Hope25 is an intentional season of sharing hope in Jesus from Easter to Pentecost 2025, in the Anglican Church of Australia. In the lead up to the next Lambeth Call webinar on Mission and Evangelism, the Anglican Communion Office (ACO) spoke to Revd Dr Christy Capper about the seasonal initiative geared towards sharing the good news of the Christian faith. Reverend Capper is a priest in the Diocese of Perth, the Deputy Warden, Academic Dean and Lecturer in Systematic Theology at Wollaston Theological College of the University of Divinity and also a part-time Project Officer with Hope25.
What is the Hope25 project?
The Hope25 website, describes the project as “an intentional season of sharing hope in Jesus for every parish and community in the Australian Anglican Church. [It’s] an opportunity for us to share the hope that we have in Jesus.”
Reverend Capper describes the story of this project, stating, “Hope25 came about when the Standing Committee of our General Synod asked the Mission and Ministry Commission if we would organise a national parish-based evangelism strategy for the Anglican Church of Australia. The Commission met to pray and consider what this might look like, and that is how Hope25 was born. The encouragement is to find a time within the Easter season to do something that fits with the identity of the parish and the geographical and sociological context in which it is situated.”
The Hope25 website calls each parish in the Australian Anglican church to “commit to doing (at least) one thing to help share the hope that we have in Jesus during this season, from Easter Day (April 20, 2025) to Pentecost Sunday (June 8, 2025).”
Who are the people involved in Hope25?
Reverend Capper advises that everyone can be involved in the Hope25 project but in terms of the official team, “The Mission and Ministry Commission and the two part-time Project Officers are here to help resource the churches. Many dioceses have put in place working groups to provide training and resourcing within their context, parishes also have working groups. Hope25 is not centered on one person or one idea. We decided early on that it wasn’t about any one person, just about sharing the hope we have in Jesus.
“My name has ended up out there a bit, but honestly, our other project officer, the Revd Wayne Schuller, does the vast majority of the incredible work and the whole of the Commission including its chair, the Right Revd Dr Richard Condie, are incredible. But it’s the people across the church, sending ideas, joining in prayer, and sharing resources that make Hope25 possible.”
What is the desired outcome of the project?
While the hopes for what the Hope25 project will achieve will differ across the individual parishes based on their resources and goals, Reverend Capper outlined her hopes.
“I certainly hope that some people will come to know Jesus and place their trust in him. I hope that some parishes that have struggled with evangelism might fuel a passion for this ministry and I also hope that it will spur people across the church to rekindle their own love of God.”
There are several ways in which a parish or individual could engage with Hope25, but Reverend Capper advises Lent is being used as an “intentional season of preparation,” and that “many parishes use our Hope25 Lenten Study Booklets, which have daily reflections from all the bishops across the country. From Easter to Pentecost is then the season of intentional evangelism.”
Why is it important for the church to engage in mission and evangelism?
Reverend Capper observes, “As a secular nation, Australians don’t generally talk a lot about faith. The shame that many in the church feel about historic abuse and our role in colonialism can make us hesitant to share our faith. Yet, as Christians we are called to be engaged in mission, and in evangelism as one component of mission. In the case of Hope25, it is about sharing with a society in the midst of uncertain times, that there is reason for hope.”
How can the Anglican Communion share the good news of the Christian faith globally?
When it comes to mission and evangelism, Reverend Capper suggests that creativity and the willingness to use God’s gifts to us may be the key. “I have been most encouraged by the incredible amount of creativity in our parishes. We must share our faith with authenticity, not pretend to be something that we are not. And parishes are being creative about some of their ideas for doing that. Many just want encouragement that their idea is okay, but they generally aren’t okay; they are brilliant. God created us with incredible mixes of gifts and skills, we need to be able to encourage one another in these gifts and skills – this will help us as we engage in mission in our various contexts.”
What Bible passage inspires you in mission and evangelism?
Always be ready to make your defence to anyone who demands from you an account of the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. – 1 Peter 3:15b-16a
“I love this because it assumes that Christians look so hopeful that people will just ask us questions about it. This reminds me of the reality of our hope in Jesus and encourages me to consider how I live out my hope in Jesus and what it means for us as a Church to be people known for our hope.”
Further reflection
Learn more about the Hope25 project here.
