The Lord says: “For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and needy, in your land’. Deuteronomy 15:11
Manna 4 Many started back in 2015 with car boot sales, little did we know then that was what we would now be known as today. From the funding raised from car boot sales and donations we knew the Lord was leading us onto something bigger.
After much prayer, we inquired about a shop unit which was empty and situated on North Queen Street, North Belfast. This unit belonged to Belfast Business Centre in which an appointment was made to meet the manager.
We met the manager and told him our interest in the shop unit. He told us the price per month which was over £600 mark plus three months’ rent up front. At that point we only had around £1,700. So, we explained our situation and asked the manager could we pay one month rent and one month deposit up front and the same each month until the end of three months, which the manager agreed to. With very little funding left we were able to purchase shop fittings and a cash register. We are taught in God’s Word that our Lord is no man’s debtor and he was already way ahead of us. After the first month of trading we were able to pay Belfast Business Centre their rent and the rest of the deposit that we owed.
We now had our wee shop, we were able open the doors on 11th November 2015. Pastor Purse and Pastor Bunting came and opened the shop with a prayer and dedication to the Lord’s work in this ministry.
Not long after we opened up the Charity shop we had about 5 volunteers starting off but has since grown to 15 volunteers. Without them we could not manage the shop and we are so grateful for their help and input in keeping the ministry alive.
We do have a wide range of families, young people starting out on their own most of which have children. We do our best to help all individuals that suffer from abuse. Abuse comes in different forms nowadays and if we can we will help, with God’s grace and blessing.
We have mentioned children above and here is one incident we would like to share with you. The shop had been open for about 4 or 5 weeks, we had a young girl coming in each week, she looked about 10 years old. She would buy tops and some other items of clothing, which we thought might be for a big doll. One of the days she was in she tried on a pair of black shoes. They fitted her, she kept them on and left her old ones. Her old shoes had holes in the soles, we figured she was buying her own shoes. We knew then that the Lord had put us in the right place which was also on the peace line between the communities.
At the last count we have been able to help over 60 families in the local community and lead 7 precious Souls to the Lord Jesus by God’s Grace, Mercy and Compassion.
We would like to thank the local community too as they have supported us greatly in the good and not so good times.
The charity shop had been open and running for about a year when we got involved with the homeless side of Belfast. It was brought to our attention by a Mother and her Daughter who told us about the need to help the rise of homeless in the city. So we decided to have an outreach within the city to help out.
The first night out on the street we had acquired a tail lift van to help with the shops logistical needs which we also used to set up a makeshift station in the city centre, the box van (which had seen better days) we were able to serve tea, coffee, light refreshments, crisps, chocolate biscuits and snacks of various sorts. Over a short period of time we had increased our station to serve freshly made cheese toasties, soup, homemade stew, sandwiches and pot noodles to meet their needs.
You can find our set up outside the Irish Shop on Donegall Place facing the Belfast City Hall.
We soon realised a lot of them needed sleeping bags, and a change of clothes. We were able to get the clothes sorted as we had a shop filled with clothes, foot wear, coats and other clothing essentials from all the donations that arrived weekly into the Charity shop. We were also able to put out an appeal for sleeping bags and the Lord didn’t fail us there. People were so kind and the support was amazing.
As the outreach for the homeless on the streets of Belfast began to take shape in February of 2017, 2 postman carts were donated to us from the Royal Mail, Tomb Street Post Office. Which we were able to turn into as sort of tea trolley, enabling us to go on a search around the City to find the Homeless that would not necessarily find our station. The carts were set up with clothes, sleeping bag, hats, gloves and warm supplies placed inside them. They were then taken around the City by a small team to seek those who were already bedded down for the night and couldn’t get to the van. The carts made it easy to go down narrow streets and alleyways as we didn’t want to leave anyone out. Since the beginning of the Street Aid, we have purchased a bigger box van.
We received so many donations for the street, that the van wasn’t big enough to contain it all so we ended up buying a box trailer with seating and a counter which had a lot more space for our requirements. We got it all serviced with new tyres, lights etc, we got an under the counter fridge bought for us and were also given a double base cupboard and a 3rd Cart!
The very first night we set up for outreach with the box trailer plus our two postman’s carts and tables. That night we received an £80 donation at the station, we didn’t know at that time what a blessing that was. After we finished the nights outreach and packed up just about to go our way home, the trailer wheels locked up on one side, we managed to screech it all the way back to the Church car park a couple of miles away. There was a lot of smoke coming out from the tyres that were locked up. (Damien and myself poured water over the wheel, stayed until it cooled down fearing it would go on fire). Next morning I phoned the tyre company place, he said just to bring it down, I left it with him. Later that day he phoned me to say it was all fixed, so I asked him how much that would be, then he told me £80! Yes, the Lord had already provided for us before we even needed it.
Also at another time when the van was going for PSV, we needed the lights fixed on the van which after pricing would cost £60 all in and the very next night on outreach on the streets of Belfast we received another donation of £60 exactly. Yes the Lord will supply all your needs giving him all the praise and glory.
Early 2023 we managed to acquire a Ford Transit Welfare Unit Van which has already been fitted out with seating, storage and kitchenette units enabling us to be more mobile having all we need contained in one vehicle.
When the Street Aid outreach started, we initially started off with 4 volunteers for the streets outreach who generously gave us their free time every Thursday night. But yet again the Lord Jesus has provided us with a team of 15 volunteers who felt the calling to help with the homeless.
Some of us went to get trained in using the anti-drug pen called Naloxone to help with the rise of overdose cases on the streets. The pens can save the lives of those that have overdosed on Opioids. We had to use the pen on a pregnant girl who had overdosed on heroin one night. This is just one example of an incidence of many that we had dealt with on the streets over the last few years.
We also got training in First-Aid and how to use a mobile Defibrillator, after doing our training and passing our courses to be First-Aiders and to be capable of using a Defibrillator we discussed whether to get a Defib for the station or not. Not long after one night I received a phone call from my Cousin Paul who asked me would I like a Defibrillator for the Charity as he and his two Brothers wanted to donate the money to buy one in memory of their recently deceased Father. I said that would be brilliant as we had planned to get one for the Station, they donated £1200 for us to acquire one. After sourcing out one and where to buy it we got one priced at £1140! Leaving us change to get a bracket for it to put in the van. Yes! Again the Lord Jesus has supplied our need.
In October 2019 Northcott retail park allowed us to use part of their ground to accommodate the donations of winter clothes appeal for the homeless. What we collected that day was amazing. There was so many lovely people and they told us how they are able to give to us so generously. But one lady came with jumpers and fleeces she had brought and spent time wrapping (everyone was individually wrapped). She told us her husband was in a care home and they had to pay for it and this was all she could afford. God bless her greatly, what little she had she used it for the homeless. The story of the widow’s mite comes to mind Bless her. Sure, does keep you humble.
Before we head out on a Thursday evening, we would meet for prayer and commit the night to the Lord’s will. Since we have been out on the street the Lord has blessed our ministry. The team have led over thirty people to the Lord. It can be very hard from them because we have to leave them on the street.
By the end of 2023 we closed the Charity Shop after 8 years helping and serving the local community, due to retirement and ill health, which worked out well for us as we had ample time now to focus solely on the Street Aid for the homeless and vulnerable of Belfast City and without any big overheads. The Lord works in mysterious ways, He always has a plan and always works things out for the Good!
1 Corinthians 3 v 9
For we are labourers together with God
Our wee team –
We are a team of 15 on the streets every Thursday night, the Lord has built the team. From people full of compassion and love we have ones who lived on the street with drink and drugs but by the grace of God were saved out of it and went to Teen Challenge now they are serving the Lord. We have people that took drugs. Mental health trained nurses and a doctor, people trained in first aid all as part of team that the Lord built, Yes! what a team praise the Lord.
We were able to lay hands on people, pray for people who had many troubles, all in the name of the Lord Jesus and saving souls.
Life on The Street
We made a connection with a young couple in November 2017 who lived on the street because they couldn’t stay together in the hostel. She was heavily pregnant but she had a beautiful baby girl. A week after having her baby the girl turned 21, her own mother took the baby and the young couple went back to the streets.
We also had a girl who would come to the table, she was demon possessed, we prayed with her and took her to church. We got the pastor to pray with her and lay hands on her then she stopped coming to the table, she had gone to Dublin and tried to get help, she sent an email to the church asking for help, she was in a bad way taking seizures and said could the team pray with her because the only rest she got was when the team laid hands on her and prayed for her. We contacted her and met up at the church with a Pastor, we were fasting and praying for 2 days, she was set free and gave her life to the Lord.
On the 5th November 2020 we had a small team out with only one cart out. At the table we had a father and son, the father was a backslider. As we spoke with them we told the father it was time to come home, he said he could feel a presence at the table and yes he would come back to the Lord. We spoke to the son and he said yes. As they said the sinners prayer they jumped with joy. Tom then prayed with the father and asked the Lord to reignite the Spirit and as they left Barbara was speaking with the father, he started to speak in tongues, praise His Holy name.
A Lady called Anne was 65 from England and lived on the street, she would stay in the disabled toilets and sometimes the bus station, you would see her with her case walking the streets and on the benches at Cathedral Quarter.
July this year we had a wee lad of 15 years old walking the streets, we had to call the police because this was 12 midnight, his mother had thrown him out and he had nowhere to go.
We have so many young people with drink and drugs lost in the world but the Lord said go out into the world and preach the Gospel.
Yes, lives have been changed on the streets, we meet all sorts of people and so many problems.
The Bus
We have been praying and fasting for a building in which we can take our friends off the streets too because it is very hard for the ones that have been saved as we have to leave them in the street, we would try and bring them to church and sometimes that doesn’t work but the Lord sees it all. Still praying for somewhere to take our friends to but it is all in the Lord’s time.
Well, in May 2020 my wife Betty went away to see family in England for a couple of days, well the only thing I could think of was a bus so I collected Betty that Saturday from the bus station and told her about the bus, was the Lord telling me something. We went to church on Sunday morning and after the Service we were coming out and a girl called Ruth came up to me and asked did I come in a bus, I said no I came in Betty’s car. She said it is something about buses. Well I told Betty what she said, again that’s all I could think of. I went to bed that night and prayed, I wasn’t a doubting Thomas I asked the Lord to confirm. The next morning the first thing came to me was Stagecoach and Greyhound which are both bus companies. I meet a friend and we agreed to meet up for coffee on the Wednesday, he owns a bus company.
I told him my story and he said he also had a vision about the homeless. Then he asked me what I needed, I told him a double decker bus to turn into a night shelter, he said he would give us a double decker bus and also maintain it, praise the Lord he will supply all your needs.
When I told the team we have now got a place for the Homeless, a double decker bus. The Lord answers prayer. Holly said her Dad was an architect and he would do the plans for the bus, everyone was so happy.
We started taking out the seats then we had coronavirus and got held back. We hoped the bus would be out for the end of July 2020 but it is all in the Lord’s time. We now have the upstairs nearly done with all cubicles in place and the metal beds bought for us, we had to send away to England for them, it is all taking shape, again downstairs the kitchen was bought and fitted for us and the 2 cubicles made along with the beds.
We have had a meeting with Council and NIHE re a site for the bus, everything is held up re coronavirus. We have 10 beds in the bus, waiting now for another meeting, it is all in the Lord’s time. When the Lord told Noah to build the ark he didn’t say when the flood would come, wait for the Lord, be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord Psalm 27:14.
We Thank the Lord for the Bus a Double Decker with Ten Beds. We could not get permission for a site with our local authorities after 3 years and much prayer and fasting though we were able to donate the whole Bus project to Team Challenge another great Charity serving the Lord Jesus to help young people struggling with addiction.
Ephesians 2 v 8
For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not
of yourself it is the gift of God
Manna4Many Street Aid Charity No. NIC 1074380
manna4manystreetaid@gmail.com