Foreword: Good News for the Working Class A Compulsion to Share the Kingdom of God How It All Began Chapter 1: The Kingdom of God as the Foundation for Everyone Introducing Wythenshawe Wythenshawe Churches 1998 Working Class Culture and Christ’s own Ministry Chapter 2: The Kingdom of God; Its Principles and Values Getting organised and the Acts of the Apostles The role of Partner Organisations Kingdom Values Chapter 3: The Kingdom of God seen through Innovative Project Work 65 Service-led Projects by Churches & Partner Organisations Northenden Community Projects (NCP) New Dawn – The Beginnings New Dawn – Counselling Service Brownley Green Community Bakery The National Autistic Society, Signpost & Messy Church Chapter 4: The Kingdom of God seen through Testimony and Solidarity Healthy Living Network Brownley Green Community Day Southside Speech & Drama Studio The Rummage New Horizons Chapter 5: The Kingdom of God seen through Conviviality and Therapy Children & the Kingdom of God New Dawn Café, The Saturday Club, Mo’s Shop The Art Pad St. Andrew’s House A Funeral at St. Andrew’s Chapter 6: The Kingdom of God seen through the Liturgies of the People Church Services An extraordinary Sunday morning Sunday Worship Sunday Worship with Holy Baptism Holy Communion in the setting of Sunday Worship Chapter 7: The Kingdom of God seen through Portraits of Unforgettable People A Chance Conversation Mary and Martha The Man whose Life was Turned Around Zacchaeus & Bright House The Lady who could Jump Over the Moon Two Sisters & the Faith of a Gentile Woman Chapter 8: Ups and Downs Difficulties and Setbacks Ways & Means Frequently Asked Questions Epilogue Glossary Bibliography Biblical References

When David Bown arrived in Wythenshawe, one of the largest housing estates in Europe, in the conurbation of Manchester, he found five Methodist churches struggling for survival. It would have been easy to close and concentrate the membership in one place, as a rational way of ‘managing decline’. But David wanted none of that. He set about working to devise a strategy for the future which built on the vibrancy and creativity of the local people. He went on to devise a myriad of tactical responses, based on the needs and opportunities he found. The resulting 36 regeneration projects, which ranged from street dance to alternative therapies, and from rummage sales to community lunches, connected the people, activities and organisations in the communities around the 5 churches, creating a pathway to the Kingdom of God for ordinary working class people.