GOOD NEWS ON OUR STREETS Shine Your Light - Birmingham

This Advent (Sunday 30th November – Wednesday 24th December) let’s light Jesus up across our city.

Together, let’s shine our lights, and point as many people as possible in our city toward Jesus, the greatest gift ever given, this Advent. If we all lit up one street in our community, our collective potential to impact our city, would be immense. Birmingham needs good news! A city full of struggling people, often anxious, and afraid. But across the city there is a growing hunger to find Jesus. 2025 is an opportunity for the church of Birmingham to shine a collective light on Jesus. To bring hope and joy to our communities.

Here are two initiatives that are easy, accessible and low cost. Yet, hold huge potential to put Good News on our Streets across the city building great encounters and stirring hope.

1. LET’S SING!

The Shine your light initiative has taken carols onto the streets. With well produced books containing songs to sing, prayers and testimony this creates ‘audience participation’ carols. Let’s sing together! We want to shine our light on Jesus over Birmingham joining 1000’s across the country bringing hope and joy to our streets over the 12 – 14th December period. Go to your high street, offer a carol singing event to your local pub, get out where people gather. Enjoy singing but celebrate Jesus. Pray blessing on your community. The possibilities are endless Last year 700 people sang together in a joy filled evening on the Holte End at Aston Villa accompanied by a choir and the bells of Aston Parish Church using the books. Let’s build a choir representing the unity and diversity of the Birmingham Church and sing in Birmingham City Centre on Saturday afternoon 13th December in prominent locations. Let’s put Christmas at the heart of the Christmas market!

2. LET’S BRING HOPE – Joy, Peace and Love

Started here in Birmingham the Advent Tree is a wonderful way to share the gospel in our communities. Lit by a solar powered spotlight, the Advent Tree lights the words – Love, Joy, Hope and Peace. A QR code next to the tree sparks curiosity inspiring passersby to find out more. The QR code links to a website where all ages can read about the Light of the Word and the giver of Love – Joy- Hope – Peace. From a central website, communities and individuals will be able to add a link to their local website advertising next steps, Carol services or a simple email to find out more. We offer a free booklet receive a short booklet called ‘Light and Life – The First Christmas’. Over 6000 unique visitors accessed the website from 7 towns across the UK, from Sunderland to Deal.

3. NEXT STEPS

Could you take a group and sing carols to the streets this Advent in your community? You can find out more about Shine Your Light’s nationwide campaign and vision to mobilise 100,000 Christians to engage one million neighbours here: www.shineyourlight.org

For local support our local Shine Your Light representative is Kenny (email - olatunjiolafare@gmail.com). For choir resources or to be part of the city centre choir contact Andy Boxall andy@theB.network

Could 10 people in your congregation display an Advent Tree in their front Garden? We are looking to get 100 advent trees spread across Birmingham in 2025; therefore, we are looking for 10 churches to commit to the Advent Tree project 2025.

Advent Trees are 120cm high and securely stand in front gardens or be secured a fence or the side of the house. We can also supply a large eight-foot tree to place outside their building. The materials to produce 10 Advent Tree cost £500. To enable production churches need to sign up to the Advent Trees programme before the end of July.

Please contact Andy Boxall for details andy@theB.network. Christmas starts now – yes even before the decorations and cards think of hitting the shops! If you want to join this move to Share Good News on Birmingham streets, please commit now to book the advent trees and start to arrange a plan for December.