Don't forget the arrival of the bishops from all over the globe. Below are some new events for you to attend.

Events for your Diary

Cathedral welcome service: 13th July (exhibitions from 3pm, service starts at 4pm).

Cathedral Evensong: 14th July, 5.30pm.

Day of resources and a chance to meet the Bishops and their wives: St Mary's, Eccles Parish Church (M30 0DF), Tuesday 15th July, resources, 11.30pm - 2.30pm, lunch available. Call Jill Croft on 0161 281 5739 with approx. numbers from your church.

Tuesday 15th July, 2.30 - 4.45 at the Oldham Muslim Centre, Compass House, Neville Street, Chadderton, Oldham, OL9 6LD speakers Call Fazal Rahim, 0161 624 6733, or Andrew Dawson, 0161 265 1531.

Overview

The bishops will be in the Diocese by Friday 11th July. On Sunday 13th July, after a period of rest, they will be attending church services across the Diocese followed by an official welcome in Manchester Cathedral (Exhibitions from 3pm, service starts 4pm). At this service, the Archbishop of Melbourne will preach (there is a kangaroo carved into the Bishop of Manchester's throne to celebrate the Melbourne link).

On Monday 14^th July, they will visit Church House, Deansgate for morning prayer and a briefing about the Diocese. They will then begin a walking tour of the city centre, followed by lunch at the Town Hall. Later in the day they will visit Chetham's School and attend evensong at the Cathedral.

Our links with our sister Cathedrals in four continents symbolise our family relationships with Christians throughout the world:

• Windhoek in Namibia (Africa)
• Lahore in Pakistan (Asia)
• Tampere in Finland (Europe)
• New York in the USA (North America)

Namibia, Southern Africa

The Anglican Cathedral of St George the Martyr in Windhoek is the smallest Cathedral in Africa. Our links with the Diocese of Namibia stem from the time Bishop Stanley Booth-Clibborn of Manchester spent with his wife in Africa.

We pray for the Diocese of Namibia, and in particular for its work with HIV/AIDS victims and in education. Our Diocesan links are principally concerned with support for clergy training and clerical/administrative work The visit of Bishop Nathaniel of Namibia and his wife to Manchester

St John the Divine New York, USA

We are developing Cathedral-to- Cathedral links with the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York, USA. Both our cities have suffered from terrorist attacks and face the challenges of working with a wide variety of people in an urban setting.

We pray for the continuing construction work in the Cathedral of St John the Divine and for its wide variety of activities with a huge range of people. We long for closer links with our Christian brothers and sisters in all lands.

Lahore, Pakistan

The Diocese of Lahore is part of the United Church of Pakistan. Our Diocesan link dates from 1989. The Manchester conurbation has welcomed a large number of people of Pakistani origin to live and work among us.

We pray for the Diocese of Lahore, especially at this time of political unrest in Pakistan. We pray for relations with the Muslim majority and for the work of the Diocese in schools, teacher training and

Tampere, Finland

The Anglican Diocese of Manchester is twinned with the Lutheran Diocese of Tampere in Finland through the Porvoo Agreement. The link was cemented with the signing of a Partnership Agreement by the two Bishops in 2007. Tampere is known as the ‘Manchester' of Finland and faces many of the same post-industrial challenges we experience in North West England.

We pray for the development of links with young people, especially confirmation candidates, and for the work of the Diocese of Tampere in social action and its ties with Namibia.