Praying...

The Association of Christian Teachers (ACT) aims to serve, inspire and equip Christians working in education. They produce a range of resources and materials to support and encourage Christians working across all sectors of education. They also have a monthly prayer diary which can be used in your churches - today ACT ask us to pray for volunteers who are taking assemblies in schools. Maundy Thursday is a poignant day and has much to teach us.

Let us pray...

Loving God, we ask that you uphold and strengthen Christian volunteers today, who are taking assemblies in schools across the UK and in the coming weeks as they seek to illuminate the story of Easter, offering hope and resurrection joy... 

May each one of them be guided by your Holy Word and inspired by the model of Jesus Christ, in his humility and his trust in You.

Amen

You can see and share the ACT Prayer Diary HERE. 

This Bible reading can help us in our prayers and reflections...

John 13:12-16 (ESV): "When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him."

The Association of Christian Teachers, also known as ACT, is a Christian membership organisation that provides professional and spiritual support to Christians engaged in pre-school, primary, middle, secondary, special, college and university education in England. The ACT are active members of the Pray for Schools steering group. 

Easter

As part of our aim to feature resources and links from partner organisations and member churches, we are pleased to share a link to some Easter resources developed by the Spinnaker Trust. Martin Sweet is Director of Spinnaker Trust and an active member of the Free Church Education Committee. Martin also serves on the Baptist Education Group. 

These Easter resources are suitable for primary age children, but would be interesting and thought provoking for use in any setting... you can download the materials, free of charge, from the Spinnaker website HERE. 

The Trust writes: "Our featured Easter Assembly resource is taken from a series in which we use various storytelling techniques and visual aids to bring the stories of Jesus to life. Our method is not to re-write stories into modern settings, but to fuel our listener’s imaginations and reflections with word and picture. This, 'the Empty Box' story works well as part of the series or as a stand alone assembly. Spinnaker’s teams have used many of these ideas time and again, so we know that children have gained both knowledge and understanding through these stories. We hope you enjoy them as much as we have!"

Spinnaker supports and resources teachers in primary schools by leading assemblies and RE lessons and by providing opportunities for children to engage with Christianity. We also aim to equip churches to bridge the gap between themselves and their wider community by establishing links with local primary schools..

Speaking of education...

The Free Church Education Committee will be meeting later in March to continue to consider, plan and act upon areas across all sectors of education - schools, further education (FE) and higher education (HE). You can read more about the vital work of the Committee HERE. 

One of our Committee members, Martin Sweet, published an article in the Baptist Times a while back - Martin is Director of Spinnaker Trust and speaks on behalf of the Baptist Education Group (The Baptist Union of Great Britain are members of the Free Churches Group). You can read this powerful and challenging article HERE. 

You may be interested in the article and the reasons behind why he cares about education and how our actions speak louder than words...! 

** What do you do you in your church to speak up for issues which matter in education?

** How could you extend how your voice, as a Christian, is heard?

** How could you speak and act more powerfully in education and training? 

** How might you get more involved in this work across and within your community? 

Please pray for the work of the FC Education Commitee and the forthcoming spring meetings... 

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The FC Education Committee - The group seeks to encourage and support regular involvement of Free Churches in education by: reflecting on the many current concerns in any field of education and to advise or suggest an appropriate response; coordinating an appropriate response from Free Church denominations through cooperation and networking; raising awareness to ensure that member denominations, such as Baptists, and their congregations and families, are informed and empowered; promoting good, Christian values within education for all pupils; maintaining a Free Church voice within education. 

Towards a Free Church Vision for Higher Education

Towards a Free Church Vision for Higher Education

In 2014 the Free Churches Group (FCG) set up a Working Group ‘to discern the most effective use of resources and best ways of equipping Free Church people to engage with Higher Education’ (HE). The group submitted a Report to the FCG Directors in May 2015. The Report is entitled Hope in Higher Education - a full copy of the report can be downloaded HERE.

In August 2016, the Working Group drew up a paper setting out how the we, as the free churches, could work towards a Free Church Vision for Higher Education. You can read this visionary paper HERE. 

Highlights of the paper set out why and how Higher Education and the Free Churches can collaborate:

• Every Individual is Important to God
• The Education of the Whole Person
• Seeking the Kingdom of God
• A proper secularism
• Inclusion
• The Search for Truth

Read the full paper HERE and find out more about the ongoing work of the HE Working Group by contacting the FCG Education Officer, Sarah Lane Cawte: sarah.lane.cawte@freechurches.org.uk

Prayer Spaces in Schools

For the past few years, the Free Churches Group have been proud members of the Pray for Schools steering group. The other members include folk from Open the Book, The Association of Christian Teachers, Prayer Spaces in Schools and many others. 

Prayer Spaces in Schools are part of 24-7 Prayer International

Prayer Spaces in Schools have just launched some new prayer activities focused around ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ which you might find interesting and helpful... You can check these out HERE. 

The resources are a creative exploration of the Lord’s Prayer. This series takes the lines of the traditional Lord's Prayer as written in Matthew 6: 9-13 in the Bible.

Prayer Spaces in Schools enable children and young people, of all faiths and none, to explore these life questions, spirituality and faith in a safe, creative and interactive way. You can find out more about their work at: www.prayerspacesinschools.com 

Thanks to Tandia Hughes from Prayer Spaces in Schools for sharing these resources!