A TOWN centre hub which is helping the homeless and vulnerable people is up and running a community church's new building.
Impact Community Church's new building on York Street in Oldham provides the base for The Lighthouse, a facility which provides food, support, fellowship to those in need.
The church will also offer its beliefs to visitors.
It works with agencies such as Sanctuary Trust UK to deliver the services at the facility, with community pastor Lee Marsland heading it up.
Around 50 service users have been looked after so far.
Inside The Lighthouse
Inside The Lighthouse
Inside The Lighthouse
Lee said: “I work for Sanctuary Trust and am the community pastor at Impact.
"I see the challenges these guys have to face everyday, we already offer food and clothing parcels but we felt we could do more.
"We are offering three-course dinners, refreshments, a place to relax for a while with a team of volunteers who are on hand to spend time with people, maybe play a game of pool or just sit and have a chat.
"We firmly believe we can help people have an encounter with Jesus and turn their lives around and we can further this by making referrals to Sanctuary Trust for the next day to let them do what they are best at – getting people off the streets, while we do what we do best – loving the hell out of people!”
Inside The Lighthouse
Inside The Lighthouse
Senior pastor at Impact Community Church, Elijah Boswell, has praised the work being done at the hub.
He said: “Lee and the team are doing an amazing job at The Lighthouse, we are so blessed by everything they do.
"They have worked tirelessly for weeks between decorating, sorting furniture and organising volunteers.
"The meals they have been serving are just amazing. We had a stunning homemade soup, followed by beef stew and dumplings then finished off with rice pudding, this is going to be so important especially as we are nearing the winter months.”
Lee added: “We’re not just serving food for the body though, we’re trying to feed souls too, we know from our own testimonies the power of Gods touch on our lives and explain to people how Jesus has saved us and given us a new life free from addictions, despair and heartache and they can have it too."
The hub is also looking for volunteers.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here