Initial Hope Project 2019 report and 2020 plans

• Public outcomes (reach) generally matched Hope Project 2018. Please see the blue report down the right-hand column of this webpage. We thank God.
• However, finances were inadequate.
  • The most revealing statistic was that only 74 churches contributed to the project, out of an approximate 3500 churches nationally.
• As a result, changes are needed – with possibilities listed below.
• As at 31 May 2019 we have a $150,000 shortfall. This is personally underwritten by team members. Implications: 
  • This inhibits our freedom in other areas of our strategic work including resource development, the highly important Godtalk.nz youth initiative, and the necessary adding of a management staff at some point (we currently run this entire organisation with a total full-time-equivalent staff count of 2, obviously with many volunteers grouped into different volunteer teams).
  • The final decision on Hope Project 2020 will be made October 2019. If debts remain, the board would be reluctant to proceed because underwriting is needed for this scale of risk.
• To reduce the budget further we will consider shortening the booklet by one third, by including only one topic area from history instead of two.
  • For awareness: This is already a very low-cost media effort for the scope achieved, largely due to negligible operating costs, and church-promotional/ fundraising/ communications costs. Most funds go on highly streamlined communications with the public.
• To endear increased ‘ownership’ by the NZ Church as a whole in this effort – which represents  it, we are considering cancelling the national delivery to instead (1) pay for delivery to rural  areas while (2) offering free booklets too churches nationally to deliver to their own cities/towns. This would save money while potentially endearing a higher level  of appreciation for the scale of engagement, which might also endear increased financial participation.

Partnership requested from Kiwi Churches

The Hope Project is seeking to bring an awareness of Christ back to the public during Easter and Christmas in Aotearoa-New Zealand. The plan is to eventually have THREE annual media efforts that give profile to Christ and the continuing presence, work and message of his people across our nation:

(i) Hope Project Easter – putting  Christ back into Easter from 2018 onwards

(ii) Hope Project Christmas – putting  Christ back into Christmas from 2019 onwards 

(iii) Hope Project Family – highlighting what Kiwi churches are doing for families from 2020 onwards.

This kind of national voice can only exist if the Kiwi Church unites to enable it. Partnership is requested.

The significance of these three media efforts?

A conversation is in process in our natoin about the place of Christianity within our nation. Is Christianity an imposition of colonisation? The public generally think it is, when history tells a different story. Is this a Christian nation – as measured by heritage and values? The public have been led to believe not, when a fair study, according to those measures, reveals that we are. Public sentiment toward the Christian faith could be changed.

Please partner and support

RECEPTIVITY: New Zealanders have warmed to these projects. Engagement levels are high and surprisingly positive (not negative). You will find a blue report on a recent effort in the right-hand column of this webpage.

MULTI-MEDIA EFFORTS – WITH 50,000 CONVERSATIONAL INITIATORS 

• TV ads on public TV channels
• Booklets to 85% of NZ homes
• 150,000+ additional booklets for church use during this year (for free)
• 2 primary equipping resources to equip members in ‘partnering’ churches. (1) Equipping videos on conversational skills here, and (2) 4-week sermon series about the mission of the Church (message outlines + small group guides) found here.

BOOKLETS THAT ENDURE:

A vital part of each Hope Project campaign provides high-quality, multi-page booklets to every New Zealand household. The majority of stories coming to us continue to be from the booklets – more-so than web media. Previous booklets can be viewed online here

Your help is requested

Working all together the Kiwi Church can have this voice! 

The current funding situation can be usually be viewed in a barometer at the top of the ‘donate’ page here.

• Hope Project Easter has a budget of $600,000
• Hope Project Christmas ideally has a budget of$200,000
• Hope Project Family (2020 onwards?) ideally will have a budget of $200,000
• The Godtalk.nz youth initiative needs at least $50,000 in addition
• All fundraising related to Hope Project is done in the lead-up to Easter
• If insufficient is raised, public media for Christmas is cancelled – while grassroots strategies via local churches continue.
• Too much? Not even remotely. Our churches spend many hundreds of millions annually. It is well spent. However, $1m for public profile leading to higher favour and engagement would be very wise in an environment where our public profile is otherwise only ever heard through the lenses of secular media reporters.
• Please see the blue Hope Project Report to the right for a clearer picture of outcomes.

Donate via the ‘donate’ page HERE

For more information contact admin@shininglights.co.nz

Read more about the Hope Project 2014-2016 HERE

Read more about the Hope Project 2018 HERE