Day of Outreach – Eclipse
11 June 2026
On 12 August, a solar eclipse will darken the skies across Western Europe in an event of awe and wonder. And the Methodist Church is looking for you to get involved with a Day of Outreach!
This is the first total solar eclipse in mainland Europe since 1999, making it a rare and spectacular event for observers. The Moon will pass between the Earth and the Sun, blocking sunlight for over two minutes. Some areas like northern Spain, Greenland and Iceland will experience a total eclipse, but here in the UK there will still be a partial eclipse.
Europe won’t see a total eclipse again until 2090.
The eclipse will provide a great opportunity for churches to hold viewing events and encourage people who maybe are not involved with their local church to come along. It will be a fantastic way to share the faith, resonating with people who perhaps haven’t come to church for a long time or maybe never have.
Holding community viewing events for the eclipse will allow churches to meet new people and delight in the beauty of creation while engaging in gentle, relational faith-sharing.
There are many ways to get involved – whether in a church garden or at the top of a local hill, by hosting a lively family barbecue or a space for quiet reflection, it’s a chance for science and faith dialogue or discussions about wellbeing.
“The key is to take this opportunity, a moment when people's openness to the divine might be elevated, to speak something of the love of Jesus – through actions and words – to the people we meet,” says Cameron Lee-Hume, Evangelism Project Officer.
“This is both an exciting one-off opportunity for 2026 and also a pilot to explore whether an annual Methodist Day of Outreach, with a changing focus, would be beneficial for faith-sharing confidence across the Methodist Church.”
The Day of Outreach is being piloted by both the Methodist Church in Britain and the Methodist Church in Ireland.
For more information or to register your interest, please visit: Eclipse 2026: A Methodist Day of Outreach - The Methodist Church