The Chaplaincy Chain Podcast Launch

The Chaplaincy Chain Podcast is a collaborative project hosted by the Free Churches Group and supported by The Methodist Church. The podcast aims to open up conversations about the joys and challenges of chaplaincy by exploring its depths and breadths. Working with partners in a variety of contexts, we hope to bring a range of perspectives and experiences into the conversation.

During each episode we’ll notice what emerges in the conversation and use this to decide the next link, continuing The Chaplaincy Chain Podcast!

Are our children ready for school?

Photo by note thanun on Unsplash

A recently-published survey of 1000 parents and teachers by charity Kindred2 has found that 50% of teachers say children are less ready for school than they were a year ago.

1 in 4 children, the survey found, were not toilet-trained and 50% of the parents surveyed did not think it was their sole responsibility to toilet train their child.

Other issues identified were that nearly half of children entering reception classes in September 2023 were not able to sit still, and a quarter did not have basic language skills.

Many parents had had little contact with health visitors and reported that they did not fully understand what was needed for their child to be ready for school.

What can we do?

Many of our churches run thriving parent/carer and toddler groups, and others host pre-schools, so we are already doing a lot. Obviously much of this provision was unable to operate during the Pandemic, and children who are currently in Reception classes or about to enter school may have missed early opportunities for socialisation.

These groups can provide valuable sources of support for parents and carers of young children, particularly if they are supported by the church and wider community, where there is contact with people of different ages.

You might also consider hosting or running a parenting course.

Action for Children offers support for parents, including courses run through Children’s Centres, or accessed online or through text messages, and an online advice service called Parent Talk, where information is available and access to a parenting coach can be provided free of charge.

Nourishing Roots - with Rev. Miranda Threlfal-Holmes, 12/03/24, 10:00-16:00

Join us for a day of reflection and spiritual renewal with the Free Churches Group, led by Rev. Miranda Threlfal-Holmes

Date: 12th March 2024, 10:00-16:00

Venue: The Quaker Meeting House, 22 School Lane Liverpool L1 3BT

Price: £20.00

Join us in Liverpool for a day of reflection and spiritual renewal with the Free Churches Group, led by Rev Miranda Threlfal-Holmes, held at the Liverpool Quaker Meeting House.

Nourishing Roots days are organised for Chaplains in Healthcare, Prisons, Education, and beyond to allow us time to reflect, recharge, and reinspire for our work and ministry.

Miranda is the Archdeacon of Liverpool and Team Rector of the St Luke in the City. She has experience in Higher Education chaplaincy and has published a number of books on chaplaincy, prayer, Christian history, and reading the Bible.

The day will include a buffet lunch.

Please contact Thandar (thandar.tun@freechurches.org.uk) for the discount code if are a chaplain from the FCG denominations. Visit here for the denomination list.

Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash

All you wanted to know about schools but were afraid to ask

A Free Webinar, TUESDAY 14 NOVEMBER, 7 - 8.30 P.M.

Our member churches have told us that they would like to know more about what goes on in schools today and that building relationships with local schools is important to them.

“All you wanted to know about schools but were afraid to ask” is a free webinar that aims to equip you with an understanding of what goes on in schools, and to help you think about how you might get to know the schools in your community. It’s for anyone who wants to know more about schools.

Bev Smith, our speaker, is Schools Content Manager for Youth for Christ, and has many years of experience as a teacher, and in roles that build relationships between churches and schools.

Please circulate the details of the webinar to your churches and encourage your members to join us.

Register HERE.

The flyer is available to download HERE.

The Ideas-informed Society: Why we need it and how to make it happen

A new book edited by the Chair of the Free Church Education Committee, Professor Graham Handscomb, and with chapters by our Moderator, Helen Cameron, and Sir Les Ebdon, a member of the Free Church Education Committee.

With a foreword by Sir Anthony Seldon, The Ideas-Informed Society explores how, in order to thrive, society needs citizens who actively engage in new ideas, particularly as Western societies find themselves in the midst of environmental, social and political crises in a volatile world.

 You can read more about The Ideas-Informed Society Here.