Resources for children, young people and families

It seems likely that some children may return to school in a few weeks’ time (recognising, of course, that some have been attending all along). However, they probably won’t be attending full-time, and some year groups may not return for some time yet. It is also unclear when churches will be able to resume their usual activities for young people.

We’ve collected links to resources that some of our member churches and other organisations have developed to help children and young people learn at home, for families to enjoy together, and ideas to support well-being at an anxious time.

Resources for: Children, Young people and those who work with them, Families, Students, Parents, Mental health and well-being, Bereavement and grief

We’re delighted to see so much creativity and we’ll continue to add to our list as we find new treasures.

You can download, use and share there HERE.

(photo courtesy of Sharon McCutcheon at Unsplash)

Coffee and Cake - school and college chaplains get together each Friday @ 4pm

The pattern of meetings and our ability to get together in person has changed much over the last few weeks. - so we are pleased to share that the Centre for Chaplaincy in Education are be hosting a ‘Coffee and Cake’ chaplains’ chat each Friday at 4pm.

Friday Coffee 'n' Cake (bring your own!) for Chaplains in Schools and Colleges 15th May 2020

Every Friday for the foreseeable future, Maggie Everett, the Centre’s Lead Development Officer, will be hosting a ‘coffee and cake’ hour on Zoom, for all chaplains in schools and colleges. Come and join in with others, (sorry you will need to bring your own coffee and cake!) and have a chat about what’s happening with you, your community/ies and the wider world. Invitation:

Topic: Coffee and Cake

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 829 0639 4114

Password: 780537

Sarah Lane Cawte, our Free Church Education Officer, has been working closely with this group and other partners over recent months and there are some exciting developments in the field of chaplaincy in education which you can read about here.

(photo courtesy of Annie Spratt at Unsplash)

Open the Book...

The Free Church Education Committee, as part of its wider work with networks, are part of the Pray for Schools steering group. In this group, we work alongside many agencies who are interested and passionate about supporting Christian education. One of those agencies is Open the Book.

You may well have come across the work of Open the Book in the past. In recent times, the way they have been able to work has changed, due to the pandemic and wider copyright issues, it means that unfortunately all training sessions have been cancelled and the Open the Book Storytellers do not have permission to use The Lion Storyteller Bible on media platforms. But they have come up with a solution that can support us!

Bob Hartman (the acclaimed Christian writer and storyteller) has recorded some of the Open the Book stories for us which we have made into complete assemblies and will be sharing on our Facebook page, one each Monday until the end of the Summer Term. If your school remains open for key worker children you might like to send them these stories.

You can see the films and download their latest resources HERE.

(photo courtesy of Samantha Sophia at Unsplash)

"Coffee and Cake - get together 4pm" each Friday for school and college chaplains

The pattern of meetings and our ability to get together in person has changed much over the last few weeks. - so we are pleased to share that the Centre for Chaplaincy in Education are be hosting a ‘Coffee and Cake’ chaplains’ chat each Friday at 4pm.

Friday Coffee 'n' Cake (bring your own!) for Chaplains in Schools and Colleges 8th May 2020

Every Friday for the foreseeable future, Maggie Everett, the Centre’s Lead Development Officer, will be hosting a ‘coffee and cake’ hour on Zoom, for all chaplains in schools and colleges. Come and join in with others, (sorry you will need to bring your own coffee and cake!) and have a chat about what’s happening with you, your community/ies and the wider world. Invitation:

Topic: Coffee and Cake

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 829 0639 4114

Password: 780537

Sarah Lane Cawte, our Free Church Education Officer, has been working closely with this group and other partners over recent months and there are some exciting developments in the field of chaplaincy in education which you can read about here.

(photo courtesy of Melissa, a 15 year old Gateway college student)

Being helpful... ?

Many of us often might feel as if we are helpful in one way or another. We may be good at calling in on elderly neighbours or clearing the table after a big family meal… some of the ways in which we may have been able to be helpful in the past has changed in recent months because of the pandemic. Have you mourned the loss of ways in which you used to be helpful? Have you been able to find new or different ways of being helpful? Perhaps we’re seeing things very differently and have the courage to explore new horizons? I have been sad that I have not been able to visit the churches I support in my other role with the FCG member church group, The Congregational Federation (CF), so, at the start of the lockdown, I started a daily prayer for each of these churches, along setting up a pastoral network to have phone calls with their ministers - from A-Z!… Abertillery Tabernacle to Zion Miners, Llanhilleth… I hope and pray that the churches have appreciated this help, even though a visit can’t take place at the moment.

The Oxfordshire based Christian charity, BeSpace, has produced a series of really inspiring and helpful (!) resources for parents, carers, guardians and adults to explore with children in their household / in their care.

There is one on the theme in question!

BeHelpful: BeSpace activities to bring a sense of peace and calm to your life…

The worksheet says: “Christians believe that we are called to be helpful to others around us.We can help people practically by meeting their needs as well as praying for them. They also believe that when we are in trouble or worried about something we can ask God to help us and that He helps us in our time of need.”

By way of background for FCG: As part of our partnership work for the Free Church Education Committee, we are members of the Pray for Schools network, working alongside lots of other dynamic and engaged Christian organisations. One of the other groups who are also on the Pray for Schools network is BeSpace… BeSpace is a Christian charity who encourages churches to work together to see prayer and reflection spaces happening in all areas of the community. Their vision to see every child, young person and adult connect with God in their daily lives from the school into the home.

(photo courtesy of Melissa, a 15 year old Gateway college student)

Sara Iles, FCG Media Support Officer