Be yourself....

Be yourself… At the beginning of the Bible, we are reassuringly proclaimed to be made in God’s image…: “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them.” (Genesis 1:27, NRSV).

I wonder if you have felt more yourself in these strange and turbulent times we have been going through? …or perhaps you feel like parts of the old self, which you appreciated are missing now, due to lockdown?

It can be hard to work out who we are sometimes, especially when we are under pressure or our circumstances are changing beyond our control… our relationships with friends and family might be shifting. We might need help with supporting children in our care to think about how we can all best be ourselves… help is at hand…

BeSpace activities to bring a sense of peace and identity to your life...BeSpace has created a worksheet to work, play and pray through… They say, “Christians believe that we are called to be ourselves... that we all have different gifts,are made differently and are totally unique and God thinks that we are totally awesome.” You can download this free resource HERE.

You could also use this worksheet to support children’s activities with families in your church.

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 Inga Gezalian at Unsplash)

Chats with chaplains and managing the maelstrom...

Like others, chaplains in schools and colleges are facing changes and challenges in the way they work. Instead of face-to-face meetings and conversations (except, in some cases, with the limited number of students and staff in schools), they are finding new ways of supporting and encouraging their communities.

Maggie Everett, Lead Development Officer for the Centre for Chaplaincy in Education, was joined on Zoom by chaplains from a range of schools and colleges to record some ideas for chaplains to use in their work with staff and students.

Additionally, Toni Coulton (Chaplaincy Central) joined Maggie to share some thoughts about the usage of metaphors to frame conversations about this time of pandemic, as well as some lessons we might learn from chaplains who have been in extreme situations. In this recording we were delighted to include some pupils from Abbey Grange Church of England Academy in Leeds, who told us what they would like to say to their chaplain and something they would like their chaplain to do for them. Powerful stuff in ‘Moving through the Maelstrom’.

There have been some interesting and helpful conversations going on to support chaplains in schools and colleges in these challenging times, facilitated by the Centre for Chaplaincy in Education and partners. We are pleased to be able to share a range of short films with you.

During a week in May 2020, Maggie Everett, Lead Development Officer for Centre for Chaplaincy in Education, was joined on Zoom, by several chaplains (FE College /Church School and non- church school and primary school) to record some ideas they have found have worked with staff and students in the past few weeks.

Do take a look (the links are both on our website and below). ‘Chats with Chaplains’ 1 and 2 are around 15-20 minutes long. These videos emerged from discussions with St Peter’s & Saltley Trust, the Free Churches Group, Chaplaincy Central, the Methodist Church and the Church of England and Maggie is grateful for their interest and continued partnership.

Managing the Maelstrom [ password 7G%&?=^# ]

Chatting with Chaplains #1 [ password 3J$E86?$ ]

Chatting with Chaplains #2 [password 5K?.RhQS ]

Centre for Chaplaincy in Education has also been gifted the privilege of being a partner organisation with the Church of England, in their recently launched initiative: #Faithathome. This really exciting collaboration involves a diverse range of organisations who are all working on supporting families, schools and churches by delivering high quality resources and opportunities for exploring faith at home. The Centre are facilitating the Chaplains’ Stream of this and will be letting you know what is planned as soon as possible.

Other exciting developments in the field of chaplaincy in education can be read about here, along with the Centre’s newsletters.

(photo courtesy of Abigail Keenan at Unsplash)

Webinar: Reflective Practice: a Pathway to the Heart

Photo by Guillaume LORAIN on Unsplash

““Thanks very much for this helpful and encouraging session.””

We’ve talked to a lot of chaplains and other leaders recently, and understand something of the range of new pressures that the Coronavirus pandemic has brought with it. These pressures and challenges have opened up new opportunities for many people, but there has been little time to stop and reflect.

On 2nd June, the Free Churches Group held a webinar on Reflective Practice, attended by over 60 chaplains and pastoral workers from a range of setting. Even if you were unable to attend the event earlier in June, you still have the chance to take some time out and reflect on your own work. You will find the link below to recording of the webinar session. This will hopefully give you the opportunity to take a bit of time out for yourself – time to ponder, time to think, and time to learn how to embed reflective practice in your ministry. Here’s some feedback from those who took part:

“The session made me look again at the way I’ve been working over the last few months, and I realised I just haven’t stopped. Now I know I need to stop: I need to make space to reflect and to find the hooks on which to hang the bags I’ve been carrying.”

“I would have burnt out in ministry a long time ago had it not been for reflective practice/supervision. I'd encourage people to find the places and safe spaces that are possible for them.”

If you missed the live webinar, you can now watch the recording, using the link HERE. You will need to use this password: 1n#7=O$e

It’s about 80 minutes long, with the main presentation lasting about an hour.

Documents to accompany the webinar are available here, including copies of the PowerPoint slides used in the presentation.
Participants’ Guide
Clouds document
Reflective Practice PowerPoint
Reflective Practice Pdf of PowerPoint

Who is it for? Chaplains in healthcare, prison or education settings, or any other setting; Christian leaders; anyone who is interested in ways of engaging with others in a pastoral situation.

Our presenter: Mark Stobert is Lead Chaplain to Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) and came into post in November 2018 having previously been a healthcare chaplain for over 25 years in the West Midlands. Mark is currently studying for a Doctorate in Practical Theology (DPT) using critical reflection to explore the chaplaincy practice of creating ‘Safe Space for Slow Questions’ with patients, visitors and staff of CUH.

“A ‘Slow question’ is a question that can’t be replied to by a fast answer. Sometimes there are no answers but in asking it can be enough just to be understood. Sometimes the slow question is simply, ‘Why?’ Sometimes it is the nagging or delicate thought that can only be voiced when it is safe to do so.”

““Thank you for the Reflective Practice Session. I thoroughly enjoyed it.””

““Very beneficial””

Free webinar for Chaplains and Christian leaders: 2 June at 1.30 p.m. Reflective Practice: a Pathway to the Heart

Photo by Guillaume LORAIN on Unsplash

Date: 2 June, 2020 at 1.30 p.m. – 3.45 p.m.

Venue: wherever you like – as long as you have a screen and are connected to the internet (we’ll be using Zoom)

Cost: Free!

Who is it for?: Chaplains in healthcare, prison or education settings, or any other setting; Christian leaders; anyone who is interested.

We’ve talked to a lot of chaplains and other leaders recently, and understand something of the range of new pressures that the Coronavirus pandemic has brought with it. These pressures and challenges have opened up new opportunities for many people, but there has been little time to stop and reflect.

We’re offering you the opportunity to take a bit of time out for yourself – time to ponder, time to think, and time to learn how to embed reflective practice in your ministry.

Mark Stobert, chair of UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy (UKBHC) and Lead Chaplain at Cambridge University Hospitals, will present the webinar.

More details and information are available HERE

Please register here to book.

You will receive the links to join the webinar if you book in advance.

A participants guide to Reflective Practice Sessions is available to download here:

Reflective Practice – Reflection on Action

Clouds

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)