The Christmas “Shine Your Light” campaign has said that it exceeded all of its outreach plans during the festive period, reaching over 3.5 million people with the gospel message.
Organisers of the campaign initially said they planned to reach 2 million people with a range of events, including carol services, open air preaching and even a broadcast into a prison. Churches up and down the country were thrown into action, with the aim of mobilising an army of 200,000 Christian witnesses.
With Christmas well and truly over, the numbers are now in and across 1,832 events held as part of the campaign, there were 3,531,871 people reached, up 10.4 per cent from the previous year’s campaign. More than 300,000 Christians were involved in the various outreach events.
The Shine Your Light campaign received public endorsements from His Majesty King Charles III as well as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch.
The campaign was spearheaded by the National Day of Prayer and Worship (NDOPW), which said that this year’s success could be attributed to the power of prayer. On 12-14 December a 72-hour continuous online prayer meeting was held in a “Digital Prayer Chapel”.
Pastor Jonathan Oloyede, founder and convenor of Shine Your Light, said, “We have been deeply humbled and genuinely overwhelmed by the extraordinary response from churches across these Isles.
"From England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to communities across Ireland, believers stepped forward with incredible faith and unity. The level of participation, scale and impact far exceeded anything we anticipated, and we give all the glory to God.
“In 2025, our vision was to mobilise 200,000 Christians to reach two million people during the Christmas season. But after analysing 1,832 outreach events, we are thrilled to report that 308,730 Christians reached an astonishing 5,531,871 people - a 207% increase on 2024.
"Behind every number is a story. We are hearing inspiring testimonies of ordinary believers - many who once felt unable or hesitant to share their faith — now stepping out boldly as lights in their communities.”
A bumper Christmas has also been reported by the Winchester Cathedral, which said that it had seen events across the season packed out with visitors and worshippers.
