Hope - Sing Christmas
This live carol service will be broadcast on Monday 22 December from 8 till 9 pm on BBC Radio Devon - in the hour either side there will be a related programme probably with reporters around the county. It is hoped that people will gather at pubs, community centres and such places and join in with the broadcast by singing the carols and sharing in activities like pulling crackers. We will be encouraging churches to take a lead in organising this in their local area. People can of course also join in at home.
Nearer the time we will have a programme for the broadcast and carol sheets for downloading. We will also produce a sheet to tell churches what else they will need to bring along.
We do have an information sheet that can be offered as a download now - it tells churches what they need to do to get involved.. Click here for the download page..
Hope Explored
Hope Explored is about giving the year of Hope and the social action projects some roots – as churches across the UK invite people to come and find out more about Jesus. More details can be found on our downloads page.
The HOPE 08 dream
Churches in villages, towns and cities across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland churches working together like never before.
At its heart Hope 08 is about making Jesus known through positive involvement in our communities. It is about loving and serving people in the name of Jesus; it is about coming alongside our neighbourhoods, listening to their needs and working in partnership with others.
By working in partnership with the police, local authorities and primary care trusts as well as other local churches, your church could help provide services to address issues such as debt dependency, hunger, homelessness and drug and alcohol addictions. There will be many school and university missions, fun days, bbq's, kids clubs, estate clean-ups and much, much more......
What it means for our churches
Hope 2008 offers an amazing platform and profile for churches to join together and reach out and engage with local villages, towns and cities.
There are three core aspects:
Engaging with the unique profile and needs of your community. Hope 08 has arisen out of various initiatives focussing on practical mission to the poor and marginalised in communities. What could and should churches do in terms of word and action in your local area? Is there something relevant and sustainable that Hope 2008 could provide the impetus for local churches to do? There are lots of ideas and resources at www.hope08.com and in the Hope 08 Great Ideas book. There is also a team of people who would be willing to help your church or local churches to think though what that might mean for you. Email or ring 01392 294930 for more details. We hope to have a local website up and running soon.
Connecting with the High Points of the year. Overleaf is a calendar of the key moments in the year. Much is planned already around them, eg A New Year’s Eve Prayer Event at the Cathedral to start the year. How can you make them your own as a church or group?
Prayer. We have nothing to offer if it is not offered in the context of prayer. A useful website related to this is www.pray4exeter.co.uk. There was a county wide prayer day on 6th October at Southernhay URC, Exeter and all-night prayer at Exeter Cathedral on New Year's Eve, where people prayed for Hope 08 (details available online at www.hope08.com).
High Points in the Year
Fresh Hope: January - Lifestyle Courses—courses seeking to bless people, serve their needs, build relationships and find common ground in which Christians and non-Christians can do things together.
The Big Hope: March - Easter provides us with a wonderful opportunity to gather the church and the community together to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and the new life we can find in him.
FNXtra: 8th -12th April - A residential mission week for Devon youth. It will be based in Exeter and engaging in practical mission activity in Exeter and further afield. An investment for local projects and catalyst for youth to go back and engage in ‘Hope on The Streets’.
Hope on The Streets: 2-5th May - A million hours of kindness across the country—serving the people where we live. Each hour we give to serve others is an hour where we are worshipping God by following the example Jesus set for us in being the gospel as well as talking about it.
The Big Cream Tea: 24th - 26th May - Churches, big and small offering hospitality and refreshments out in the community – e.g. offering the people of Devon a free cream tea!
Hope Explored: September - Local churches offering courses helping people to explore faith. Different churches offering different opportunities and courses.
The Gift of Hope: Christmas - Encouraging local churches to take what they already do well and see if they can unpack the Christmas message for the wider community.
For more information or if you have any questions:
01392 294930