urban arts projects or business incubation.

Commenting on the launch of Together for Transformation, Mr Manwell said: “With the business world in turmoil, as corruption and greed threaten to bring the house of cards down, we wanted to show that business could in fact be a positive force, so long as it was based on values of compassion and humanity.

“This is an urgent call to the business world to show genuine leadership and set the tone in society - promoting rather than undermining communities.

“Together for Transformation believes that there is an urgent need for business leaders to consider that there is a God who blesses integrity, and disavows greed and abuse.”

The launch of Together for Transformation was inspired by pioneering businessmen and women of the 1700s, including Liverpudlian William Roscoe, who spoke out against slavery, child labour and harsh working conditions.

Mr Manwell added: “Most of the great reformers were inspired by their faith to make a difference. We are living in an age with abuse, greed and unrighteous leadership. It is time to call for a fresh approach before we lose even more.”

Together for Transformation is a partnership between Mr Manwell’s coaching and mentoring business Optics Limited, and environmental educator Coates Training and Christian non-profit organisation, A Call to Business.

July 22 2008 Local Evangelical Fellowship Leaders Day

John Manwell, chairman of Together For The Harvest attended the Evangelical Alliance day for Local Evangelical Fellowship (LEF) leaders from around the UK. The event was held at Whitefield House, Kenington, London, and as well as John, there were eleven other LEF leaders from around the UK in attendance as well as several staff members from the Alliance. General Director Joel Edwards and Churches in Mission Executive Director Krish Kandiah addressed the attendees, talking about the importance of the local church and the initiatives that the Alliance is working on in conjunction with LEFs.

There was also time for LEF leaders to share their experiences and to give feedback as to how the Alliance could better support them and how its programmes could benefit local churches.

“It was an amazing time hear stories about what God is doing through the LEFs”, said Kandiah. “We heard about a festival in Liverpool which thousands attended, a counselling network in the New Forest area, and an outreach to prostitutes in the Ipswich area. It was very encouraging to find out what local churches are doing throughout the UK and to pray and network with other evangelicals.”

Phil Cole from New Forest said, “It was good to hear what is going on in the other LEFs. In the New Forest, we’re in a more rural setting, and the other LEF leaders present were from an urban setting, so it was good to hear different perspectives. I enjoyed learning about Square Mile: Building 4D churches and new resources for small groups. “

Ian Snares, Head of Membership and Fundraising at the Alliance, said, “The LEF leaders’ day not only brought the Alliance closer to local church leaders who are working together to transform their communities, it also spread stories of what God is doing through His church. I’m sure that new ways of impacting lives with the gospel will be the result.”

Together For The Harvest is an association of local churches in the Mersey Region. It is also the means by which churches and individuals can join the Evangelical Alliance.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The Evangelical Alliance, formed in 1846, is the largest body serving evangelical Christians in the UK, and has a membership including denominations, churches, organisations and individuals. The mission of the Evangelical Alliance is to unite evangelicals to present Christ credibly as good news for spiritual and social transformation. According to a Tearfund survey (Churchgoing in the UK, 2007), there are approximately 2 million evangelical Christians in the UK. For more information, go to www.eauk.org.

10 July 2008 Evangelical Alliance

TRIBUNAL RULING FOR CHRISTIAN REGISTRAR “A TRIUMPH FOR THE PLACE OF CONSCIENCE IN PUBLIC DUTIES”

The unanimous decision by the Employment Tribunal in favour of Christian registrar Lillian Ladele “is a triumph for the place of conscience in public duties” says the Evangelical Alliance. Miss Ladele was pressured by the London Borough of Islington personally to carry out same-sex civil partnership ceremonies despite her stated unwillingness to do so because of her Christian faith.

Dr Don Horrocks, Head of Public Affairs at the Evangelical Alliance said, "This is an important landmark judgement because it conclusively confirms that where there are competing rights a balance has to be struck which treats the respective rights equally. The tribunal made it clear that it would be wrong for one set of rights to trump another. This decision underlines that, despite some recent claims to the contrary, freedom of religious conscience must be protected by law in the same way as any other human right and that employers must take a person's religion and belief fully into account when considering policy and action. The Tribunal’s unanimous decision is a triumph for the place of conscience in public duties.”

"The demands of conscience and civil duties can and must co-exist. We would call on local politicians to take note and live up to the challenge of this benchmark decision. We commend Lillian Ladele for her bravery in standing up for her faith in such intimidating circumstances".

Media enquiries:  Lucy Cooper, Evangelical Alliance, 020 7207 2107 l.cooper@eauk.org

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The Evangelical Alliance, formed in 1846, is the largest body serving evangelical Christians in the UK, and has a membership including denominations, churches, organisations and individuals. The mission of the Evangelical Alliance is to unite evangelicals to present Christ credibly as good news for spiritual and social transformation. According to a Tearfund survey (Churchgoing in the UK, 2007), there are approximately 2 million evangelical Christians in the UK. For more information, go to www.eauk.org.

8 July 2008 Evangelical Alliance

JOEL EDWARDS CHALLENGES ‘BROKEN SOCIETY’ TO RECOVER MORAL COMPASS

Evangelical Alliance response to David Cameron’s social responsibility speech

The Rev Joel Edwards, General Director of the Evangelical Alliance, has called on British society to return to the principles of our Judeo-Christian heritage for moral guidance and to address modern social problems.  His remarks came in response to a speech on 7 July by Conservative Party Leader David Cameron at the launch of the Conservative campaign in the Glasgow East by-election.

Mr Cameron criticised the UK’s culture of ‘moral neutrality’ and called instead for a culture of responsibility, in which individuals make good choices and where there is a distinction between right and wrong, that would fix Britain’s ‘broken society.’

“David Cameron has raised some important issues,” Mr Edwards said. “All the social indicators tell us that moral values are currently up for grabs in our society. “With the nation in denial about our Christian foundation and heritage, we need to decide which moral compass we will use to make a distinction between right and wrong in our lives.

“The church has been working for generations at the grassroots level to support and guide people in making choices. We invite others, including our nation’s politicians, to join us in considering the role of faith communities in society whilst rediscovering the biblical values essential to community cohesion which are inherent in the Judeo-Christian message.”

Mr Edwards added that the choices people make should be made in light of compassion for others and promoting the common good. “We all need to work for tolerant and cohesive communities where we positively enhance the life chances and choices of the disadvantaged.”

Media enquiries: Anna Moyle/Lucy Cooper, Evangelical Alliance 020 7207 2115 / 2107 a.moyle@eauk.org l.cooper@eauk.org

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The Evangelical Alliance, formed in 1846, is the largest body serving evangelical Christians in the UK, and has a membership including denominations, churches, organisations and individuals. The mission of the Evangelical Alliance is to unite evangelicals to present Christ credibly as good news for spiritual and social transformation. According to a Tearfund survey (Churchgoing in the UK, 2007), there are approximately 2 million evangelical Christians in the UK. For more information, go to www.eauk.org.

Jun 16 2008 by Laura Sharpe, Liverpool Daily Post

Gospel festival helps Hope Street live up to its name

Hope Street Festival

LIVERPOOL’S Hope Street came alive on Saturday for a massive free Gospel Art Festival.

The sound of Gospel music filled the streets as hundreds of singers, musicians and dancers from around the world joined the parade.

It began with a colourful pageant of church groups weaving from Liverpool Anglican Cathedral to Hope Street for the start.

All along the street, there were market stalls, food stands, street entertainers and mini stages alive with music from hip-hop to jazz.

International artists from countries including The Democratic Republic of the Congo, New Zealand and America performed throughout the day at the main stage outside the Anglican Cathedral, with a second stage on Falkner Street.

Another highlight was a collection of acoustic stages near Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts (LIPA) where blues and jazz singers performed encores amidst jugglers and street performers.

Muireann Kyeyune, from Liverpool Lighthouse, which organised the City Sings Gospel festival, said: “The festival was fantastic and as one of the banners said, ‘God loves Liverpool’ because it was due to rain but it was beaming with sunshine.

“For the past four years, we have been trying to make Liverpool the biggest Gospel centre in the North West.

“And this festival has helped do that, and has been great for tourism and the community.

“While the day was based on Christian music, thousands of people lined the streets to join in and hear some amazing music.

“My personal highlights of the day were the pageant where people dressed as butterflies and the atmosphere around the LIPA stages.”

In the afternoon, Bishop James Jones and Liverpool’s Love and Joy Gospel Choir led a walk of Hope.

Children were also entertained in a kids zone in the Blackburne House car park offering face painting, nail art and story telling.

For older children, there was a break dancing show, DJs and bands, a climbing wall, rodeo bull and inflatable games.

The day ended with two concerts, Space at the Anglican Cathedral and a jazz, classical and blues concert at the Metropolitan Cathedral which attracted just under 1,000 people.

Voices in Praise, a Leeds-based choir, led the final song of the night, Let it Be, with Norway’s Stavanger Gospel Choir and Love and Joy Gospel Choir.

Ms Kyeyune added: “We would love to make this an annual event. We are already in talks with Liverpool’s twinned city in Alabama, and if we can’t hold it in Liverpool next year then hopefully we can rotate the event at different venues around the world.” laurasharpe@dailypost.co.uk

Jun 13 2008 by Catherine Jones, Liverpool Echo

DANCERS and musicians from around the UK and across the world will perform at a free gospel arts party on Hope Street tomorrow.

Stages will be in place all along Hope Street with a main stage at Liverpool Cathedral blasting out the best in gospel music.

The event, Festival of Hope 08, is the culmination of a two-week City Sings Gospel festival organised to celebrate Liverpool’s year as Capital of Culture, as well as Hope University’s Big Hope 08 and Merseyfest.

Representatives from 40 nations are expected at the celebration and organisers are promising a jam-packed day of entertainment.

Festival spokeswoman Muireann Kyeyune said: “We want our festival to be the pulse of the city, a fabulous one-off party of gospel music and fun for everyone in Liverpool.”

The street festival kicks off at 10.30am with a colourful pageant, described as a procession of hope, from Liverpool Cathedral and taking in surrounding routes including Catharine Street, Myrtle Street and Rodney Street.

As the pageant gets to Hope Street itself, entertainers and performers will get the crowd warmed up.

And a United Walk of Hope, led by Bishop James Jones and the Love and Joy Gospel Choir, will take place in Faulkner Street at 1.40pm.

The street party runs from noon to 5pm, and a market and food stalls will also add colour to the event, while the music itself will continue up until 9pm.

Jun 2 2008 by Catherine Jones, Liverpool Echo

Hallelujah! Gospel fortnight kicks off

Gospel fortnight kicks off with a performance by gospel artist Muylwa at Liverpool Lighthouse in Anfield, and will end at a giant public street party in Hope Street on June 14. The event also includes an international gospel summit, and a “feast of choirs” at Liverpool Cathedral.

John Manwell, chairman of Merseyfest, one of the organising bodies of the festival, said: “The Festival of Hope is about people who have hope in God showing that hope and sharing hope with the community. “We believe God is a God of encouragement who lifts people up, and we want to see the city, and community at large, lifted up.

“On June 14 we’re throwing a party for the city and region to celebrate life and hope.”

Liverpool Lighthouse in Oakfield Road will play host the International Gospel Arts Partnership Summit on June 7. It will bring together musicians, choirs, managers, presenters, choreographers, promoters, recording and film industry personnel.

The summit will end with an international Gospel Arts showcase.

On June 13 a Feast of Choirs event at Liverpool Cathedral will feature singing groups created in communities, businesses and schools from all over the region.

The evening will be headlined by X-factor’s Beverley Trotman and Norway’s Stavanger Gospel Choir, and there will be a mass performance with 700 singers.

Liverpool’s biggest free street party takes place in Hope Street from 10.30am to 9pm on Saturday, June 14 when church communities join together bringing gospel, hip-hop, rap and soul to the streets.

The festival ends with music events simultaneously at each of the city’s two cathedrals.