The Bishop  has led the commissioning of a thousand new Capital Vision ambassadors at All Souls church, in Langham Place, central London. The ambassadors were commissioned by the Bishop following a series of sessions equipping them to serve and represent the church beyond Sundays and in their everyday lives.

Ambassadors are Christian Londoners who make a commitment to pray, grow, connect and live for their faith seven days a week. They play a key part in fulfilling the Diocese of London’s Capital Vision 2020 ambition to serve London in ways that are confident, creative and compassionate.

Among the ambassadors commissioned by the Bishop were a management consultant, a painter and decorator, a TfL worker and a musician in a major orchestra – showing the breadth of people who feel called to serve their fellow Londoners.

All Souls Langham Place serves an international congregation in the heart of London. Alongside church life, it is involved with a variety of work in the community, including the ASLAN (All Souls Local Action Network), which has been helping homeless people in the West End for over 25 years, and TAMAR, a group that reaches out to and help women trafficked into the sex industry. Representing Jesus in everyday life is something the church community are constantly working toward and the message of Ambassadorship is being continued by All Souls with its Real Lives series of audiences with prominent Christians, including the Bishop of London, about how their faith contributes to their life and work.

On the same day as the commissioning at All Souls, the Bishop of Edmonton led a commissioning of almost 150 new ambassadors at St Luke’s Osney Crescent, a previously disused church that was brought back to life as a new worshipping community in 2011.

There are already almost 13,000 ambassadors in London, with more starting the journey every week. They come from all walks of life and areas of London, with recent ambassadors including a bouncer from East London and photographer in the music industry.

The ways that ambassadors represent Jesus in their everyday lives are as varied as the people themselves. Contributors to a short film on the movement discuss how everything from making and sharing a cake with another to being friendly and considerate while commuting can represent Jesus to fellow Londoners.

You can find out more about being an Ambassador at www.ambassadors2020.org or by watching this short film. More information about the work of All Souls Langham Place and the Real Lives series can be found at www.allsouls.org