Praying deeply for our schools...

Pray for Schools have produced an inspiring and wide ranging prompt sheet to help us to to pray more deeply and meditatively for our schools. These ideas have been gathered together by a retired deputy head teacher, who is also a church leader.

These prayer prompts will help us to pray more deeply, and more fully help us to consider the schools we hold up to God in prayer.

You can read, reflect upon and pray with these encouragements and inspirations HERE.

(photo courtesy of Markus Spiske at Unsplash)

Online prayer gathering for those involved in schools & colleges on 10th July @ 10am

Chaplaincy Central in partnership with Pray for Schools have set up an online prayer gathering on 10th July at 10am

For all those who want to pray for schools and colleges… whether you work or volunteer in a school or college, are involved in educational chaplaincy, lead school assemblies or run youth and children’s groups in your churches… do join us.

Please do share the link with those you know who work in schools and colleges.

To Help, Hope and Hear

An online prayer gathering for chaplains and others working in schools and colleges.
In partnership with Pray for Schools, July 10th at 10:00am

The link to register for the prayer meeting is HERE.

The Free Church Education Committee has a long an productive working history with both Pray for Schools and Chaplaincy Central who are co-hosting this time of prayer.

(photo courtesy of Vladimir Fedotov at Unsplash)

Education Sunday is coming up on 13th September!

For well over one hundred years there has been an annual recognition of Education Sunday in England and Wales. It is a national day of prayer and celebration for everyone in the world of education. The theme is devised by an ecumenical steering group representing different Christian denominations and organisations.
The resources are intended to be used as a springboard for a variety of events on or around Education Sunday.

Education Sunday 2020: 13th September

Resources will be available nearer the time.

The theme for 2020 will be "A learning people in a time of change".

The Bible passages are:

• Exodus 14.19-31

• Psalm 114

• Romans 14.1-12

• Matthew 18.21-35

Please join us as we pray for the work of the steering group and for Sarah Lane Cawte, FCG Education Officer, as she gathers and develops this year’s resources.

(photo courtesy of Chris Lawton at Unsplash)

Praying for schools...

As an active member of Pray for Schools steering group, I am pleased to be able to share these prayers and links from them, with you, as lockdown eases… to help see us through these challenging times… Thanks, Sara Iles (FCG Media Support Officer)

Join with us and pray together… and feel free to share with schools, teachers and those in your church community….

Dear praying friend,
We know you'll be praying over the current situation as we are all painfully aware of the effect of this crisis on our children. 
We hope these prayers are helpful.
- Lord, please help school heads and staff as they manage the many complicated logistics involved as children come back. May they find ways to adapt and reconnect with them. Amen.
- We remember children affected by poverty, unhappy family life, abuse of any kind, lack of stimulus and mental health problems. Help them to begin to thrive again. Amen.
- O God, please grant wisdom to those in authority as they plan ahead and make decisions on many issues. We intercede for children to be able to make up for what has been lost.

Amen.

Check out these brilliant Scripture Union resources!
Moving to a new school:   https://content.scriptureunion.org.uk/story/its-your-move-lockdown 
Mental Health and Wellbeing   https://content.scriptureunion.org.uk/mentalhealth 
Join us at '10@10'
Chaplaincy Central is inviting us to be part of an online 'Prayer Gathering for Schools and Colleges in partnership with Pray for Schools. It will be at 10am on 10th July. Please email Jane (see below) if you're interested in joining us. 
Keep praying!
The PFS team
  
Jane Newey  england@prayforschools.org
Claire Wall      wales@prayforschools.org

(photo courtesy of https://www.prayforschools.org/ )

Free Churches Group Moderator offers support to universities

The Free Churches Group Moderator, Revd Dr Hugh Osgood, recently wrote to 110 university Vice-Chancellors in England and Wales to thank them for the important contribution universities make to society, and to offer support and prayers as they deal with the many challenges presented by the COVID-19 crisis.

A number of Vice-Chancellors have replied and expressed their gratitude for the support.

Hugh’s letter can be seen HERE.

If there is a university in your area, perhaps your church could think about writing in support of the work of all those who work and study there?

There may be ways in which you could offer practical help too. Our leaflets (see link here, in HE section) offer suggestions of ways in which you can support students, and we’ll be publishing more ideas about how you might offer help to universities soon.

(Photo courtesy of https://www.hughosgood.com/bio - Hugh pictured on the right)