Hope 2008

Mathew Hulbert writes about a new community based Christian project

I believe the church can play a positive role in our communities

It's true that the Christian Church often gets a bad press. I declare an interest here, I am a Christian and I believe that the Church can play a positive role in our communities. This year the Church is engaged in a positive, progressive effort to demonstrate its beliefs in action. Hope 2008 is year-long project which aims to bring the whole Church together to serve and work with communities across the country.

Hope 2008 is a Christian project which aims to work directly with people to support them in their busy everyday lives. It aims to bring people together, teaching respect of others and realistic hope for the future. Hope 2008 offers help and support of personal debt, for example, which is increasingly a huge source of stress and worry for people in the UK. It also supports a wide range of charities such as W4B, which provides wireless internet access for the disabled and bedridden.

Hope 2008 supports and encourages a wide range of projects aiming to find local solutions to local problems, uniting people in their areas, encouraging them to support each other. I recently went along to the beautiful Coventry Cathedral where I interviewed three people involved in Hope 2008 in the city. One of the projects involved organizing a series of wedding courses for couples thinking of tying the knot, offering them support and relationship advice. There's support for teachers to give lessons on the theme of hope and community, and a project to help people who are homeless.

I was once told that a church without a social conscience is not a church. I agree. I believe that Hope 2008 can help us to work together, respect each other and support each other, helping us to make our nation a better and fairer place for everyone.