18 Months in Manchester

We moved to the United Kingdom on September 8th, 2022. So many of you, our family and friends, have support us in your prayers and giving. We want to give you an update on what our work has looked like as we ended 2023 and began 2024.

Ramp Church Manchester

We have continued to invest into the local work of Ramp Church Manchester under the leadership of our dear friends, Joe and Stacie Reeser. That investment expresses itself in a variety of ways:

    • Executive Lead Team: Delana and I serve on the ELT where we prayerfully assess and guide the progress and impact of Ramp Church in Manchester.

    • Teaching Team: I regularly teach and preach in Ramp Church services, contributing to each chapter in the life of the church.

    • Worship Team: Delana regularly leads worship, contributing to the core value of being a presence-centric community of believers.

    • Prayer Meetings: Joe and Stacie’s vision for Ramp Church is to be a contending people of prayer for the sake of revival. We’ve led prayer in difference spaces, including pre-service prayer meetings, all night prayer meetings, and hosting a weekly prayer room and an Israel prayer night.

Ramp UK

Along with investing into the local work of Ramp Church, we also minister in the global movement of the Ramp in the United Kingdom. That expresses itself primarily through conferences, where I have preached and Delana has led worship. Ramp UK plans to host a record number of conferences this year.

Itinerant Ministry

Delana and I have served the larger body of Christ in the UK and the US through itinerant ministry. That schedule has included larger youth conferences, Sunday services, and smaller young adult sessions. We have called people to walk with God through missional obedience, an intercessory lifestyle, and personal ministry to the Lord.

Podcast

Delana and I just passed the one year anniversary of launching our podcast Tent Pegs and Tabernacles. We discuss the tension following Jesus when it simultaneously requires stability and mobility. The podcast has over 4,000 total plays, and we’ve received feedback that it has empowered and encouraged people to live missional lives.

Israel Focus

When we moved to Manchester, God told us that it would prepare us for Israel. We didn’t know exactly how that would happen and what our Israel assignment would look like. Since we’ve been here, though, there have been on-going developments in our Israel focus.

After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th, we knew we had to intentionally connect to Israel and work on her behalf. That led me to a new partnership with Bishop Robert Stearns and Eagles’ Wings beginning in December 2023. Our partnership has included a multifaceted approach to Israel, listed below.

    • Pastors’ Solidarity Mission: In December, I joined the pastors’ solidarity trip to Israel. Our message to the Jewish people was that they are not alone in the midst rising global antisemitism and unthinkable terrorist attacks.

    • March against Antisemitism: Delana and I marched alongside thousands of Jews and Christians in the city centre of Manchester, declaring that we stand against antisemitism in our day.

    • Clarity amidst Controversy: In January, I hosted the Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, in Manchester for a forum entitled Clarity amidst Controversy. Over forty Christian leaders from across the UK joined, engaging with the Deputy Mayor’s lecture and asking her questions. The clarity empowered each of them to be informed intercessors and articulate advocates for Israel.

    • Israel Advocacy Day: I visited the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., where I viewed 50 minutes of raw footage from the October 7th terrorist attack against Israel. What I saw is unspeakable. Afterward, I joined over 60 Jewish and Christian leaders on Capital Hill to meet with congressmen and women. We stressed to them the importance of standing with Israel and against the antisemitic hatred of Hamas.

    • Middle East Report: On the UK Christian television network, Revelation TV, Simon Barrett interviewed me on his program The Middle East Report. We discussed my experiences in Israel and what they mean for Christian leaders today.

    • Global Israel Integration: I’m continuing to work with Eagles’ Wings, strategizing about the ways in which Christian leaders can integrate a healthy Israel connection into their lives and leadership.

Financial Update

As we began the last quarter of 2023, we had a deficit of over $16,900 for our annual budget. This deficit was due to shifts in our financial structure as we continued to take steps of obedience in order to live missionally in Manchester. By the end of the year, the deficit was completely taken care of as the Lord provided the finances.

Thank you for your on-going prayers and support. Your encouragement to us on this journey means more than you can imagine. If you would like to contribute financially to the work we’re doing in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Israel, there are easy ways to do that on our Donate page.

Micah Wood