This outline is designed to help you pull together different resources to create an engaging service focusing on cross-cultural mission and how God is at work. Feel free to use the different elements below in a way that is most helpful for your congregation and browse our resources section for alternatives to swap in. 

What is this service about? 

Our world offers us many different ideas about what life is all about, where we should look for the answers to the big questions and what we should hope in. The sad truth is that everything we look to and everything we hope for in this world is empty. The life changing truth of the gospel is that Jesus, and only him, offers true hope.  

In this service outline we will focus our eyes upon Jesus – particularly as we think about the living hope Peter speaks about in 1 Peter 1:3-6. We will be encouraged afresh to cast aside all our hopes in anything the world has to offer and put our hope fully in our wonderful saviour.

The videos, PowerPoint presentation, songs and children’s activities this service outline will also present the reality that millions of people across Africa have never had the chance to hear of this amazing hope. For many their lives are marked by a lack of hope – never knowing if they will be accepted by their God despite diligently striving to pray, fast and give alms. 

As part of the application of the sermon we will encourage our listeners to consider their own walk with the Lord – has their faith grown dim? Have they lost hope? We need to come to the cross once again and ask the Good Shepherd to meet us anew. We will also consider our own communities and think about how Jesus is the only hope for them. We will ask the Lord to help us keep praying, loving and sharing Jesus with our community.  

Finally, we will recommend finishing the service with a wonderful video, Walking in Shadow, that pulls back the veil on what life looks like for those who have never heard of beautiful hope in Jesus in Africa.  

The resources below fit together to form a complete service. Click here to download a copy of this outline. You can collect all, or some, of the resources in your resource box, and either use them in this suggested order or in the best way to suit your church and congregation. 

Items to introduce the service theme:

• An introduction to AIM video  (2 minutes long). 
• Walking in Shadow video (6 minutes long).  
• A living hope (PowerPoint slides and information).  
• Stories and resources sheet: Christ the hope of the world  

Reading/s: 

• 1 Peter 1:3-6 
• Romans 8:34-35 (additional reading) 

Sermon:  

• Sermon notes on the passage (1 Peter 1:3-6). 
• Stories and resources sheet.  

Songs:  

See our Spotify list for song suggestions here.  

Children’s resources:    

• Recommended children’s talk:  Jesus is the hope of the world 
  
• Children’s activity sheet: unreached people groups