We think:

• Hope 08 is a great opportunity to work together to be good witnesses to Jesus. Hopefully we will build networks of relationships that will be useful beyond 2008. We will learn more about working together and we will see God's Kingdom grow.
• It is great that the people who initiated Hope 08 didn't just say "everyone do what we did at Soul In the City". Instead they challanged us to learn from what has been happening and do something with it in our places. That it's up to us to work out what that will look like is a good thing.
• Working out what Hope 08 will look like in Southampton has been and remains a slow process just now. We have discussed with lots of people, prayed lots and thought a bit too. It's taking time. Please help.
• Hope 08 in Southampton should be about helping, encouraging and supporting each other as individual followers of Jesus that make up the Chruch in Southampton to be good witnesses where ever we are, whatever we do. We think that we can do better at doing what Jesus asked us to do and Hope 08 represents a great opportunity to make a step forward.
• We need to work out what we think being good witnesses to what Jesus did looks like and give it a go. It probably means showing people what Jesus was like, showing them that we are different because of what we believe about him and telling people why.
• Any events that happen should be there to support us, not us supporting events. Outreach events or programmes can actually end up dis empowering Christians. It sometimes says "the guy on the big stage can do outreach, you just get your friends there, that's your job". It isn't our job - God has so much more for us to do. Lets have events that serve us all, so that we can serve our city well.

I think that's enough for now. More to come ...