St Luke's Church Eccleshill - Articles from "The Link"

A year of hope

Across the country, churches and Christians are coming together under the umbrella of “Hope 2008” for a year of activities. For two reasons:

We want to let Britain know that God cares and that the Christian church in this country is a great force for good, especially when we unite and look outwards.

We want to show God's love for the people in this country by caring for them, praying for them and telling them about the "open secret" of what Jesus did and why.

What is our ‘Hope’? Some people hope to win the lottery. Some sit in an old beat-up car and and hope it car will start on a cold day. Christian hope is different. It isn't wishful thinking, it is a uniquely certain hope. It’s based on a promise not a wish.

What is ‘Hope 2008’? It is a national initiative based on three main themes: Do more to share about Jesus, do it together with Christians of other churches wherever possible, and do it in word and action to show that Jesus’ love is practical. Nationally speaking the year has five ‘high points’ or themes which form the basis for action:

Fresh hope in the new year: starting the new year with prayer and with making plans for getting together with others. A key time for this will be our united service on January 20th.
Big hope at Easter, finding ways to tell people that Jesus is alive and celebrate his resurrection. There are plans for a major passion Play in Bradford during Holy Week.
Hope where you live at Pentecost: serving communities in May and June. The ambition is that the churches might be able to put in “a million hours of kindness” in local areas, making a difference to the quality of life in our cities.
Hope explored around Harvest: lots of ways in which people can find out more about the Christian faith, such as Alpha courses which we have run.
The gift of hope at Christmas: probably a celebration in the city centre to remind people of the real meaning of Christmas - that God gave the world a real present in and through his Son.

In Bradford there will be a particular focus on two of these under the umbrella of ‘Hope Bradford’. So don’t let 2008 be the year that you just sat around and watched the world pass you by - join local Christians in Hope!

John Hartley

	*St Luke's Church, Eccleshill - The Link* magazine** The Link is published monthly at 40p (Senior Citizens 35p), and we deliver free within the parish and post copies (at the reader's expense) to those who request it. Please contact us if you would like a free copy for a trial period. January 2008, Page 1.
Home Page. Index of articles: by subject, by date. In this issue: (January 2008) Hope Bradford, Hymn, A will. Other letters from the vicar. Hope Bradford's web site.	A year of hope Across the country, churches and Christians are coming together under the umbrella of “Hope 2008” for a year of activities. For two reasons: We want to let Britain know that God cares and that the Christian church in this country is a great force for good, especially when we unite and look outwards. We want to show God's love for the people in this country by caring for them, praying for them and telling them about the "open secret" of what Jesus did and why. What is our ‘Hope’? Some people hope to win the lottery. Some sit in an old beat-up car and and hope it car will start on a cold day. Christian hope is different. It isn't wishful thinking, it is a uniquely certain hope. It’s based on a promise not a wish. What is ‘Hope 2008’? It is a national initiative based on three main themes: Do more to share about Jesus, do it together with Christians of other churches wherever possible, and do it in word and action to show that Jesus’ love is practical. Nationally speaking the year has five ‘high points’ or themes which form the basis for action: Fresh hope in the new year: starting the new year with prayer and with making plans for getting together with others. A key time for this will be our united service on January 20th. Big hope at Easter, finding ways to tell people that Jesus is alive and celebrate his resurrection. There are plans for a major passion Play in Bradford during Holy Week. Hope where you live at Pentecost: serving communities in May and June. The ambition is that the churches might be able to put in “a million hours of kindness” in local areas, making a difference to the quality of life in our cities. Hope explored around Harvest: lots of ways in which people can find out more about the Christian faith, such as Alpha courses which we have run. The gift of hope at Christmas: probably a celebration in the city centre to remind people of the real meaning of Christmas - that God gave the world a real present in and through his Son. In Bradford there will be a particular focus on two of these under the umbrella of ‘Hope Bradford’. So don’t let 2008 be the year that you just sat around and watched the world pass you by - join local Christians in Hope! John Hartley
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