He’s backing a campaign.
King Charles III has voiced his support for the “Shine Your Light” campaign, which aims to engage 100,000 Christians across the U.K. in various activities such as carol singing and Nativity plays to spread the message that Jesus is the King of Kings.
In a letter to the campaign organizers, the king extended his “warmest good wishes” and praised the initiative for uniting Christian denominations and sharing faith during the festive season. The letter, published on the campaign’s website, noted that the king was “most touched” by the success of the 2023 campaign and wished everyone a Happy Christmas and a peaceful year ahead.
The campaign, which has garnered support from 75 church leaders and plans to host 1,000 events nationwide, was highlighted by Rachael Heffer of the U.K. Evangelical Alliance and Jonathan Oleyede of the National Day of Prayer U.K. Preparations for the initiative began in October, as noted by Christian Daily International during the filming of a promotional video.
Heffer emphasized that the campaign’s goal is to encourage local churches to bring the Christmas message to the streets. Research by Talking Jesus revealed that around 20% of the U.K. population believes Jesus is the Son of God, motivating the campaign to share the message that “Jesus is the reason for the season.”
The vision behind “Shine Your Light” is to connect the transformative message of Christmas with communities, involving various mission agencies and church networks. During Advent 2023, over 78,000 people participated in the campaign, resulting in numerous pop-up carol services and events, culminating in a large gathering in Trafalgar Square. The campaign aspires to rally 100,000 Christians to creatively and effectively spread the Good News in their communities.