Hope to launch at Europe's largest gathering of Christians

Hope will launch in its new form as part of Europe’s largest gathering of Christians, an all-night prayer and praise event hosted by the Redeemed Christian Church of God which expects more than 25,000 people to attend.

Hosted by Pastor Agu Irukwu of Jesus House, the Hope launch will be part of the Festival of Life on 23 July at the ExCel Centre in London.

The General Overseer, Pastor EA Adeboye is also keen to pray over and commission Hope. The event signifies a move towards a wider involvement in Hope from across church denominations and cultural divides and will strengthen partnerships with the black majority church.

Pastor Agu Irukwu said: “Hope is one of the tributaries that will flow into this river of revival. There is a feeling that God is in this and that it is actually larger than we all think. There is a real desire to do something - working together, black and white majority churches, urban based missions and missions that are out in the country.”

Hope together is a continuation of Hope 08 and is reforming in response to calls from church and denominational leaders who found it a helpful banner to work under.

It will build on the original vision to see the whole nation reached by the whole church. Hope together will support and encourage the local church to speak and live its mission in word and action, in unity with other Christians.

Roy Crowne, Executive Director said: “Launching at this event is a real history moment - a moment of genuine partnership as a demonstration that we desire to be one in Christ.

“It is tremendously encouraging to see more and more church streams and denominations of all kinds partnering under the Hope banner, with the purpose of working together to transform communities with the power of the gospel.

"There is a growing appetite for unified mission across the country and the potential is huge. To mobilise the people of God to change the nation is what Hope is about.”

Bishop Wayne Malcolm, the senior pastor of Christian Life City Church, said that the continuation of Hope is a bottom up, grassroots revival.

He said: “The desire to collaborate and co-operate across denominational, ethnic and cultural lines, for the purpose of evangelising Britain, is unprecedented and clearly indicative of something authentic - I'm excited!”

2008 saw thousands across the UK put their faith into action, taking Jesus’ commission even more seriously. Around 1,500 areas got involved and churches found strategies for being good news outside of their buildings in all sorts of creative ways.

Hope together aims to raise the temperature of mission over the next four years leading toward an all-out year of holistic mission in 2014.