Church Army has announced a new campaign in response to last summer’s riots across England. Hope on the Streets has been launched to highlight the many ways in which people’s lives are being changed for the better through the work of the church. Church Army chief executive Mark Russell said he had been struck in the midst of the riots by “the hopelessness with which so many people live their lives”.

“Homelessness, unemployment, addiction, low self-esteem, lack of ambition, all of these things contribute to thousands of people living their lives without any sense of purpose,” he said. “It is into this world that the message of Jesus needs to be heard, a message of freedom, a message of transformation but above all a message of hope.”

Mr Russell said Church Army was committed to taking the Gospel to the very margins of British society. “Together we can bring the hope of Jesus Christ into more and more lives, and that is how we will change this nation.”

Source: Church Army

BIBLE STUDY: Luke 4:16-22

PRAISE: God for the work of Church Army on the streets of our cities. Pray for a greater openness to the Gospel in these times of despair.