Education

Religious Education resources for Lent and Easter

Barnabas in Schools is part of the Bible Reading Fellowship and they have some interesting RE materials for Lent and Easter.

Barnabas in Schools are committed to helping children explore Christianity confidently and creatively - you can watch a short video about their work HERE.

You can read all about the resources HERE.

There are worksheets to download and use and share freely with children in your churches.

“Tried-and-tested resources for assembly / collective worship, RE, festivals, drama and crafts".

Barnabas in Schools is a professional education service provider to primary schools. They work throughout England and Wales, offering quality creative arts-based Barnabas RE Days for pupils and specialist INSET sessions for teachers.

Forty seconds to pray for colleges

As part of our ongoing work with the Further Education Christian charity, Festive, we invite you to pray with us, at FCG, for…

  • Emily is an RE teacher in the greater London area. She has had some really interesting conversations with other staff and is planning to run an Alpha course for them. She already has five staff members signed up. Please pray that her colleagues would be deeply challenged by the message of Jesus and feel compelled to offer their lives to him.

  • At the last Festive staff team day we spent some time praying specifically by name for non-Christian friends of many of our contacts. Luka, later wrote to tell us that his friend Joe became a Christian that day. We had been praying for Joe at our meeting. Praise God for a wonderful answer to prayer! Please continue to pray with us for the non-Christian friends of our many student contacts that they would be open and respond to the good news of Jesus!

  • Varndean is a huge college but the CU is only very small – just three or four people. Thank God for Gemma who has been leading it faithfully for two years now. As exams approach and she has to pass leadership on to others pray that God would supply motivated and eager people in Y12 to take it on. Pray for other CU’s leaders around the country who are also looking to pass on the leadership of their CU’s ready for next year.

  • Last month we asked you to pray for us as we had lost our free office space and urgently needed to find some more. Praise God, for he has provided for us in a wonderful way with a great new office, for free! Please continue to pray for Festive’s financial needs as two funding streams come to an end in three months’ time. Pray that God would wonderfully supply all that is needed for the work to continue and to grow.

You can read more about the work that FCG have been doing in the field of FE HERE

You can download and share this FE FCG flyer in your churches too HERE

Photo credit courtesy of Diana Simumpande at Unsplash

Inspired!

I went along to a church and schools Inspire event last night with one of our FCG partner organisations, Pray for Schools. Jane Newey, their co-ordinator for England, and I had an inspiring evening, praying with and chatting to the other exhibition stand-holders, as well as the visitors from schools and churches in Somerset. The event was hosted by the GoTeam from the Diocese of Bath & Wells, at Holy Trinity Church in Frome. We had over 30 people there, keen to make the most of how their church could link with their local school.

You may be interested in some of the organisations who were there, to help you in your church develop and strengthen your links to schools in your area:

Pray for Schools

Scripture Union

Big Start Assemblies

Prayer Space in Schools

Transforming Lives for Good

Lots of ways for us to get inspired.

Sara Iles, FCG Education Assistant

Join us as we pray…

Thank you Father for our schools. We praise You Lord, for You are full of love, peace and hope. Please help us to be people of good news sharing your love, peace and hope into schools. Please help us to build good relationships with everyone. Please help us to be peace makers when there is tension and stress. Please help us to bring hope when there is despair and dejection. Please help us inspire others to be joyful when there is much to celebrate. Please help us demonstrate your love Amen

Prayer written by Lisa Jones, Scripture Union’s representative on the Pray for Schools Steering Group.

Inspire...

As part of our ecumenical and partnership work across the field of education, I am attending an Inspire evening, later courtesy of the Anglican Diocese of Bath and Wells. I am accompanying the Pray For Schools worker, Jane, to tell churches and visitors about the important work of Pray for Schools. FCG has been an active member of the steering group of Pray For Schools for many years.

You can strengthen the prayer you offer up for your local schools too, get involved in the network and download lots of free resources HERE.

Date for your diary - Pray for Schools Fortnight is coming up in May - why not get ready now and download resources and register your prayer meetings?

You can read more about the work of the FCG Education team and activities HERE.

Sara Iles, FCG Education Assistant

Praying for half term holidays

As part of our goal to feature articles and prayers from FCG member groups, here is a prayer written by the Congregational Federation for half term…

Prayers for this week 
Let’s pray for rest as schools and half term holidays start,
That those leading youth groups, teachers and all those who work with children can rest. 
We also pray for protection on children - that children are cared for and enjoy the week. 
We pray for any activities that may be taking place in our churches this week.

Amen.

You can find out more about the work of the CF HERE.

FCG are also part of a wider ecumenical network called Pray for Schools - you can find out more about this work HERE.