CTE are delighted to support the A Million Acts of Hope campaign. In a world increasingly shaped by enmity and violence and where the most vulnerable in society can often be scapegoats, we believe there is another story to tell. We can easily fall into the trap of believing we are a divided nation, increasingly being mistrustful and spewing hate.
A Million Acts of Hope is a reminder that in reality, thousands of people across the UK show up for each other, their neighbours and their communities every single day. From litter picking in parks to donating to food banks, coaching kids’ football teams to working together to make our streets safer – acts of hope and kindness happen all the time.
We believe the local church across our nation is a key part of doing this great stuff. Creating safe places through drop ins, Warm Welcome spaces, friendship cafes, weekly lunches. Thousands of churches run food banks and support with debt crisis intervention. And many churches are doing this through ecumenical partnerships, both formal and informal, sharing resources, time and energy and seeing this as an outworking of their shared faith in the living God.
Last weekend, I joined ‘Bread church’ at The Collective, which is run by the Methodist and United Reformed churches in my local town of Sidmouth. Every other week, they gather to make bread together over the course of three hours (kneading, resting and baking), finishing the morning by breaking bread and eating soup around a large table. It’s a relational, inclusive and welcoming space where anyone can find a home. It’s an act of hope.
Get involved
Think about your own village, town or city. Are there spaces, events or activities that are acts of hope? From 13 to 20 May you are invited to celebrate them by being part of A Million Acts of Hope. If you are inspired to do new acts of hope that week, that’s great…but this campaign is mainly about acknowledging how our communities already come together.
Register your event/activity as an Act of Hope.
Download resources including posters
So, please join us in spreading the good news of God’s embracing and love for everyone.
A million acts of hope has been in the DNA of the church since Jesus gathered his disciples for a meal.
Find out more about A Million Acts of Hope.
Follow A Million Acts of Hope on Facebook. Follow A Million Acts of Hope on Instagram. Share what you are doing by tagging @1mactsofhope or #MillionActsofHope on social channels.