Bill

‘Helping people to grow and develop in their faith is one thing, but actually helping ordinary people in the street to understand a little bit more about what that big building is at the end of their road, and what goes on there, is just as important,’ said Bill Nichols, talking to Hope Together about why his church recently bought a large order of our ‘Hope in Uncertain Times’ booklets.

A resource for such a time as this

‘What attracted me to the little booklets was thinking about what was going on, both in our parish and nationally – I just felt that the message of hope, to be predominant with it, was just the thing to do,’ said Bill, who is a reader at Holy Trinity Church in Heath Town, Wolverhampton, where he’s been a member for over 70 years! ‘When I looked at a copy, it was so well-written, it was written in everyday language… but it was beautifully designed as well. It was really a very attractive booklet, one which I knew we could give away – the message was perfect. Each Christmas and Easter, we deliver a card to every household, or as many households as we can. This year we delivered them to 4000 homes and again, the message was ‘hope’ – so the connectivity of that, we felt was helpful.’

A simple, powerful message

‘Hope in Uncertain Times’ is an ideal gift to give away to people in your community, with its simple message of hope for both now and eternity. Bill encouraged his church to purchase copies to leave at the back of their building, for members of the congregation to take and pass on to friends and neighbours. Although the church later had to shut its doors again due to fresh lockdown restrictions, there was still a really positive response to the booklets.

‘We had good feedback – I remember, one member of our congregation gave two away just to local friends, who weren’t Christians, who didn’t go to church, and the feedback she had from them was excellent – they really wanted to know if they could have another two to give to someone else.’

As well as noting the visual appeal of the booklets, Bill also appreciated how they are ‘thin enough for the ordinary person to read’ – and engaging even in a culture that increasingly is less focused on reading.

Could one of our Hope Together books help your church reach out to your community with the crucial message of hope amidst the challenges we’re currently facing? Take a look at our resources here.