Press Release
For Immediate Release
5 December 2024
OVER 900 CHURCHES are gearing up to take Carol Services and other festive events onto the streets over the next fortnight – with co-ordinating group Shine Your Light confident they’ll break their 1,000-church goal for 2024 – reaching over 1-million people with the gospel.
Last year, when the Shine Your Light initiative was launched, 738 churches took part, with the majority signing up in the last 10-14 days. Shine Your Light, an initiative linking denominations, prayer networks and streams, is seeking to mobilise churches to take the Christmas story of ‘comfort and joy’ outside church walls, and into shopping centres, village greens, community centres – anywhere where the public will gather this December!
Whilst the focus of the four-nation evangelistic campaign is aimed at the weekend of 13-15 December, any church can register and benefit from a range of FREE resources to help them spread the Christian message.
The free resources from the SYL website, including:-
● an 8-minite evangelistic talk by Dr Amy Orr-Ewing – which can be adapted to local contexts
● a professionally designed and printed Carol sheet for events (P+P costs only)
● music backing tracks to accompany the carols, or
● a music score for each carol, and
● resources for churches to follow up contacts made at events
Dr Nicola Brady, General Secretary of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland is the latest national leader to endorse the campaign. She said: “Churches Together is delighted to add its voice to celebrate the thousands of Christians of different denominations, and traditions coming out to ‘shine their light’ this year. They bring the hopeful and joyful gift of our shared faith in Jesus Christ into the heart of their local communities as we prepare to celebrate and communicate the real meaning of Christmas.”
Dr Jonathan Oloyede, Convenor of the National Day of Prayer and Worship which co-ordinates Shine Your Light added: “After last year’s pilot we heard many stories of people coming to faith and churches welcoming in new people. It shows that when Christians come together for the Gospel, whole communities can be reached!”
● For further information, resources and event ideas, visit www.shineyourlight.org.uk
ENDS
For further information/interview:
Revd Paul Eddy 07923 653781 paul@pauleddy.uk
PR Consultant to Shine Your Light
Adam May 07736 949869 adam@ndopw.com
Director of Communications and Engagement for NDOPW
Editor’s Notes
Shine Your Light Partner Organisations includes: The National Day of Prayer & Worship, Churches Together In England, Churches Together in Britain & Ireland, The Redeemed Church of God, The Salvation Army, United Reformed Church, Pray For Scotland, Try Praying, World Prayer Centre, Assemblies of God, Baptists Together, Catholic Charismatic Renewal, Church of England, Church of God of Prophecy Trust,, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of London, Elim Church, Congregational Federation, Evangelical Alliance, Gather Movement, Ground Level Network, Ichthus Christian Fellowship, Manchester Evangelicals Together, The Methodist Church, Neighbourhood Prayer Network, New Covenant Church, New Testament Church of God, ACUK, Bible Society, CFAN, Crown Jesus Ministries, The Gregory Centre For Church Multiplication, Hope Together, Isaiah 61 Movement, Kingdom Impact Vision International, Leading The Way, London City Mission, London Mission Collective, Mission 24, Sports Chaplaincy, SSJ, Street Pastors, TransformWork, CPO, God TV, Premier Media, Revelation TV, UCB and the UK Christian Chart.