A united year of mission

The pandemic upturned life as we knew it. Now, the UK is in a period of uncertainty and economic hardship for many with no end in sight. War and global unrest fill the news. In the most recent Talking Jesus research, the deep question that most people who aren’t Christians wanted an answer to is “Will everything be ok?” We want to help them find the answer – the “yes” – in Jesus. 

This year HOPE 23-24 aims to unite the church across denominations and organisations throughout the UK to offer the hope of Jesus to the nation for a year of mission starting in September 2023. We want to ensure everyone in the UK gets the opportunity to find out about Jesus Christ. 

What's happening

Together, with churches across all denominations, we are praying, planning, and working together to launch local initiatives and projects. We are aiming for 1000s of churches across the UK to: 

• Decide they’re IN and get started! “Yes I want to offer HOPE in 23-24 and I want to do this with others – with my church and in my area!” 
• Join with other churches in their area to pray, talk and plan together the year of mission starting in September. 
• Listen to their communities to find out what the needs are and how they can be met. 
• Decide what to do and develop creative plans, from a one-day event to a whole year of outreach serving their local community - a gazebo on a village green with cream teas to a shop on the high street for the year! From picking up litter, running a community BBQ, or an event in a local park - the possibilities are endless.  

Projects launched through HOPE 08, HOPE 2014 and HOPE 2018 are still flourishing and bringing hope to communities today. We know the possibilities and we know the time is right. 

How to join in 

Participate – Sign up as a partner church through the Hope Together site. 

Pray – Join together in your area to pray. Right now, you can join us to grow in hope through Lent. Every day throughout Lent this year we’ll be sharing a short, simple prayer to grow hope through our communities and the nation. Lent Prayers. 

Plan - We’re creating resources to help start and support the conversations and movements across the land. Our online portal launching in March will provide everything you need: simple steps to get ready, ways to connect with your community and help to develop relationships so that people can explore faith. 

For more information visit hope2324.com 
 

Background / Notes for editors: 

Hope Together was founded in 2008 to activate Christian mission across the UK. 

The 2022  Talking Jesus research, in partnership with Hope Together, Alpha, the Evangelical Alliance, CV Global, Luis Palau Association and Kingsgate Church indicated that 1 in 3 non-Christians who have had a conversation or talked about Jesus with a Christian want to know more about him. Three-quarters of non-Christians reported that they were comfortable having these conversations. Both of these figures have increased since the first Talking Jesus research in 2015. 

The research also showed us that there were many ways that practising Christians come to faith – nearly all of them involve contact with Christians: 

• 19% said attending a church service 
• 15% said conversations with a Christian they knew well 
• 11% said responding to an appeal at a gospel event 

The 2022 Talking Jesus research shows us that 1 in 3 non-Christians who have had a conversation [talked about Jesus?] with a Christian want to know more about him. Three-quarters of non-Christians reported that they were comfortable having these conversations. Both of these figures have increased since the first Talking Jesus research in 2015. This is great news for the church, and should encourage us to talk about our faith. The research also showed us that there were many ways that practising Christians come to faith – nearly all of them involve contact with Christians. 19% said attending a church service, 15% said conversations with a Christian they knew well, 11% said responding to an appeal at a gospel event.  
 

Get in touch

Phone: 01788 542782
Email: alex.richards@hopetogether.org.uk