It was an impossible task – and we know there are many glaring omissions. But here they are…

VAL GRIEVE: Manchester solicitor, passionate follower of Jesus and Andy’s mentor as a new Christian in the late 1970s. He gave us our first major donation.

MIKE SPRATT: Founder of Wigwam Acoustics and the first person Andy and Simon called after having the idea for Message ‘88. Technical genius.

LIZA FAWCETT: Eden pioneer. After hearing Andy speak at New Wine one year, moved from Britain’s poshest postcode to the most deprived – in Harpurhey.

DAVE ASTON: After bringing his youth group to Message ’88, Dave went on to devote multiple thousands of hours volunteering at our gigs and events.

CHRISTINE HAWTHORNE: Without whom there would be no Message Trust. She is also a passionate volunteer who prays every day for what we do.

ALISON HUDSON:  She always believed we were the answer to a promise God gave her in the 1940s that he would move powerfully among young people in the UK.

RICHARD AND SYLVIA JOHNSON: Richard has been our Chair of Trustees since the very start and Sylvia has served alongside him in many valuable ways. They never once looked to quash our faith or limit our plans, no matter how outrageous the ideas have become.

JOHN AND ROSE LANCASTER: Quite literally two of the most generous people on the planet. Because of their incredible passion for young people, they have supported our buses, Eden teams, our prisons work, the TLG school in Harpurhey, and much more for more than 18 years.

GEORGE VERWER:  Mission mobiliser and founder of OM. Andy is blessed to be on George’s prayer list and regularly encouraged and challenged by him to keep going.

SISTER JAN ROSE: Faithful prayer supporter from her tiny home in the remote Welsh countryside. She prays her socks off day in and day out for The Message.

ZARC PORTER AND MARK PENNELLS: The musical geniuses behind The Message’s output in the early days with The World Wide Message Tribe. Without their visionary commitment to excellence and passion for Christ it’s unlikely there would be a Message Trust today.

LAURA NEILSON: who came to Manchester for Message 2000 and never left. Her heart for community transformation started with Eden and has grown into pioneering new healthcare provision.

DAVE AND COLETTE NUTTAL: The very first Eden workers who moved into Benchill in 1997. Since then they have brought up their family in the same home, committed to the local church and sending their kids to local school. They have played their part in seeing real change come to Britain’s toughest estate.

PAUL AND GILLIAN NADIN: Passionate Jesus followers and another extremely generous couple. When the credit crunch hit and several of our major donors had to significantly reduce their support, the sale of Paul’s business helped us through without cutting back on projects or laying off staff.

TIM MYCOCK: Perhaps the perfect example of The Message in action. He became a Christian when the Tribe visited his school; joined our Xcelerate evangelists’ training school and now works full-time on our prisons team, helping young offenders discover Jesus.

I remember being asked a while ago what my favourite verse in the Bible was. How can you answer a question like that? The Bible is a living book which means that my favourite verse probably changes every day.

(This is an extract from Message 20, our 2oth anniversary book. Click here to order your copy.)

But on that occasion I said Ephesians 3:20: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine according to his power at work in us…”

Isn’t that an amazing truth? God is able to do vastly more, not just than the things we dare ask for out loud when we are full of faith, but even more than the desires and dreams of our hearts. And not only that but he chooses to do it in partnership with ordinary, frail, inconsistent people like me and you. I guess that’s our story over the last twenty years: God has consistently done more than we’ve asked for. In fact, often immeasurably more than our dreams. Why? Because the gospel is a seed, and when that seed is planted in someone’s heart and in their life it has unlimited potential for multiplication.

Who could have possibly thought that when we set up Message to Schools in Mark’s spare bedroom that over the next two decades we’d see millions of young people’s lives touched? Who could have thought that so many ministries would be initiated and that things would spread out all over the world? Well, it’s happened and it is totally to God’s glory.

Of course thinking about all this gives us great confidence and great excitement about the future. What we’ve experienced over the last two decades is a base from which God will once again delight in doing more than we ask or imagine. And I’m completely confident that if I could get a glimpse now of the 40th year anniversary book we would be astounded with all that God is planning to do through us!

Obviously I don’t know it all, but if I could use one phrase to describe the next season and the big vision of the Message it would be ‘the multiplication of disciples’. We are believing for so much more than young people giving Jesus a high five at our events; we’re believing for these seeds to be planted increasingly in good soil so that, as Jesus put it, they go on all the way with a good and noble heart and themselves produce a bumper harvest. There really is nothing more exciting than seeing that happen in the lives of people who once were some of the most broken that you could imagine.

There are three areas in the next season where I think this multiplication will take place.

Firstly, Genetik, our youth leader training scheme. It’s amazing to see the difference that can be made in a person’s life through one year of intensive worship, teaching and ministry, especially when it’s delivered alongside the opportunity to develop skills and put it all into practice day in and day out. In the next season we are really looking to step this up and be much more strategic by partnering with key friends around the world.

Our plan is to bring gifted young men and women to Manchester for a year and let them catch our DNA while they take part in our team life. We want to get them resourced with the right music, sketches, presentations and passion to take the gospel out all over the world. We will keep a strong link with these teams and do all we can to resource and encourage them as they go out. Our dream is that in the next years there will be dozens of Message associate teams all over the world.

The second key area of multiplication of disciples is Eden. In a few years’ time we will have nine fully functioning Eden hubs delivering dozens and potentially hundreds of Eden teams to bring transformation to our nation’s toughest estates. This network will have the potential to reach 95% of Britain’s most deprived areas, and hopefully it will start to develop other Message-type ministries up and down the country.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to see Eden giving birth to schools teams, bands and prison teams? If the area called for it, how about buses, enterprise centres and local training schools up and down the country? We want to do all we can to encourage and resource others who have a similar heart but who might be working outside of our particular Eden hotspots to deliver just that. Whether in the UK or abroad, we’re convinced that things are going to multiply.

Thirdly there’s our new enterprise hub, The Message Enterprise Centre. It’s still just a dream at the moment, and right now we’re concentrating on fundraising and starting to transform the building next door to something fit for purpose. But it’s a dream that I’m convinced God loves and as such I fully expect to see multiplication kick in: multiplication of kingdom businesses providing great jobs, multiplication of great ministries up and down the country and a multiplication of entrepreneurial disciples literally doing the business for him.

It’s all good stuff and there’s all the potential in the world. As the guy who leads it I’m so privileged to be able to say that I wouldn’t want to do anything else anywhere in the world for any amount of money.

How many people can say that with their hand on their hearts?

This is an extract from Message 20, our 2oth anniversary book. Click here to order your copy.

Here are twenty inspiring ideas to get you started:

1. Swishing
Graphic designer Bethan Wilson is organising a Swishing (clothes swapping) party in April. Guests pay a small entrance fee and bring clothes they no longer want to swap for fabulous new ones – meaning you get to save money and raise money for The Message at the same time. Fabulous, darling!

2. Three Peaks Challenge
Conquering Scafell Pike, Ben Nevis and Snowden within the space of 24 hours is no mean feat (in fact it’s about 11,178 feet in total!) Josh and Ryan from Twelve24 will be part of a team of Message friends who will take the endurance challenge on during 2012. You could too!

3. Cider, cheese & comedy night
Message:Creative manager and part-time cider maker Dan Hasler is hosting a night of cider and cheese tasting with a special performance by Manchester-based comic Andy Kind. Keep an eye on our website for ticket information.

4. Family Fun Quiz
Reflex volunteer Les Hutchinson is organising a family quiz in Poynton where every question has something to do with the last 20 years. Teams can be up to six people and there’s something for everybody. The event takes place in June.

5. Photography for Sale
Multi-talented Twelve24 singer Christina Otoo-Anakwa will be selling limited edition prints of spectacular scenes captured around our beautiful city. Snap one up yourself during February.

6. Big Band Concert
Bus manager Julie Mason and trust fundraiser Helen Murphy are hosting a night of big band music in November to raise brass for The Message.

7. Running
Lots of our health-conscious staff will be attempting sponsored runs during 2012, including the Sheffield 10k (Sept), the Great South Run (Oct) and the Wilmslow half-marathon (March). Video specialist Bruce Marshall will outrun them all with five consecutive 20ks over the May bank holiday. Phew!

8. Sponsored 
Ironing
Pressed for time? In March, Reflex team leader Simon Sullivan will be auctioning 20 two-hour slots of ironing. Simon will come to your home, drink your tea and do all your ironing for you. All you need to do is make sure you’re one of the highest bidders as the totals in-crease (geddit?).

9. Bake sale
Lots of Message friends 
including administrator Ruth Barker will be baking up a storm in aid of our work during the year. Why not put on your pinny and join them, selling batches of delicious muffins, cupcakes or other sweet treats in your school, office or workplace?

10. Twelve gigs in 24 hours
Twelve24 are undertaking a gig-a-thon with a planned twelve performances in one day during May. Sponsors will be able to book the band to perform a private gig anywhere around Manchester. Let’s make them sweat!

11. Canoeing down the Thames
Missions director Ian Henderson will travel from Oxford to London down the Thames by canoe, taking in the sights as he goes. 
Which epic voyage have you always dreamed of taking?

12. Coast to Coast Bike Ride
A team of six Message staff will ride from the Irish to the North Sea in July, completing a mammoth journey 
of 147 miles. Sore bums are guaranteed, but so is loads of cash for The Message. Don’t forget your cycling clips.

13. Car washes
In Yer Face team member John Dean will put down his script in favour of a sponge in April as he aims to clean 20 cars in two weeks. We think it’s a wheely great way to raise cash fast for our crucial work in schools, communities and prisons. Why don’t you join him?

14. Zumbathon
Zumba is the latest dance and fitness craze to hit Britain – and anyone can do it. Give it a try by joining our massive two-hour Zumbathon taking place this summer in Cathedral Gardens. For more info, keep an eye on the Events section of our website.

15. Sponsored 
Evangelism
Message prayer coordinator James Aladiran is leading a team who will attempt 20 straight hours of evangelism in Manchester City Centre during the spring. If that sounds like good news to you, why not join them in March.

16. Fashion Show
Kicking off the year, Emma Owen and Emma Kizlauskas hosted a fashion show at The Message with bargain-priced fashions in Janary.

17. Plank for Glory
Genetik course leader Mat Walls is very good at lying still in odd places. It’s called Planking – and it’s much harder than it looks. Sponsor him to do 20 increasingly outrageous ‘planks’ over the summer.

18. Oil Paintings
Eden national 
director Matt Wilson 
will paint 20 Manchester landmarks in oils and aim to sell them all at an exclusive invite-only exhibition. Why not put your artistic skills to good use raising money for our vital work?

19. Dinner Jazz
Message staffers Dev Lunsford and Andre Adefope will team up with Reflex’s Tim Mycock to put on a sit-down dinner with live jazz. As well as cooking up a memorable night out, the gang hope to raise hundreds of pounds 
for The Message.

20. Your own idea
If you think it could raise money for The Message, give it a go! For more details about these ideas or for advice on setting up your own event, contact Lauren Mangold on 0161 946 2304 or by email.

Keep track of all our fundraising endeavours during 2012 here on our website.