A new chairperson for our Free Church Education Committee

Here at FCG, we are greeting the new Chair of our Free Church Education Committee, Professor Graham Handscomb.

Professor Handscomb started this role during the summer, following Julie Grove’s departure. Mrs Grove has served, as Chair on this Committee, for over ten years and although we are saddened that Julie is stepping down, we are heartened by the excellent work she has been able to steer over the last decade. We wish Julie all the best in the wider work she does with the charities she serves with. We wish Graham a warm welcome and ask for your prayers as he works with Sarah, our Education Officer, and the FCEC members, to develop and progress the vital work this Committee does, on behalf of the Free Churches Group and our member churches / member groups.

You can read more about this work HERE.

Our next meeting will be on 30 October, so join us as we pray for this meeting and for our work going forward….

Loving God…

Guide the hearts and minds of the Committee in the spirit of fairness, right thought and speech.

We give thanks to God for all the work of the Committee, especially for the service given by our outgoing Chair, Julie; we ask that you continue to bless the work we do and uphold our new Chair, Graham, as he moves forward in this work.

Impart your supreme wisdom upon the activities of the FCEC and guide them in all they do.

Thank you for being our source of guidance today. Amen.

Photo taken at FCG Residential meeting Spring 2019 - various FC Education Committee members, with Julie Grove MBE (seated at front) and Professor Graham Handscomb (second from right)

Marking Remembrance Day with our children's groups and assemblies

Remembrance Day is a particularly poignant time of year. It is an upsetting time for many of us, so knowing how to share this vital aspect of our collective history with children can be challenging.

Barnabas in Schools have just published some free resources which you can download for use in your churches, schools and children’s groups. As we commemorate 75 years since the D Day Landings, we are asked to consider what is means to be really generous and be self-sacrificial.

Explore the materials here.

“Father God, thank you for all those people who have willingly risked or given up their own lives to save others. Help us to be strong, too, when others need our help. Amen”

Photo from a service I attended in June 2019 - D Day Landings 75th anniversary from one of our member churches: Zion Miners Congregational Church, Llanhilleth, Wales (Revd Sara Iles, FCG Education Asst)

Pray Day for Schools on 19th November - new resources now available

The Free Churches Group have a long and productive working relationship with the Pray for Schools network.

We are delighted to announce that this year’s Pray Day for Schools resources are now available for you to share and pray with.

Pray Day is the third Tuesday of November every year when schools across Europe and around the world are the focus of prayer. This year it will be held on Tuesday 19th November 2019, with schools, churches and communities across the UK taking part.

This year, the resources for our churches to use are inspired by:

Philippians 4 and Joshua 1 with the theme - having courage and being fearless!

‘Shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.’ (The Message, Phil. 4:7)

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (NIV, Joshua 1:9)

(photo courtesy of Steve Halama at Unsplash)

Our mental health conference - a snapshot of the day!

The Free Churches Group hosted a one day conference on 23rd October. It was a well attended event with delegates coming from across England and Wales, from a range of different vocations, backgrounds and denominations.

We were hosted kindly by the Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church and had a excellent range of speakers in the morning. They helped us to think about the church and mental health; this was followed by panel discussions to explore the issues raised in greater detail.

In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to explore ways to care for ourselves and how to develop models of reflective practice. The day was surrounded in prayer and fellowship and gave us an excellent opportunity to learn and grow in this complex and interesting area of our ministries.

The programme and information are attached for your further reference and if you would like to know more about any of the contributions made on the day or how your church might learn more about this vital work, then let us know.

You may be interested too in the forthcoming Healthcare Chaplaincy Study day coming up on 7th November. For further info, look here.

Pray Day for Schools... coming soon

Did you know that each year, across Europe, there is a Pray Day for Schools on third Tuesday of November?

This year perhaps your church would like to get involved and join in this wave of prayer for our schools.

It will be taking place across churches and communities across Europe on 19th November. Get involved wherever your are!

You can find out more and download free prayer resources here.

(photo courtesy of Blake Barlow at Unsplash)