FIVE thousand churches across the UK are being mobilised to reach people experiencing loneliness and isolation this Christmas as part of the national Shine Your Light campaign.
Christmas may be a season of celebration and togetherness, but for many it can intensify feelings of loneliness, bereavement, and isolation.
Shine Your Light is calling on 5,000 churches to take the Christmas message of hope beyond their buildings and intentionally reach people who might otherwise feel forgotten between 11th –13th December 2026.
For the past three years, Shine Your Light has encouraged churches to take carols, Christmas services and events onto streets, estates, market squares, and shopping centres. Around 3,500 churches participated last year. This year, the ambition is to mobilise 5,000 churches and reach five million people across the UK.
The campaign will place a particular emphasis on those living in the forgotten part of our communities.
Age UK estimates that around 940,000 people aged 65 and over – approximately one in 14 – are often lonely, while around 270,000 older people in England can go an entire week without speaking to a friend or family member. [1]
But loneliness is not confined to older generations. Previous Office for National Statistics analysis found younger adults were particularly likely to report feeling lonely, while the Government’s June 2026 review of loneliness among boys and young men highlighted its prevalence among 16–24-year-olds. [2]
Dr Jonathan Oloyede founder and CEO of the National Day of Prayer and Worship, and part of the team behind Shine Your Light said: “Christmas should be a time of hope, but for hundreds of thousands of people it can magnify the reality that they feel alone, forgotten or disconnected.
“For an older person, Christmas can highlight bereavement, declining health or the absence of family and friends. For a young person surrounded by social media, loneliness can be just as real – accompanied by a search for belonging, hope and purpose.
“Our challenge to the Church this Christmas is simple: look around your community and ask, ‘Who might be forgotten?’ Then go to them. We want churches to bring light, hope, joy, and genuine community – not simply for one Christmas season, but in ways that can grow into lasting relationships throughout 2027 and beyond.”
REACHING BEYOND THE CHURCH WALLS
Reaching lonely and isolated people forms part of a significant expansion of Shine Your Light this year.
Alongside loneliness and isolation, churches are being encouraged and resourced to reach people living on large estates and in underserved communities; people experiencing homelessness; and people in prisons and young offender institutions.
Dr Oloyede added: “Wherever we look, people are hurting. Families are divided, friendships strained and communities fractured. People are searching for hope, purpose and meaning.
“Since 2023, Shine Your Light has helped churches take the good news of the Prince of Peace into communities across the UK. But many people remain beyond the reach of traditional church activities. If people are not coming to us, we must be prepared to go to them.”
Shine Your Light recognises that many churches have served their communities faithfully for decades. The campaign is therefore not seeking to replace existing work but to strengthen, connect and expand it.
Working with experienced Christian charities and ministries, Shine Your Light is developing a free online Toolbox providing practical resources, outreach ideas, case studies, and guidance for participating churches.
Dr Oloyede concluded: “Shine Your Light isn’t about giving churches another programme to run. It is about encouraging and resourcing what God is already doing – and inspiring others to take their first step.
“Our prayer is that something which begins with an invitation, a Christmas meal, a carol or a simple conversation this December could become a relationship and community that lasts long after the Christmas lights have come down.”
REGISTER FOR SHINE YOUR LIGHT 2026
All participating churches must register for Shine Your Light 2026, including churches that have taken part previously.
• To register, and to access to the free Toolbox visit: www.shineyourlight.org.uk/registration