More than 100 Christian leaders from 60 denominations, streams and networks gathered at Portcullis House, Westminster for a Parliamentary Reception to celebrate Shine Your Light (SYL), a nationwide evangelistic movement taking the gospel onto streets across the UK.
Hosted by Jim Shannon MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the International Freedom of Religion and Belief and organised by the National Day of Prayer and Worship (NDOPW), leaders from all four nations celebrated a doubling in participating churches from 738 in 2023 to over 1,500 last December.
Those gathered were also told of plans for Shine Your Light 2025, starting with a prayer focus over Pentecost weekend, 7 and 8 June, and a weekend of Christmas evangelistic events from 12 to 14 December.
Mr Shannon, who has backed the Shine Your Light campaign from its inception in 2023, introduced programme guests, including leaders from CTE Member Churches, Lydia and Henry George from Ichthus Christian Fellowship and Bishop David Edwards from the New Testament Church of God. Prayers were led by the new CTE President for the Free Churches Group, Rev Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson.
Stories from the floor were shared from Shine Your Light Christmas events in Bedford, Birmingham and Canterbury as well as from Wales and Scotland.
Dr Jonathan Oloyede, Convenor and Founder of NDOPW/SYL spoke of how Shine Your Light was an opportunity for the church to ensure that the Christian festivals were “reclaimed”, and of the need for prayer, unity and mission, “to work intentionally closer if we’re to continue to see God’s Kingdom grow in these Isles.”
After the gathering, he said: “Seeing over 100 Leaders in Parliament this week speaks of how much the Lord’s hand is on this call for mission, unity and prayer to come together. We can no longer separate the three – but bring them together as one. Shine Your Light has grown since 2023, but there is more that we need to do as the Church to reclaim our confidence in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
National Day of Prayer and Worship is a Charity and Network in Association with Churches Together in England.