2nd HOPE champions meeting

The next HOPE champions meeting is on Thursday 5th June at Orchard Baptist (8pm). If you would like to be a HOPE champion for your church, let us know. If you would like to be a volunteer for the HOPE Town event on Saturday 30th August contact your HOPE champion (listed to the right of this post)

We will need a lot of people for the day to be a success and would encourage you to get involved, in whatever way you can. HOPE T-shirts can be found on the CPO address listed below the champions list. We would like each volunteer to get one...so order yours now to beat the rush & wear it to promote HOPE 08 in Colchester.

Sharers in the Promise

A message from Howard Gardner:

Sharers in the Promise is a presentation for Advent, and takes place on Saturday 29 November at St Botolph's Church. It is part-sponsored by SGBC and has its own planning group. It is a major event (two presentations, actually, so up to 800 people could see it) and really leads people (Christians and their non-Christian friends) into the Christmas season. The following day, 30 November, is Advent Sunday.

HOPE prayer room a success

More than 200 people from 18 church congregations took slots in the prayer room. Together we sustained 220 hours of prayer over 10 days.

"There is a real sense of the presence of God." Prayer Room user.

"I feel much clearer in my head in the prayer room." Prayer Room visitor.

Excitingly, many passersby left prayer requests on the church railings, that could then be taken into the prayer room and offered to God in prayer.

"Many thanks for setting up the 24/10 at St Peter's, and for leaving it so clean and tidy.
I was very conscious of the Lord's presence the times I spent there, and St Peter's felt it a privilege to host it." Rev Fred Woods, vicar of St Peter's Church congregation.

A great reflection on Hope, that I found had been composed in the prayer room;

Helping Hands
Open Doors
People receiving God's love
Exploring God's hope and grace/ Excitement and joy throughout the nation
Because of what Jesus did for us brings Hope to our lives now in 2008 and forever more.

Love Richard Smith

HOPE is around us

A message from Steph Neill:

"I saw these words on a 10 foot high poster in Cambridge:

"Everything you know is about to change. Hope has a new face."

It's the advert for the new Narnia film!"

Prayer Room News:

From Richard Smith:

The prayer room has now been the site of 7 days of prayer room, with many church congregations taking slots.

Visitors have commented on the sense of peace in the prayer room. But Magic, a visitor from Poland, also commented on the life he saw.

Passers by have taken the chance to hang prayers on the church railings. (These prayers are then brought inside and prayed).

Free slots in the prayer room are still avaiable on Saturday 12noon - 8pm. Please sign up for slots in the prayer room, St Peter's Church, North Hill.

Also please consider asking your church leader to support the Global Day of Prayer on Sunday 11 May. The Hope 2008 Colchester organisers are asking church congregations to say the Prayer for the World together at 11am on Sunday. For more info visit www.globaldayofprayer.com It's an awesome prayer! And amazing to be part of a prayer being said across the world.If you intend to join with this global prayer, please let marie@colchesterprayernet.co.uk know.Richard