#EasterChangedMyLife

Could you share the good news of Easter by creating a short ‘selfie-style’ testimony video for social media – with the hashtag #EasterChangedMyLife – where you share the difference Jesus makes to you? We hope that despite ‘lock-down’ and church buildings being shut, this will mean that over the Easter weekend thousands of people will have the opportunity to engage with a Christian they know sharing about Easter!

This is going to be the strangest Easter most of us will have known. A bunch of us were chatting during our online church service last Sunday about how we could share the wonder of Easter when we’re all stuck at home. It’s been amazing seeing Christians on the frontline serving in all sorts of ways, but we hope this initiative provides a personal and authentic way for everyday Christians to give a reason for the hope we have at this unsettling time.

It’s hardly an original idea to share your story, but there’s something about this moment in the life of our nation, with this technology, and at this time in the Christian year, that would seem to make this a precious time to take an action like this together and share real hope.

When we’re asked to ‘share our testimony’, we instinctively think of explaining how we first became a Christian. But that assumes our ‘Jesus story’ stopped the moment we signed up on the dotted line. Yes, it can be helpful to show we struggled with the same objections as our friends, but don’t we have more to say that that? I wrote a piece for Premier Christianity about why ‘our story’ doesn’t end with our conversion – we can tell the story of what difference Jesus makes today. In a culture that longs to know, ‘Does Christianity work?’ (perhaps more than ‘Is Christianity true?’), then this is a powerful witness.

US-based readers might have noticed The Gospel Coalition has launched a similar initiative called #JesusChangedMyLife. A few of us felt having Easter in the hashtag might bring an immediacy to the challenge, but also might offer more receptive cultural outreach opportunities and seem like a smaller step for those Christians sharing their story. But you might like to use both!

We’ve all got a story. And for Christians, the historical events of Easter have changed our stories. The beauty of something like this is that you’re the only one who can tell that story.

Here’s a little promo video you can share with church members:

Could you give it a go?

Here’s my attempt – so if I can do it, so can you!

There’s a bunch of other outreach ideas you might like to get involved in that have been compiled by Laura Treneer here. And check out Easter Means Hope, a great outward-facing website that you may want to link to.

We’ve also made some tips for sharing your story as part of #EasterChangedMyLife, which you can see below or at the Facebook page: www.fb.com/easterchangedmylife