Shine Your Light Christmas Campaign
Most would agree that carol services provide a wonderful opportunity to declare the gospel and showcase the distinctiveness of church community – may these joyous gatherings live on!
But have you ever considered taking your carol concerts and nativity events OUTSIDE your church building and INTO the community? Have you ever wondered what a difference it might make if we went TO the people, rather than expecting them to COME to us?
You’ve likely already organised your Christmas service[s], but if you have any remaining capacity the Everyone a Witness (EAW) team encourage you to get involved in an epic outreach initiative: the 2024 Shine Your Light campaign.
The True Light of Christmas: A Call to Bold Evangelism
The festive season is fast approaching - and already here. Soon, every street will be illuminated with lights, the Home Alone films will be shown repeatedly on every channel, major franchises will be releasing their sparkly Christmas ads, and children will be preparing to deliver Oscar-worthy performances at their nativity shows. For many the time off work, presents, good food and merrymaking of all kinds are what Christmas is all about. While none of this is necessarily wrong, Christians have a different story; we have a better gift - strike that - the BEST gift. We have Jesus, our Emmanuel.
We dust off the hymn sheets, invite our friends and family to carol services, and sing about His coming every year. We hope that the sublime lyrics of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” will not just evoke a pleasant sense of nostalgia for the unbeliever but will enliven their heart with truth. The mince pies and mulled wine do a fine job filling bellies and warming the cockles, but above all, we hope folks will meet Jesus and realise He is the Bread of Life and the living water that offers the greatest fulfilment. Our conviction is that the gospel can radically transform individuals and communities, which is why we take the unique opportunity Christmas provides to boldly proclaim the good news.
This same conviction underpins the Shine Your Light campaign except that, rather than ‘inviting in,’ it encourages Christians to ‘go out’ and share the gospel.
The 2023 campaign was truly enormous! The UK streets were filled with over 75,000 Christians from over 700 churches, all sharing the Christmas message of hope and joy in shopping centres, town halls, high streets, and other public spaces. Many leaders suggested that it was the largest Christmas outreach undertaken by the UK Church. It even got an endorsement from the former Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak.
This grassroots movement has announced its plans to go even bigger this year. They have suggested an ambitious vision: ‘...to mobilise over 100,000 Christians outdoors to reach 1 million people in the streets, offices, workplaces, and public places with the Gospel.’
How inspiring is that?! If this mission is realised, the impact will be monumental, and the Kingdom of God will surely make significant advances this Christmas.
Get Involved: How to Join, Pray, and Prepare for the Campaign
The campaign runs from Friday 13th December to Sunday 15th December. Relational Mission churches can take advantage of all those dates or choose just one to head out into their community with hymn sheets and bibles at the ready. Of course, churches are free to decide how to reach people; the only important thing to remember is that the outreach should centre around a proclamation of the gospel.
If you need support or outreach ideas, you can contact Luke Howard (Hope Church, Ipswich), who is part of the EAW team. Luke is leading the project on behalf of Relational Mission and will be more than happy to help however he can.
Luke would also like to encourage us to pray for the campaign and those getting involved. Anyone available is welcome to join a Zoom prayer meeting hosted by the EAW team on Wednesday, November 27th, from 7-8pm GMT.
Finally, if you decide to participate in the campaign, the Shine Your Light team asks that you register as one of their ‘champions.' You can also access and purchase a wide array of resources here. These are not necessary, but they might be helpful for your outreach.
The Unfailing Mission of Emmanuel
Here’s what the Shine Your Light team had to say about the outcome of the 2023 campaign:
“…we heard stories of people coming to faith and churches welcoming in new people. It showed that when Christians come together for the Gospel, whole communities can be reached!”
The results of this monumental project are extraordinary, but they should not surprise us. Jesus is in the business of calling people out of darkness and into His marvellous light. He has drawn us into a mission that cannot fail, the fruit of which is destined to be plentiful.
So, whatever your plans are for this Christmas, whether you invite people to a carol service or take to the streets for some outreach, be ready and willing to share the extraordinary news of Emmanuel—the story of divine light entering darkness to save and redeem the world. That’s what Christmas is all about!
Pray with us online
Shine Your Light Zoom prayer meeting
Wednesday 27th November (7-8pm GMT)
Luke would also like to encourage us to pray for the campaign and those who are getting involved and invited anyone available to join a Zoom prayer meeting hosted by the EAW team.
Shine Your Light Resources
If your church wants to take part in the Shine Your Light campaign, you will find numerous resources (graphics, video, audio and more) on their website, as well as RM’s own promo video you can use to introduce the initiative to your church family.