'Let's unite around the gospel and reach five million people this Christmas'

An evangelistic Christmas initiative aims to build on last year's successful campaign and reach record numbers of people in 2026 - and Baptist churches are once again invited to take part  

Shine Your Light (SYL) is a UK-based 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.  

Last year there were 1,832 SYL events, involving 308,730 Christians, which combined reached 3,531,871 people during the Christmas season.   

In 2026, organisers want to go one step further, and mobilise 500,000 Christians across 5,000 churches in a united Christmas mission. In the process, they seek to reach five million people throughout the UK, focused particularly on those marginalised by society.

While Shine Your Light’s focus weekend is 11-13 December, partner churches will begin to organise events from Advent onwards.  

Launching this year's initiative, Shine Your Light founder and CEO, Pastor Jonathan Oloyede, called on Christians to unite around the gospel.  

'Our communities are marked by division, frustration, anger and hopelessness. Yet the Church can model what happens when people work together despite their differences.  

'We carry a message of reconciliation that our nation desperately needs. Let's unite around the gospel and reach five million people this Christmas, especially those on the margins who are too often overlooked.' 

This year's focus is to be especially on prisons, and SYL aims to reach some 88,000 prisoners, including those in young offenders’ institutions. It also aims to focus on those who have been largely forgotten by society, such as asylum seekers, refugees and the homeless. 

The launch, to which over 150 national church and mission leaders attended, took place on the terrace of The Palace of Westminster, and was hosted by Christian MP, Ruth Jones. 

Guests heard from representatives of the Christian Police Association, including an officer who spoke movingly about receiving support following a traumatic incident involving an abandoned foetus, and urgedchurches to engage with those on the margins of their local community. 

'Our communities are marked by division, frustration, anger and hopelessness. Yet the Church can model what happens when people work together despite their differences,' said Mr Oloyede. 

Churches, organisations, and individuals can register to take part at shineyourlight.org.uk/registration, and once registered, will be able to access a toolbox of resources, which includes guidance on: 

• Writing to prisoners  
• Donating books for prisoners in segregation or on suicide watch 
• Providing Christian resources to prison wings 
• Supporting chaplaincies through prayer and practical partnership 
• Joining approved prison visiting schemes 

'Many people are hurting. Families are divided, friendships strained and communities fractured. People are searching for hope, purpose and meaning,' added Mr Oloyede.  

'Since 2023, Shine Your Light has taken the good news of the Prince of Peace into communities across the UK, sharing God's love and the hope found in Jesus Christ. Many people remain beyond the reach of traditional church activities. This year we are encouraging every church and every Christian to register, access our free resources and help bring hope to those who need it most.'  


By Abraham Jones