--- title: "The best of friends: how Race Across the World’s Jo and Kush expose a friendship crisis" date: 2026-06-03T16:22:00+01:00 author: Reuben Grace canonical_url: "https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/the-best-of-friends-how-race-across-the-worlds-jo-and-kush-expose-a-friendship-crisis" section: Articles --- Share [](https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?app_id=1769260916495219&href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fthe-best-of-friends-how-race-across-the-worlds-jo-and-kush-expose-a-friendship-crisis) [](https://x.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20best%20of%20friends%3A%20how%20Race%20Across%20the%20World%E2%80%99s%20Jo%20and%20Kush%20expose%20a%20friendship%20crisis&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fthe-best-of-friends-how-race-across-the-worlds-jo-and-kush-expose-a-friendship-crisis) [](https://www.facebook.com/dialog/send?app_id=1769260916495219&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fthe-best-of-friends-how-race-across-the-worlds-jo-and-kush-expose-a-friendship-crisis&link=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fthe-best-of-friends-how-race-across-the-worlds-jo-and-kush-expose-a-friendship-crisis&display=popup) [](mailto:?subject=Shared%20from%20Evangelical%20Alliance&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.eauk.org%2Fnews-and-views%2Fthe-best-of-friends-how-race-across-the-worlds-jo-and-kush-expose-a-friendship-crisis) #### Who were you hoping would win the latest series of ‘Race Across the World’? Were you rooting for lovable in-laws Margo and Mark, siblings Katie and Harrison or daddy-daughter duo Andrew and Molly? Or were you cheering on Jo and Kush, the 19-year-old best friends who have captured the hearts of the nation? This year’s race took the competitors from sunny Sicily, across Central Asia to the snowy expanse of Mongolia – all without smartphones and only the cash the airfare would have cost. My wife and I loved the locations, but even more seeing the relationships between the pairs grow (or be severely tested!). Jo and Kush became the unexpected stars of the race, as the Liverpool lads’ warmth and deep connection won over viewers. As I followed comments about Jo and Kush on social media, many praised their friendship, but one stood out: ​“I’m nearly 10 years older than both of them and I’ve never had a friendship like that. I’ve had to somehow make peace with the fact I never will.” Sadly, that comment reflects the experience of many younger Brits today. In the last 10 years, the number of under-35s reporting having just one, or no close friends has tripled from 7% to 22%. A [2025 Ipsos survey](https://www.ipsos.com/en-uk/one-three-young-people-say-they-feel-lonely-least-once-week-despite-three-quarters-saying-they-have) found one in three 18 – 34-year-olds feel lonely at least once a week, while one in ten felt lonely at least once a day. The report described a ​‘loneliness limbo’ of having friends yet often feeling alone. Most troublingly, the survey showed 21% of 16 – 34-year-olds found not knowing where or how to make friends a barrier to forming new friendships. The church is not immune to these challenges. While UK data hasn’t been collected, Barna research found around 20% of American churchgoers also feel lonely at least once a day. It got me thinking, *how can the church respond to this friendship crisis?* Sponsored[](#) [ ![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ](https://www.toybox.org.uk/birthcertificate) > I’m nearly 10 years older than both of them and I've never had a friendship like that. I've had to somehow make peace with the fact I never will.” #### Forming deep friendships Despite their different approaches to the race – Jo being relaxed and upbeat, while Kush’s anxiety often spiralled – they consistently supported one another. They were there for each other, whether in the highs of finishing the first leg of the race in second place, or the lows of starting the elimination round in last place and missing vital transport connections. In Turkey, Kush knew a break at a basketball court was just what Jo needed to reset before continuing the race. Later, Jo stayed up with Kush one night when his friend was too worried to sleep. Throughout, both knew they were in a safe space where they could be completely open and honest with one another. All this reminded me of David and Jonathan’s friendship in 1 Samuel. Preaching on these passages a few years ago, I realised how rarely we stop to reflect on friendship. Christian or not, it feels like there is no road map to help us start or develop friendships. Moving to a new area after university, even with a welcoming church community, forming deep friendships sometimes felt unattainable and took much more time and intentionality than I had ever expected. Beyond education, making new friends is often tough for younger people, but our churches are ideally placed to respond. First, we can create space for our friendships in church to go deeper. We’re told that David and Jonathan’s friendship was so close that their hearts were knitted together (1 Samuel 18:1). Like Jo and Kush, they were honest and vulnerable with each other. Our church community must go deeper than a chat after church on a Sunday and a midweek small group. As individuals, there are many ways we can take the initiative to deepen our friendships and lead by example, like arranging a meal out, joining a hobby group or taking the first step to be more vulnerable about your struggles (you’ll probably find you’re not alone). ![Prayer group web](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![Prayer group web](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) Yet growing a genuine culture of friendship in our churches takes leadership to make space for it. My university church encouraged every member to be part of a prayer triplet. I’ve created my own prayer triplets in other churches since then and formed some of my deepest friendships through them. I can’t help but wonder, what if every member of my church knew the blessing of this space where close friendship can grow? In a previous role, I loved interviewing Ian Stackhouse, pastor of Guildford Baptist Church, about how their quarterly ​‘Hospitality Sundays’ foster new friendships as the congregation eats together in each other’s homes. Jesus said our love for one another was the mark of our discipleship to the world (John 13:35). Are our friendships deep enough for the world to see them? Second, we can extend more invitations so the world can see true Christian friendship in action. How can we reach people like the viewer who believes they will never have a friendship like Jo and Kush’s? We often restrict our socials and events to members, but what might God do if we opened these invites to a local community longing for deeper connections? Let’s make our churches famous for Jo-and-Kush levels of friendship and hold out the opportunity to get to know our true Best Friend. [ ](https://www.eauk.org/great-commission/resources/best-of-friends "Visit The Best of Friends book") [ ![The Best of Friends book](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![Microsoft Teams image 12](https://eauk.org/cdn-cgi/image/format=baseline-jpeg,quality=90,width=600,height=250,fit=contain/https://cdn.eauk.org/MicrosoftTeams-image-12_2023-02-21-140109_zprt.png) ](https://www.eauk.org/great-commission/resources/best-of-friends) [#### The Best of Friends book ](https://www.eauk.org/great-commission/resources/best-of-friends) Phil Knox explores how to cherish and celebrate the most important relationships in your life, and be the best friend you can be. 24 January 2023 [](https://www.eauk.org/great-commission/resources/best-of-friends) [ ![I didn’t think churches would talk about loneliness – but I’ve been blown away](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ![I Stock 1259235125](https://eauk.org/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,quality=90,width=400,fit=cover/https://cdn.eauk.org/iStock-1259235125.jpg) ](https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/i-didnt-think-churches-would-talk-about-loneliness-but-ive-been-blown-away) [#### I didn’t think churches would talk about loneliness – but I’ve been blown away ](https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/i-didnt-think-churches-would-talk-about-loneliness-but-ive-been-blown-away) One year on from breaking open a conversation on friendship and the loneliness epidemic, author Phil Knox reflects on what he discovered, and the experiences that led him here [ ![Phil Knox](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%27%20width%3D%271%27%20height%3D%271%27%20style%3D%27background%3Atransparent%27%2F%3E) ](/author/phil-knox) [ Phil Knox ](/author/phil-knox) 08 February 2024 [](https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/i-didnt-think-churches-would-talk-about-loneliness-but-ive-been-blown-away) --- ### About Reuben Grace ![]()Before joining the Evangelical Alliance in 2026, Reuben worked in communications for OMF International, a global fellowship of Christians with a heart for East Asia. He is the author of *A Taste of Asia*, a devotional adventure book helping families explore God’s love for all nations. When he’s not writing or editing, you can often find him with a good book, at his local model railway club or listening to the latest episode of ‘The Rest is History’. [See more from Reuben Grace](/author/reuben-grace)