The First CoNNECT Day

Chaplaincy: opportunity for Networking, Nurturing, Encouragement and Community Together.

Thursday 13th February 2025: 10:30 to 16:00. 27 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9HH.

The day includes input from Mark Birch – Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sarah Lane Cawte, Mark Newitt and Bob Wilson Free Churches Group.

This is a day aimed at those with lead responsibilities for chaplaincy, particularly those who work in non-traditional sectors, to come together, share stories, network, and be encouraged. There will be the opportunity to talk with chaplaincy education providers about training needs. If there is other input into the day that you would value, please let us know to help shape our planning.

Booking is to come, but an expression of interest can be made to Thandar Tun at thandar.tun@freechurches.org.uk or 02036518338.

Cost: £30 (including lunch and refreshments).

This event poster is available to download here.

Nourishing Roots - with Rev. Narinder Tegally at St Michael's Church, Bath, 13th Nov 24

Nourishing Roots days are retreat/quiet days by the Free Churches Group for anyone working within a chaplaincy setting. The title comes from a line in a paper David Ford gave at a healthcare chaplaincy conference back in 2017 where he wrote ‘essentials for wise chaplaincy, such as compassion, hope, and reverence for human dignity, need deep roots and constant nourishment.’ The days recognise that to sustain them in the spiritually and emotionally demanding work they do chaplains need a spiritual maturity and grounding and so provide an opportunity to pause, reflect, and nourish their spiritual roots. While planned with chaplains from a Free Churches Group tradition in mind, they are opened up to anyone interested in attending and we have had chaplains from Anglican, Roman Catholic and Quaker backgrounds attendings alongside those from Free Church traditions. One of the joys of the days has been meeting chaplains from a mix of contextual settings and feedback from previous sessions has commented on the value participants found in of meeting chaplains who worked in different areas from them.

Our next session is on the 13th November 2024 10:00 to 16:00 at St Michael's Church, Broad Street, Bath, BA1 5LJ. The day is led by Narinder Tegally who is the lead chaplain at Royal United Hospitals Bath.

Cost is £10 for chaplains from FCG denominations and £20 for all others (cost includes refreshments).

Booking is through Eventbrite HERE.

Prisons Week 24 Resource preview for Chaplains and Church / Charity leaders, 12th Sept 2024

This is an opportunity for voluntary organizations, church leaders and prison chaplains to gather to consider the new 2024 Prisons Week resources.

Thu, 12 Sep 2024 18:30 - 20:00 BST, Online

The event will include:

an opportunity to hear from Revd Tim Bryan, Chair of Prisons Week working group talking about the value of prayer for and with all affected by imprisonment

the opportunity to see the Prisons Week film 2024

the chance to comment on the prayer campaign and ask questions of the Prisons Week team

preliminary discussions about next year's theme

Prayer!

We hope to see you there. Book your place here.

Prisons Week 2024 runs from 13th – 19th October. Visit here for more information.

Nourishing Roots - with Rev. Narinder Tegally at St Michael's Church, Bath, 13th Nov 24

Join us for a day of reflection and spiritual renewal with the Free Churches Group, led by Rev. Narinder Tegally

Date and time: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 10:00 - 16:00 GMT

Location: St Michael's Church, Broad Street Bath BA1 5LJ

Price - Free Church Chaplains £10 / Non- Free Church Chaplains £22.38

Join us in the centre of the historic City of Bath for a a day of reflection and spiritual renewal with the Free Churches Group, led by Rev Narinder Tegally, held at St Michael's Church.

Nourishing Roots days are organised for Chaplains in healthcare, prisons, education and beyond, to allow us time to reflect, recharge, and reinspire for our work and ministry.

The day will include a buffet lunch and refreshments throughout the day.

Bio for Narinder:

Narinder was born in the Punjab, India as a Sikh. She became a Christian in her 20's. Her husband converted from Islam to Christianity, and they have three grown up daughters and three grandchildren.

Before her Ordination in the Anglican Church, Narinder was a Registered Nurse working in Palliative Care and Mental Health. She is a qualified Psychodynamic Counsellor and Intercultural Psychotherapist, Counselling Supervisor and Spiritual Director.

God’s calling as a priest has led Narinder to serve in parishes in St Albans, Beaconsfield and in Bath & Wells Diocese. Currently, she is the Lead Chaplain of Royal United Hospitals Bath (RUH), Staff Governor and as part of my role Narinder sits on various groups such as the Ethics Group, End of Life Steering Group, Health and Wellbeing Group, Equality and Diversity Group representing the UKME staff, patients and their families and leading Reflective Practice Groups for colleagues at the RUH.

Travel: The church is a short walk from Bath Spa train station and on major bus routes. Parking is available all day at the Podium (a minute's walk from the venue) or at Southgate Shopping Centre, or you can use Bath Park and Ride.

The Chaplaincy Chain Podcast Launch

The Chaplaincy Chain Podcast is a collaborative project hosted by the Free Churches Group and supported by The Methodist Church. The podcast aims to open up conversations about the joys and challenges of chaplaincy by exploring its depths and breadths. Working with partners in a variety of contexts, we hope to bring a range of perspectives and experiences into the conversation.

During each episode we’ll notice what emerges in the conversation and use this to decide the next link, continuing The Chaplaincy Chain Podcast!