Andrew and Mariava Phillips
Serving God in Manchester, England
Account# 35295
Our Story
Who we are: We are high school sweethearts. Andrew enjoys studying theology, technology and graphic design. Mariava loves photography, having coffee with friends and writing. We both love movies, cooking and being outdoors, which means we will have to get used to the Manchester rain!Go where the people are: There are more than 15 university campuses in Manchester. We will be focusing on two of these over the next several months of ministry, building relationships among university students and locals.Build relationships: We are going to begin by building relationships at the university campuses, which allows for a natural place to begin ministry. We hope to build relationships on the campus, with locals, as well as with church leaders. As we build diverse relationships, we pray the Lord will provide spiritual hunger in people whom we can disciple in Christ.Disciples who make disciples: We aim to establish a discipleship program to help new believers put their faith into action, and have church plants led by nationals across the city. We want this network of churches, having been ignited on the college campus, to spark a Christian movement across the city.
Where We Work
The desperate need is to ignite a disciple making movement on every college campus in Manchester: Europe has influence on the world. People from all over the world, including those from unreached people groups, move to Europe to study and conduct business. Reaching these unreached during their time in Europe provides an opportunity for new followers to take the gospel of Jesus to places outside which missionaries cannot reach.
Only six percent of people in England regularly attend church services: In addition to this, many historical churches are being turned into nightclubs or bars. Europe’s key cities have the capability to become the tipping point for the Great Commission.
Manchester is the second most populated urban city in the United Kingdom, yet Manchester is unreached: Manchester is a city in Northwest England, with a population exceeding 2.5 million people. This provides a platform to influence this city for God’s Kingdom for years to come.
Prayer is urgent: Europe is strategic, and through a movement of prayer and practical ministry, we hope to see God change this influential, connected and unreached key city. Any significant movement has always been accompanied with prayer, this is one of the most foundational parts of partnership, and we hope you will join with us and pray the Lord will ignite a disciple making movement in Manchester.