2008 saw the start of a new initiative entitled ‘Hope08’ which provided churches throughout the UK with a fresh opportunity to work together to create a lasting legacy of both physical and spiritual change in the lives of communities and individuals.

A part of this project has seen 6 churches working together to acquire and equip a 1978 Leyland Atlantean double-decker bus for community use. The plan was to take it to schools for presentations and into the parks, estates and villages around Marlow to connect particularly with young people and to offer a positive alternative. In addition it was envisaged that the bus be used in a wider community role to include people of all ages at various local events. There is full backing from the local police and council with whom the vision has been shared.

The repainting and refitting of the bus with a coffee bar, flat panel screens, computer games and a sound system was completed in May 2008 with an official opening by the Mayor of Marlow.

On 30th April 2009, after a year of hard work, preparation and prayerful consideration the “Hope Bus” was launched into weekly street work. A team from MCF is now dedicated to taking the bus to Court Garden’s car park from 7:30 until 10pm, every Thursday night to engage with the youth that already use the area as a meeting point.

From its conception the vision has been to give hope to young people in the community, enabling them to make positive choices, by demonstrating love and acceptance according to Christian principles. It is now fantastic to see this as a reality. Although not overtly evangelistic we hope that by demonstrating a real love and friendship to one another that this will effortlessly generate fruitful conversation about our faith. 

It has been a privilege and encouragement to see God’s hand on this project with the many miracles and “God-incidences” from the very start all the way through to today. These include the free provision of the bus, the financial support to renovate, equip and maintain it, the free secure parking of the bus and most of all the many people, both Christian and non-Christian, inside and outside MCF, who have dedicated their time and resources to completing the project.

In addition to the weekly Thursday outreach the Hope Bus will continue to be used for other community and church events, such as Extreme, Hope in the Park, Lighthouse, late night shopping and many other events. The only real limiting factor being the number of drivers and people available to staff the bus.