You’ve probably seen it yourself over the last few months... the spiritual temperature has been rising across the UK. You may have shared your faith with someone. Maybe you welcomed new people to your lockdown church services. You might be among the many, many Christians who have been supporting vulnerable people.
The fact is, while our church buildings have been shut, the church is more open than ever. People like you have stepped into the gap.
But today, as we navigate ‘the new normal,’ we face a now-or-never moment. The UK church response needs to scale up, get smarter, and be even more united and coordinated. We must work together to make Jesus known. And you can help.
This is arguably the greatest evangelistic opportunity of our lifetime. Never before have we faced such crisis in our communities and such opportunity to share the good news.
Think of your own neighbourhood and the damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. People have lost loved ones and jobs. Families are in poverty. Marriages are under pressure. Children are returning to school with anxieties we can barely imagine. Vulnerable people may still be too fearful to leave home.
On the other hand, one in four UK adults tuned in to a church service during lockdown*, and almost 60 per cent of churches say more people have wanted to find out about Christianity. A friend of mine put 25 Bibles on his driveway with a note saying, “Only take one if you’ll read it.” They all went. Faced with our own fragility, we are asking big questions. People are searching for hope and meaning.
So, what should the church do? We need to be coordinated. We must be united. And we need to pray. At the Evangelical Alliance, we’re uniquely placed to make this happen.
Now more than ever, churches must pull together with others to do the most important things, first. We need to collaborate to serve communities. There’s no time to duplicate our efforts, and we can’t afford to have gaps.
As churches in our nations – England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland – we must be united. We must speak up as one in the corridors of power about our shared hope.
And we must pray like we’ve never prayed before – for the vulnerable, the least and the lost, for frontline workers and our leaders. We must pray corporately and intentionally, expectantly and boldly.
Make no mistake, this is urgent. People of influence, MPs and policy-makers are right now approaching us to ask how the church can help rebuild our nations. This is the moment to deploy all our resources for the greatest possible impact – to help struggling communities and make Jesus known.
At the Evangelical Alliance, we’re already supporting churches like yours. But we could do so much more. Please, will you give generously to help the church respond today, and see lives changed by Christ?
Now is the time. There is an open goal before us. A struggling, desperate country needs a prepared, united church – and we can make Jesus known more than ever before.
Please also pray. Pray for passion for the task at hand, pray for unity and impact, pray for a country transformed by Jesus.
Thank you so much. Your heart for the UK church means so much. Thank you for your vision and support, and for every second of prayer.
Every blessing,
Gavin Calver
CEO
