REVEREND Rob Cotton is inviting people to a community launch of his book, which focuses on hope and social justice.

Rev Cotton is the minister at Knutsford Methodist Church, and his book – Hope in the Main Street – is due to have a national launch at the Methodist Conference this summer.

Before that he is inviting residents to a community pre-publication launch at Knutsford Heritage Centre at 11am on Saturday, June 9.

“The book is my story of how we can bring ‘hope’ into the life of the individual and how when the church works in partnership with others we can bring hope to the whole community,” he said.

“This is why I wanted to launch my book in the local community, to continue those conversations which can help to bring hope and social justice in our town and even our nation.

“There will be a brief presentation, when invited guests will comment about their hopes for the future, but the most important thing is that we all share our own stories of hope and local needs to be met.”

Hope in the Main Street will be available from Knutsford Heritage Centre, Amazon, as well as the Kindle version and all good bookshops, from July 1, and from Knutsford Methodist Church.

“The book is then due to have a national launch at the Methodist Conference in Nottingham in July,” added Rev Cotton.

“I trust that people will get to know me personally as they read the book and be inspired to bring hope into the lives of others.

“I look forward to chatting to people at the launch, when I will be available to sign any copies purchased, just to make sure they are not resold on e-bay later!”

Rev Cotton is known as being passionate about mobilising the church to meet needs in local communities and to bring hope into the lives of individuals.

Hope in the Main Street tells the stories of where he has seen churches reaching out to bring hope to people.

He recalls the experiences he has had, from dealing with the national press after the murder of Marian Bates in the town of Arnold, Nottingham, to meeting royalty and a Prime Minister.

Before his current appointment he was senior campaign manager at the Bible Society, and on the leadership teams for national campaigns such as Hope 08 and The 2011 Trust, celebrating the 400th anniversary of the King James Bible.