Shine Your Light Christmas outreach campaign exceeded all expectations

The Christmas “Shine Your Light” campaign has said that it exceeded all of its outreach plans throughout the festive period, reaching over 3.5 million individuals with the gospel message.

Organisers of the campaign initially said they planned to achieve 2 million individuals with a variety of events, including carol services, open air preaching and even a broadcast right into a prison. Churches up and down the country were thrown into motion, with the aim of mobilising a military of 200,000 Christian witnesses.

With Christmas well and truly over, the numbers at the moment are in and across 1,832 events held as a part of the campaign, there have been 3,531,871 people reached, up 10.4 per cent from the previous 12 months’s campaign. More than 300,000 Christians were involved in the varied outreach events.

The Shine Your Light campaign received public endorsements from His Majesty King Charles III in addition to Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, and Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch.

The campaign was spearheaded by the National Day of Prayer and Worship (NDOPW), which said that this 12 months’s success might be attributed to the ability of prayer. On 12-14 December a 72-hour continuous online prayer meeting was held in a “Digital Prayer Chapel”.

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 advanced with incredible faith and unity. The level of participation, scale and impact far exceeded anything we anticipated, and we give all of the glory to God.  

“In 2025, our vision was to mobilise 200,000 Christians to achieve two million people throughout the Christmas season. But after analysing 1,832 outreach events, we’re thrilled to report that 308,730 Christians reached an astonishing 5,531,871 people – a 207% increase on 2024.

“Behind every number is a story. We are hearing inspiring testimonies of odd believers – many who once felt unable or hesitant to share their faith — now stepping out boldly as lights of their communities.”

A bumper Christmas has also been reported by the Winchester Cathedral, which said that it had seen events across the season packed out with visitors and worshippers.