Good news for SACREs!

Good news! 

RE Today Services report that The Department for Education has offered support for SACREs facing financial and other challenges in meeting their statutory duties. This follows the minister, Nick Gibb’s commitment to ensuring SACREs are properly funded in the latest settlement.

For further information on the DfE support, please click HERE 

You can read more about this and the recent debates in Parliament HERE 

For further information about the Free Churches Group work with SACREs, see HERE.

(SACREs stands for Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education)

Practice, Policy and Powerful Knowledge in Religious Education - Conference

RE matters! A diverse and significant network of RE teachers and RE organisations are joining forces for the conference in October.

Join them for a weekend of stimulating and challenging professional development. This joint conference between AREIAC, AULRE, NASACRE and NATRE brings together the wider RE community, including primary and secondary classroom teachers, advisers, academics, inspectors, SACRE members and everyone interested in RE.

20:20 RE will be the first national RE event after the publication of the crucial report from the Commission on RE. What better time to bring practice, policy and powerful knowledge together to deliver the best RE for all? You can find out more and book your place HERE. 

Conference themes include:

• how can RE deliver powerful knowledge and positive attitudes to address the unprecedented levels of hate speech, hate crime, division and suspicion in our country?

• how can schools make best use of their statutory duty to offer great RE to all pupils?

• how should RE respond to the challenges and opportunities presented by the new GCSE and A-level specifications?

With 3 keynote addresses and up to 40 breakout sessions including seminars and academic papers, 20:20 RE balances practical classroom ideas with the latest academic research and policy.

This is an event not to be missed!

Date: Saturday 13 – Sunday 14 October 2018; Location: De Vere Cranage Estate Hotel, Crewe; Price: £175 Booking: Complete the booking form at this link and book your place today!

It has begun! Pray for Schools fortnight...

Join us as we pray for schools across the UK....

Let us pray on this ASCENSION DAY:

Almighty God, Your ascended Son has sent us into the world to preach the good news of Your kingdom. Inspire us with Your Spirit and fill our hearts with the fire of Your love, that all who hear Your Word may be drawn to You, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
(This prayer will be said at thousands of ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ events across the world)

For further prayer ideas, to register as an individual, church or group with Pray for Schools, please see their website HERE. 

The Free Churches Group are active partners with Pray for Schools. 

Colossians 4 v 2-3 - 'Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ…'

The best start in life....

As part of our goal to feature articles from FCG member churches and groups, I am pleased to share a link and letter from the Baptist Union of Wales magazine, which is called The Messenger. 

Over the last couple of years, the Baptist Union of Wales have been supporting a project to improve maternal healthcare in Ghana as part of their Christian Aid work. Their churches have raised over £70,000 to support this work. Amazing effort! 

Please join us as we pray for the work of Christian Aid, for the generous donation given to their work in Ghana for maternal healthcare, so that babies have the best start in life and their mothers are supported to maintain their health and well-being... May God continue to uphold the work of CA in Ghana and elsewhere and encourage churches to be valiant witnesses to all of us who are in need. Amen 

What are the plans in your church for Christian Aid Week?- 13th - 19th May 2018.  

You can download inspiring ideas, suggestions and prayer resources HERE. 

You can read the full letter of thanks from the Ghana Christian Aid Country Manager HERE. 

Every school in the UK a prayed-for school! Is yours?

Every school in the UK a prayed-for school!

That's the vision of Pray for Schools: to mobilise Christians to support their school communities through prayer. You can do this through starting a group to pray regularly for your local school; having schools prayer as a focus for your church or praying as an individual for a school near you. The Free Churches Group are partners with Pray for Schools. 

Why not join thousands of others praying in our churches, homes and communities during Pray for Schools Fortnight?! This year, between 10th and 24th May, Pray for Schools are joining with Thy Kingdom Come and the theme is: "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ…" from Colossians 4:2-3. You can download free resources HERE. 

You can register free HERE. Registration is free, and you will receive a newsletter 3 times a year of encouraging stories and ideas to help you as you pray.

Here is an extract from the resources which you can pray and share now:

Loving Father, we pray for our school with all the successes, challenges, celebrations and disappointments that fill each week. We long for the light and love of Christ’s kingdom to come for each member of this community as Your Spirit works among them. May our school thrive because of Your gracious blessings. Amen.