It is through partnerships with churches across Manchester and beyond that Barnabus  is able to see its Christian ethos thrive. We would say that everything we do here at Barnabus is inspired by our faith, whether it’s a cup of tea, providing a shower, making an accommodation referral, connecting a guest with the nurse or offering prayer. Here at Barnabus we know that the  support of churches helps us to achieve our vision statement:  Empowering people into a home in Christ's love.

We believe in a holistic approach to end people’s experience of homelessness that encompasses both physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being.

The Dwell Project – Barnabus Church Partnership Programme

We call our Church Partnerships programme The Dwell project. It’s a name inspired by Exodus 15:13,17, where we see God's plan is to lead His people to His dwelling place which is both a physical and spiritual home. See below for the different ways your church can join with us to help us see an end to homelessness in Manchester:

What we do

Barnabus is committed to the physical and spiritual wellbeing of our guests, as a Christian Charity we want to provide a place where our guests can encounter the Love of God in all we do (whether they have faith or not).

In a world where we barely have enough time to stop and have conversations with our closest friends, Barnabus exists to bridge the gap for those living on the outskirts of society and facing homelessness to connect with healthy community and supportive care.

Our hope is that as we help individuals with all their practical needs they would also have the opportunity to come to know Christ, and we would therefore see their lives transformed with hope. Through long term support and partnership with churches, we hope to see them progress into permanent housing, develop new skills and then be sustained by the continued support of Churches in Manchester, to live full and healthy lives as members of the community.

At Barnabus we provide weekly opportunities so that our guests can choose to interact with Christians from many different churches and hear about the Christian faith.

This includes our informal service called God Slot, which is a collaborative effort- between church leaders and pastors from across Greater Manchester and our incredible team of volunteers and staff. Each week, a different church member would come and give a short message or testimony. We also have different worship leaders lead us in musical worship. Following the short service, we offer prayer and an opportunity for questions or discussion over teas and coffees.

Alpha courses

Last year we also started our very first Alpha course which was open to everyone that came through our doors, wanting to explore faith and ask questions about Christianity. Although the lockdown cut this Alpha course short, we were able to connect with a few individuals during our time together and go deeper with them in sharing about Jesus. We also offered time for prayer in our dedicated prayer space, and prayed regularly for both physical and inner healing. Our desire at Barnabus is to see people’s lives transformed through the work that we do and for their true identities to be restored and their lives healed and forever changed by the love of Jesus.

Multi Faith Outreach

We have been able to do outreach throughout the recent lockdowns – including partnering with other faith groups to offer prayer and worship at one of the local hotels where people who were rough sleeping were being temporarily housed.

As lockdown eases and the hotels close we are talking with our many partners across Manchester to see how best we can support the ongoing efforts to re house people. Part of this we are offering prayer and a listening ear to residents in different projects across the city.

Pray Always

We always have so many needs and prayer requests so we would love it if you can support us through prayer. You can keep updated with our latest requests by subscribing to our monthly prayer update.

https://www.barnabus-manchester.org.uk/pray-with-us

Give Generously

Barnabus is growing and expanding into new areas and as such we also need the financial and physical support of the churches across the city. So, whether that is through the donation of bibles that our guests can carry and read easily, or giving your time to volunteer for our outreach/ prayer teams. You and your church might want to give financially to help enable us to continue to share God’s love with those rough sleeping. There are many ways in which you and your church can give generously and partner with us to empower people into a home in Christ’s love.

To find out more about how you or your church can get involved please get in touch with Neil our Partnerships Manager: [email protected] or download the Dwell Project Flyer here

Or follow the Dwell Instagram