Hope in North East Cheshire, is a new body that was established on Thursday 19th November 2009. It has consists of three parts:

• A Forum of all the Church Leaders
• Five Mission Action Groups each led by a Lay Member and with at least one Church Leader as Sponsor
• A Steering Group consisting of four Church Leaders, a Representative of each Mission Action Group, a Treasurer and a Co-ordinator with a Church Leader as Chairperson

It is affiliated to Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.

Hope in North East Cheshire represents Christians in Macclesfield and the surrounding villages generally covered by the new Macclesfield Local Area Partnership (LAP). It is bordered in the north by Adlington and Prestbury, in the east by Rainow, in the south by Wincle and North Rode, and in the south-west by Siddington.

The Objectives of Hope in North East Cheshire reflect those of Churches Together in Macclesfield and Hope4Macclesfield in being a visible sign of the Churches' commitment to each other by:

• providing a forum for consultation and policy-making
• encouraging shared worship and prayer, learning, service and evangelism
• promoting initiatives in mission and service
• encouraging local groupings of Churches
• strengthening sustainable working relationships and reinforcing long-term partnerships between them, other Christian organisations, their local communities and the providers of educational, fire, health, housing, policing and social services

Churches which are part of Hope in North East Cheshire are committed to:

• acknowledging God’s revelation in Christ
• confessing the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour
• committing themselves in obedience to God’s will and in the power of the Holy Spirit
• seeking a deepening of their communion with Christ and with one another in the Church
• fulfilling their mission to proclaim the Gospel through common witness and service

Churches, therefore, agree to:

• establishing regular prayers for the District
• encouraging each member of their congregations to participate actively in ways appropriate to his and her gifts, to join the appropriate Mission Action Group and participate in District-wide services and events
• organising an appropriate programme reflecting their commitment to mission in their local communities
• working in partnership with other Churches and Christian organisations by co-ordinating events, sharing resources and building sustainable relationships
• striving to raise their share of the finance to fund Hope in North East Cheshire initiatives

The Church Leaders have established a Church Leaders' Forum which meets six times each year (including the Annual Celebration). This Forum is giving priority to how the Church Leaders can help Members of their Churches identify and live in the calling that God has given them. They are seeking to connect people with similar callings and to support existing and emerging areas of mission so that these become self-sustaining.

Five Mission Action Groups reflect the ecumenical Five Marks of Mission:

• Proclaiming Good News - To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
• Teaching and nurturing - To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
• Serving others - To respond to human need by loving service
• Transforming society - To seek to transform unjust structures of society
• Safeguarding creation - To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain the life of the earth

Each Church is being encouraged to have at least one Lay Member joining each Mission Action Group reflecting that person's calling. These people are not expected to be formal representatives of their Churches. There is no limit to the numbers in each Mission Action Group.

The organisation and method of operation of each Mission Action Group reflects the objectives, style and wishes of its members. The approach is as informal as possible while being focused on getting things done! Existing initiatives need to be totally sustaining while new mission initiatives are encouraged.

Prayer is an integral part of all the Mission Action Groups. Those concentrating on prayer come together periodically to prayer for the whole of the 'District'.

Mission Action Groups establish Sub-Groups from within them for specific initiatives. They set out to encourage each individual to become involved in the particular missions about which he or she feels most strongly. Mission Action Groups come together for specific initiatives.

The existing Churches Together in Macclesfield and Hope4Macclesfield initiatives are being taken over by the appropriate Mission Action Groups.

Each Mission Action Group encourages Members of all the Churches to respond to their calling and gives particular emphasis to nurturing emerging areas of mission. There may be many people who would like to respond to their calling but are constrained from doing so by a lack of local support, fear of the unknown, a lack of experience, doubt about how to get going or just lack of encouragement.

The Steering Group meets to review achievements, encourage plans, set and monitor an annual budget and provide resources and funding for existing, and especially for new, initiatives. The five Mission Action Groups report periodically on their achievements, plans and progress to the Steering Group with requests for support, resources and funding. Throughout there is an emphasis on two-way communication especially with the Members of all the Churches. A new 'brand', promotional material and a website are to be developed to support Mission Action Groups.

All Church Members are invited to three larger events each year to cement relationships and share the vision, achievements and plans. These are concentrated on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and the United Service; an event in the summer; and an Annual Celebration in November of each year.

The Annual Celebration is to be the centre-piece of the year. All the Mission Action Groups are to present their achievements and plans, have stalls, make exhibitions and encourage Members of all the Churches to share in a celebration of the joy of being part of the body of Christians in North East Cheshire. This is to include a united prayer and praise service, presentations and seminars, stalls, and a celebration meal with a genuine sharing of God’s blessings. A well-presented and illustrated annual report is being considered for distribution to all the Churches and also to all those who live in their communities, interested funders, the Council, Service Providers and the Press.