When did we see you...?

"WHEN?" - new Hope film available 2nd May and available for download

'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' Matthew 25 vs. 37b-39 (NIV)

WHEN?

The next Hope '08 'high point' starting around the May Bank Holiday weekend, "Hope Where You Live", is a great reminder to us to let our activities break out of our church buildings and to get onto the streets where we live.

To mark this, a new short film has been made for Hopeinfo.co.uk which is a snapshot of life on the streets, against the backdrop of the question: 'When?'

Why not use the film as part of what you're planning for May?

It will be available to download from the 2nd May, possibly earlier! Why not show it at whatever events you are planning? Why not buy or print materials or t-shirts with the web address on and point people to the film, one of seven? CPO have a wide range. Remember the Hopeinfo.co.uk site is a gateway for contact with the Christian Enquiry Agency that provides a range of free literature and services for those who want to know more about what we Christians believe - and what that means for our lives.

Sunday Life

This Sunday at 10am a new weekly religious programme begins on BBC1. "Sunday Life" is presented by Louise Minchin and former Olympic athlete Colin Jackson.

It aims to profile inspiring personal stories and provide thought-provoking discussion. On this first show Gill Hicks, who lost both legs in the 7/7 bombings, launches a walk for peace. Plus, actress Georgia Slowe, whose mother had a miraculous escape from the Nazis, visits Auschwitz with British schoolchildren.

Future programmes will feature Arthur White from Tough Talk and St Pixels virtual church.

My PVR is set to record the whole series. No idea whether it will be worth watching, but I do want to know what is being broadcast and how it might impact public perceptions of religion. I'm not religious myself, as they say, but still.

If you have any inspiring or perhaps quirky stories let me know. I'll suggest them to the programme makers.

Fanning the flames

In a few weeks’ time it will be Pentecost and a new way to celebrate starts this year: Pentecost Festival - www.pentecostfestival.co.uk - organized by Share Jesus International. Over the weekend 9th-11th May 2008 this high energy missional festival will be hitting the streets of Central London – a fitting place for this particular celebration given the wonderfully cosmopolitan make-up of 21st century London.

This weekend-long party is a visible celebration by the people of the Christian faith, but is open to all faiths and cultures. Two years in the making, Pentecost Festival will celebrate cohesion, collaboration and service to society, and deliver 100+ free events from urban-dance performances, theatre productions and graffiti artists through to speed-dating and more! The idea is to break misconceptions about Church as boring, cold and with no life or creativity, by bringing the Church body out of the building and into the streets to celebrate.

This fits nicely with the ethos of Hope 2008 to which the festival is linked. Hope ‘08 aims to celebrate at Pentecost too, by getting Christians all over the country joining together to give one million hours of practical help to their communities.

This theme of ‘living the Gospel’ will also be picked up by www.hopeinfo.co.uk – the online public face of Hope ‘08. The website will feature a new film highlighting Christians making a difference in the lives of others, based around the parable of the sheep and the goats from Matthew 25: 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'