Ivy Church Annual Report 2024

Our goal is answering the question ‘How do we discover people that don’t know Jesus and help them find their way back to God?’ Here are just a few examples of how we’ve tackled that.

Ivy’s relationship with Mission24 and evangelist Jonathan Conrathe has continued to grow. We’ve had impact training days for Elders and staff, Jonathan preaching at Ivy and the School of Mission and Ministry starting up through Mission24 with 20 students undertaking evangelism and outreach training to take the vision of reaching the lost to a whole new level in our Supernatural Community that’s all about Jesus!

‍We have focussed at Easter and Christmas on spreading the good news of Jesus, with both a Good Friday service and Carols in the streets sharing the good news and giving out gift bags to passers-by, encouraging them to read a John’s Gospel, and go through the Knowing Growing Going book whilst doing so. We have given out over 250 bags and trust that God has planted seeds into those individuals and their families.

Ladybridge Connect continues to connect with members of the community at their point of need across a variety of areas. We want to celebrate the whole team of paid staff and volunteers that faithfully serve each week. We also want to thank and celebrate the LCL board of directors for all they do.

Saturdays have seen the arrival of a girl’s junior football team using the cafe facilities after their games. During weekend lacrosse club matches and cricket team fixtures, the cafe has been instrumental in building positive relationships with all the sports partners, opening the door for missional opportunities and it’s great news that some club members want to volunteer with the Ivy team.

With the increasing numbers and a regular footfall of 100 + weekly, the cafe volunteers team has been stretched, yet they always maintain an excellent level of service, with time to smile and listen. The harvest is plentiful. We want to see customers finding a relationship with Jesus!

The Brockbank Centre and the Pavilion are excellent community resources used by the stakeholders and the public. The Luke 4 principle of good news to the poor, healing for the sick, freedom for prisoners and freeing the oppressed underpins how we use the premises; consequently, the centre has become a place of wellbeing where social, emotional, physical, spiritual, and psychological needs are met. Around 150 – 200 people attend some activity on site or hire a room for a meeting weekly. The excellent facilities and affordability of what we offer regularly prompts the question, “Why do you do it?” The response is always, “Jesus.”

As an example of how this works, here are some of the things that happen during the week:

• IK Buds.
• Vulnerable adults support group.
• Stockport Psychotherapy team support group.
• Stockport Fostering Services support group.
• ADHD Nutritional Support and Wellness.
• Counselling Services.
• Diabetes Remission Clinics.
• Downs Syndrome Manchester pre-school group.
• Fitness & dance classes.
• First Aid courses.
• Language courses.

We have also hosted Press Red events, a book launch and Alpha away days.

Building community amongst the teams has been an important part of our growth, supporting and encouraging one another. The worship leaders have met monthly to have conversations and learn from each other, as well as the chance to ask questions and to think through solutions.

We’ve also met as a worship and tech team throughout the year. With new people joining the team, it’s been important to get to know one another better and build confidence in what we do.

Our Devote core team members have dedicated themselves to a vision refresh and prayer for the church once a year but we also meet once a month in person, and once a month where possible on Zoom to pray. The monthly Ignite nights are central to Devote at Ivy, giving time and space dedicated to God alone.

We’ve had the joy and privilege of having 2 weeks of prayer & fasting this year and 2 Ignite Encounter nights. This is becoming a regular discipline for the church as a whole because we know the power that comes from God when we dedicate ourselves to Him!

Our prayer is that everything we do in Devote will encourage the church to spend time with God together as a church, but also in their personal lives every day.

Each one of our Grow Group leaders are wonderful and we are so very thankful for them. If you’re not yet part of a Grow Group do join one, they are such a great way of being community together and more.
We completed the 3 step Speakers Collective Course with 8 of our church members taking part. You’ve had the chance to hear from some of them over Easter time. I love how God speaks through us and he uses each of us. Each of us has a voice for him, so don’t be afraid to use it.

Following another prophetic word about bringing women together, I eventually said yes! I chatted with some Ivy women as well as women from other churches and we came together for our women’s conference “Wild and Free”. What a time it was -worship, prayer, prophetic appointments, teachings, stories, creativity, breakthroughs – we’ve still got testimonies coming in now!

This is my last annual report as I leave my role to spend time with my family for this next season. I’d like to say a huge thank you to you all for all the love, care and support you have shown to me over the last 5 years. Ivy is a very special place indeed. I’ll be praying for us in 2025 to see where God takes us as a church!

Ben Blackwell has taken over the WTC Principal role from Lucy Peppiatt, and we had a great time welcoming him to Manchester in July to share with us. It was a fabulous opportunity for him to meet some of the alumni, but also be able to share his heart around our understanding of the Kingdom of God with the Ivy church family.

Here are a few reflections from students at the end of last academic year

‘Transformational – I am being transformed’

‘The hub is the full package: academic, spiritual, pastoral, community’

‘It’s been a place of rediscovering myself – reset and relaunch’

‘The community has always been a refuge, a safe place in the storms of life. It’s been really special, really unique. Where else do you get this?’

If this sounds good to you, then please get in touch, I would love you to come on this journey with us.
Thank you so much Ivy for all of your support.

Over 2024, so many of you shared Jesus in extraordinary ways, using resources like Knowing Growing Going, applying tools from Discipleship Pathway Training, and reaching new people. You served through Ivy initiatives such as the Café, Buds, refugee dinners, Ivy Gold, as well as events like the Ivy Kids Light Party and more. Through these, people have encountered Jesus and begun their discipleship journeys, including Richard, Harry and others who were baptised this year.

We continue to support and pray for our Mission Partners, who inspire and spur us on as they follow their calls, both here and overseas. Henneke continues serving an increasing number of women in refugee camps in Greece, while Nick and Becky share Jesus and build relationships in North Africa. This year, we welcomed new Mission Partners, including Hope Lebedyn, which meets practical needs and shares Jesus in East Ukraine, and Hope for Justice, a Manchester-based charity fighting modern slavery and human trafficking. These are just a few of them, so please keep all our incredible mission partners in your prayers.

This year, we’ve started exploring ways to better “cross-pollinate” various Ivy groups with God’s heart for mission and further equip each of you to reach the people God has placed on your hearts. Thank you for all you are and do for the sake of the gospel.

Asylum seekers meals at Ivy

There are unprecedented numbers of displaced people worldwide and many refugees in Manchester. Some were housed in the Britannia Hotel on Palatine Road, right on our doorstep, from different countries and different faiths, with some Christians finding their way to Ivy on a Sunday.

The hotel refugees had limited resources and were not allowed to work. They were safe but bored during the often protracted application process to gain the right to remain. The hotel was meant to be temporary, yet some, particularly single men, spent many months there, with little or no control over when or where they were moved. Though it has not been possible to keep in touch with many of the people we met, we were called to be a blessing while they were on a journey, seed sowers helping them to feel welcomed and be seen, heard and valued in our community; to know that there are people who care about their stories and their needs and to see that Christians offer hospitality unconditionally in a culturally sensitive way.

Caroline Colaco was in a position to invite refugees to monthly meals and social contact with local people at Ivy through her professional role. All who came appreciated being invited to meet us, have a change of scene, to be able to tell their stories and practise English, to have some different food and, for the children, to play games and have some fun.

Some of the team have occasionally taken refugees out for coffee or visits to the city centre; the Kings hosted English lessons in their house; one refugee volunteered at Ivy cafe and some of the Christian refugees joined Ivy Grow Groups.

Sadly this link has been broken as the hotel was evacuated during the recent floods and the residents have been scattered and the team is now working to rebuild connections. A huge thank you to all who provide this support.

LAUNCH, now in its 8th year, is integral to the vision of being an ARC as leaders connect, collaborate and cry out for kingdom impact in our region, our nation and beyond.

LAUNCH North (Manchester) and South (Buckinghamshire) 2024 gathered hundreds of leaders for ‘From Survival to Revival’ one-day events in partnership /sponsorship with major organisations including Living On The Edge, Compassion UK, Mission24 and Pioneer Network.

In addition, after the success of multiplying LAUNCH in 2023, we pioneered again this year with ‘LAUNCH On The Road’ whereby Anthony and Emma travelled to various regions to resource and support local leaders, in Devon, Essex and Wigan, helping them to develop apostolic hubs where God has placed them.

2025 will see LAUNCH growing further with two two-day gatherings in June, North and South, with a focus on ‘High Impact Church’: Making Disciples-Multiplying Leaders-Meeting Deepest Local Needs. We are partnering again with Living On The Edge as well as Steiger and The Send to explore how we can reach and release Gen Z into God’s dreams and their destiny.

The much-anticipated return of the Backpackers summer holiday club was another significant moment. With vibrant activities, engaging Bible stories, and an atmosphere of fun and friendship, it brought together kids from our church, their friends, and others in our wider community.

This and our yearly Grotto and Nativity Trail have been significant events in our mission to reach the families in our wider community with the Gospel and the love of Jesus!

Sundays have been dynamic and transformative, with a strong focus on being supernatural followers of Jesus. Through Bible teaching, interactive discussions, and practical examples, the children have been learning just how amazing our God is! We’ve explored scriptures that deepen understanding of how God speaks to us and reveal the power of His presence working in and through us.

This year has truly been a season of growth, both in numbers and in spiritual depth. We look forward to seeing how God continues to move in the lives of our children and families in the coming year.

Ivy Buds continues to fill each session, with children and their carers enjoying the time together. We would love to add more team, to develop these relationships and share the love of Jesus further.

The Sensory Space is a blessing to those who use it, with regular repeat bookings and a wider number of people using and loving this amazing space.

And all this could not be done without the wonderful servant-hearted team we have! Ivy Kids team has grown this year with new members and all have given themselves wholeheartedly to the ministry. We are very thankful for each and every one of them.

Let’s continue to pray big prayers for our Ivy Kids and the team, trusting in our powerful and faithful God!

For our Year 9-11 and Year 12-13 groups, we’ve taken a deeper dive into discipleship, rethinking what it means to truly be an apprentice of Jesus, as inspired by John Mark Comer’s resources. Our focus has shifted from simply creating churchgoers to developing fully committed apprentices who actively live out their faith. This intentional emphasis on discipleship has borne fruit, as six young people boldly declared their faith through baptism this year, a moment of immense celebration for our church family.

The summer was marked by our annual trip to the Limitless Festival, a week of worship, teaching, and fellowship and a powerful time of spiritual renewal and unity. Many of our youth returned with a renewed passion for Jesus. To close out the year, we braved storm Darragh and took 47 youth to Cefn Lea for an unforgettable weekend away. The focus was on four spiritual disciplines, with moments of encountering Jesus, building lifelong friendships, and, of course, enjoying some classic youth ministry fun, including our signature midnight rave!

We are filled with gratitude for all God has done in and through Ivy Youth. From seeing faith take root in our youngest members to witnessing older students deepen their discipleship, we are excited to see how God will continue to shape this next generation. We remain committed to creating environments where young people encounter Jesus, grow as His apprentices, and are equipped to live out their faith in their schools, families, and communities.

None of this would have been possible without the incredible dedication and servant-heartedness of our youth ministry team who have poured out their time, energy, and love to disciple, mentor, and walk alongside our young people. Their unwavering commitment has been a vital part of everything we’ve accomplished  and we are deeply grateful for their passion, perseverance, and faithfulness. We look forward to continuing this journey together as we invest in raising up the next generation of Jesus-followers.

You'll have your own stories of God's faithfulness this year too, whether through tears or triumphs. The most important work of transformation is what the Lord does in us, not just through us and which, in the words of Gladiator 2, "echoes in eternity"!

I pray this review of 2024 will raise our faith to step boldly into 2025, a year already pregnant with blessings. Together, we will see all God’s plans and promises fulfilled in extraordinary ways.

The word I submit to you that I believe the Lord is giving me as the year changes is that which He spoke to the children of Israel in Deuteronomy 1:6 "You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Break camp and advance…”

These words were spoken at Mount Sinai, a place where they would remember great times of blessing, enjoying the presence and goodness of God as they met and recalled all the things that he said to them in the past. But the command that was given was not to just camp out on past promises, but to break out to seize hold of the new!

The Hebrew verb "stayed" (יָשַׁב, yashab) implies dwelling or remaining in a place. This word suggests there had been a period of rest and preparation, but that if they stayed there now they would miss out as they drifted toward complacency. God was on the move, and his people had to keep moving too!

The Israelites had been at Horeb for an extended time, but God spoke to prompt them to movement and progress; with a spiritual warning about the dangers of stagnation and the need for continual growth and steps of obedience in the journey of faith. I take this to heart quite personally as I enter my 60th year of life, and invite you to prayerfully consider it too.

We are invited to step boldly into a new season together that will be marked by faith as risk; laying down our lives again to follow Christ. Words such as building and creating, initiating, establishing, adventuring, all come to me as I write now - for the glory of Jesus and to fulfill God’s purposes for our lives.

As we advance in faith I am confident Heaven is revealing new blueprints and strategies and opening up the storehouses of blessing to supernaturally supply.

This year will require more attention than ever to the Word of God and discerning the prophetic 'now' Words we are given. Breaking out to advance calls for fasting and prayer, more time pursuing God’s presence, listening together for His direction, and moving forward in obedience.

We will not wait for perfect conditions that never come, there are going to be opportunities to demonstrate that our faith is the real thing when we believe the hand of the Lord is upon us.

As we review some of the signs of His help and blessing in this document, recalling His goodness means we can be confident He will provide the resources, favour and power needed for what lies ahead. I’m excited by what’s in store!

Challenges will come as always, but the favour of God resting on us and the Spirit of God within us is greater than all resistance against us.

Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
Nehemiah 2:18:

Enlarge the place of your tent… Do not hold back.
Isaiah 54:2:

With thanks as always for your perseverance, prayers and partnership in what has been, and with great anticipation for all that God will do in it.

Love always, Anthony

We have learned together from some spiritually rich and timely teaching series that have kept us focused on that promise from Romans 12 as we surrender to God, live faithfully separated from the world, serving in love.

At the start of the year we gathered on an Elders retreat to pray and set our leadership focus for transformation. The year brought transitions within our team. In February we honoured Andy Lee and Jane Edwards as they stepped down after many years of faithful service as elders and in June we welcomed Kate Allsup, whose energy and vision have been a blessing to the team.

In September we said goodbye to Joyce Gbeleyi as she moved to Nigeria, thanking God for all she contributed.

Highlights and Milestones

As a church family, we have so much to celebrate we cannot capture it all here!

We give thanks for 5 years at Ladybridge Connect; the vital ministry of the CAP Debt Centre, which has seen £1.7 million of debt cleared, bringing hope and freedom to approximately 140 households over the last decade and our First Fruits offering, the powerful example of sacrificial giving, reflecting hearts surrendered to God’s kingdom, allowing us to sow seeds and enable ministries to do great things.

We celebrated a number of events and courses, including After the Flood, part of our ongoing ‘As It Is in Heaven’ conversation; the Mission 24 School of Ministry, 3 Ivy Gold Gatherings to enrich and inspire our older members, fostering connection and spiritual growth; powerful encounter times in services and at Ivy Central but also as Ignite, Flow, Wild & Free, and our weeks of Prayer & Fasting and “The Man You Were Made To Be” course which brought men together to learn how to follow Jesus closer than ever.

Though we can’t possibly mention everything in detail here, we want to say thank you to those who have led groups and activities, including basketball, Ivy@ Work sessions and mentoring, prayer meetings, Ivy Young Adults, Time to Dance, Women’s Hikes, Book Club and Budget like a Boss. You have used your gifts and been a blessing to many!

Our heartfelt thanks goes to Anthony and all the staff team whose hard work, creativity, and resilience has carried us through seasons of change, growth, transition and transformation. Sadly we’ve said goodbye to Tim, Aidan and more recently, Louise, but we were thrilled to welcome Matt aboard and were excited that Simon joined the team in the New Year!

And to each of you in the Ivy family, we are so grateful. Whether you joined or served on a team, worked in the café, invited someone to a service, prayed for someone, led a group, cared for someone in need, started something new, or made a new disciple - your faithflness to Ivy has been invaluable. “Your labour for the Lord is never in vain” and we thank God for you!  

Looking ahead to 2025

As we turn our eyes to 2025, we’re excited for what God has in store. In January we kickstarted  a key project, the refurbishment of the hall at Didsbury, to create an even greater resource for ministry and outreach, and we’re looking forward to the opportunities it will bring.

We move forward with confidence into 2025, trusting in the One who can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, remembering the teaching for living a BIO life:

B - Before God Daily

I - In Community Weekly

O - On mission 24/7

With gratitude and hope, The Elders