King Charles III Endorses Shine Your Light, an Evangelistic Christmas Campaign
What would happen if tens of thousands of Christians took the message of Christmas outside church buildings and into the streets each year?
Nobody needs to wonder thanks to the efforts of Dr Jonathan Oloyede, Convenor of the UK National Day of Prayer and Worship and the Shine Your Light movement.
Dr Jonathan Oloyede and his team launched the Shine Your Light campaign last year, in which over 78,000 Christians from 738 churches took part.
This year, Shine Your Light was confident those numbers would grow to 1,000 churches and up to 100,000 disciples of Jesus. The campaign aims to reach one million people from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland with the gospel message.
What is Shine Your Light?
Shine Your Light takes its name from Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:14–16. The words in the Living Bible read, “You are the world’s light—a city on a hill, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father.”
The message of Matthew 5:14–16 is at the centre of Shine Your Light’s vision “to mobilise churches to take the Christmas story of ‘comfort and joy’ outside church walls, and into shopping centres, village greens, community centres — anywhere where the public will gather this December!”
Jonathan Oloyede believes the 2023 Shine Your Light campaign was a wonderful success. As a result, he is excited about the potential of Shine Your Light in the years to come.
“After last year’s pilot, we heard many stories of people coming to faith and churches welcoming in new people”, he said.
“It shows that when Christians come together for the gospel, whole communities can be reached!”
King Charles III Endorses Shine Your Light
Last Sunday, Dr Oloyede was thrilled to announce that His Majesty the King had endorsed Shine Your Light.
“The King, through his office, has sent his warmest greetings to every single one of you, encouraging you to spread the message of Christmas”, he said.
Dr Oloyede welcomed the endorsement. “To see Christians publicly recognised for taking the true message of Christmas into our communities by His Majesty the King is such an encouragement”, he remarked.
“We thank His Majesty for his gracious words and look forward to being able to share with him the great stories of inspiration from across the Isles as many spread light, hope and joy everywhere!”
The letter from King Charles, written by the king’s private secretariate officer James Dawson, reads,
“The King would have me send his warmest greetings to all of you who have gathered this weekend to come together to celebrate the Shine Your Light campaign.
“His Majesty greatly admires your efforts to bring many Christian denominations together and share in faith in this festive period.
“The King was most touched to learn of the success of your events. Last year, bringing thousands together across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. And to share in community and the Christmas spirit.
“His Majesty would have me wish you every success this year and hope that all who attend have a Happy Christmas and enjoy a peaceful year ahead.”
Dr Jonathan Oloyede: From Nigerian Muslim to London Christian Pastor
Jonathan Oloyede was born in Britain but raised in Nigeria. As he describes, he was “radically converted from Islam to Christianity within the wake of the revival that hit Nigerian Universities in the 1980s.”
Oloyede is a medical doctor by profession.
However, while on holiday in London in 1991, he responded to a call to be a missionary and pastor.
He subsequently moved to the UK and has been there ever since. Ordained into pastoral ministry in 1993, Oloyede now serves as a pastor at London’s City Chapel and various para-church ministries.
Shine Your Light is one of those initiatives. That this one-year-old Christmas campaign has attracted the attention of King Charles is something Dr Oloyede believes is highly significant. And important in his work is to bring the gospel back to Europe, where it once flourished.
While enthusiastically welcoming the king’s endorsement, Dr Oloyede advised people to “focus on the King of kings and the Lord of lords.”
“But we thank God that men and those in authority and women in every sphere are re-recognising the work of the Church”, he said.
“We pray for a breakthrough this Christmas and in this season as the true message of Christmas goes everywhere. And people come to Christ and come back to the Church.”
___
Photo via Shine Your Light and Wikimedia Commons.
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Beautiful! Would be nice to see a similar movement here, but , imagine the legal obstacles and violence .
King Charles is turning out to be a good king, but, who have we in Australia to advocate for religious freedom ? He is Head of the UK’s national religion.
Dr Jonathan is a tireless Christian minister, advocating for a number of years Christian United prayer and action across the UK , and now seeing more join together with this iniative.
I pray that if our king , Charles III has now accepted the truth that Jesus is the risen son of God, King of kings, that you will open the hearts of William Prince of Wales and his wife Catherine Princess of Wales to this life changing truth and that they will come to accept Jesus as their Saviour. I pray too that their beautiful children will know you Lord deeply.