Shine Your Light saw ‘significant year-on-year growth’ 

The evangelistic Christmas initiative mobilised and reached record numbers of people in 2025, organisers have stated

Shine Your Light (SYL) is a UK evangelistic movement which launched in 2023 to mobilise and equip UK churches to take carol and other Christmas services out from church buildings onto streets, marketplaces and shopping centres. 

After verifying event data, SYL - supported by more than 50 denominational, network, prayer, and national ministry partners - confirmed ‘significant year-on-year growth’ in 2025. 

There were 1,832 SYL events (a 10.4 per cent increase on the previous year) involving 308,730 Christians, which reached 3,531,871 people during the Christmas season.

The previous year – 2024 – had seen 1769 church and ministry events reach an estimated 1.71 million people.

Organisers had initially aimed to mobilise 200,000 Christians in partner churches to reach 2 million people across the UK.

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.

‘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.’

Churches have also reported increasing openness among the public. Prayer gazebos and street outreach initiatives have seen hundreds of people asking for prayer, many saying they would never feel confident enough to enter a church building.  

‘We are deeply thankful to God for His blessing on every event,’ Pastor Oloyede added. ‘We are also grateful for our partner churches and organisations, and we look forward to 2026 with even greater expectation for what God will do through Shine Your Light.’

The Revd Hany Abdelmasih, Regional Minister with London Baptists, is the Baptists Together representative for Shine Your Light. 

He said, ‘Shine Your Light has been a great blessing in mobilising the church across different denominations in the UK to work together in reaching our nation with the hope of the Christmas message. 

‘The Baptist family has been involved from the very beginning, with many Baptist churches embracing the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with the wider body of Christ in sharing the good news with our nation.

‘I am deeply grateful for all that Shine Your Light has accomplished so far, and I am very much looking forward to seeing what God will do through Shine Your Light in 2026.’
 

The campaign’s 2026 focus weekend will take place 11–13 December.  More information about Shine Your Light 2026 is available at: shineyourlight.org.uk