Many Sydney churches are gearing up to share Jesus in a special initiative from Easter to Pentecost this year.

Anglican churches nationally are joining in Hope25 and parishes are being encouraged to run a mission, share the resources from the Hope25 website and partner with a less-resourced church in another diocese to share hope in Jesus.

“I am hearing of individual parishes and mission areas working together in Sydney to engage in this mission,” says the Rev Gary O’Brien, director of Ministry Training & Development and one of Sydney’s representatives on the organising committee. 

“We thank God that we have a rich history of seeking to reach out to others with the good news of Jesus here in Sydney, and Hope25 provides us with an opportunity to do it again and partner with others in proclaiming the gospel.” 

One of the unusual features of the outreach is a national prayer meeting each month on Zoom. A Hope25-branded gospel of Luke (NIV version) has also been printed for people to give away to friends and contacts.

“Just imagine with me, for a moment, what might happen to the Anglican Church of Australia if Anglicans across the country got on their knees to pray for their communities to encounter the hope we have in Jesus,” said the Bishop of Tasmania, Richard Condie, who chairs General Synod’s Ministry & Mission Commission. 

“Imagine every parish church, in every town and city and suburb, of every diocese – in the big cities and in the small towns at the same time – [speaking about] the common theme of ‘Hope in an Uncertain World’, with common branding and promotional material, banners, flyers, posters, social media, email campaigns, spots on local radio and ads in newspapers. 

“Imagine all this backed up by the prayers of every Anglican, inviting the unchurched and dechurched, and the ‘never-thought-about-it-befores’, to come to a dinner, or a service, or a play group, or a fair, or a barbecue, or a wine and cheese event, where they are going to hear about Jesus and be invited to explore the Christian faith. 

“Imagine, then, the people who might come to a short course, or an inquirers’ Bible study, or a new Christians discussion group. Imagine what impact we could have, and the encouragement this will bring, and the joy in heaven when people come to faith!”