The First CoNNECT Day

Chaplaincy: opportunity for Networking, Nurturing, Encouragement and Community Together.

Thursday 13th February 2025: 10:30 to 16:00. 27 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9HH.

The day includes input from Mark Birch – Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sarah Lane Cawte, Mark Newitt and Bob Wilson Free Churches Group.

This is a day aimed at those with lead responsibilities for chaplaincy, particularly those who work in non-traditional sectors, to come together, share stories, network, and be encouraged. There will be the opportunity to talk with chaplaincy education providers about training needs. If there is other input into the day that you would value, please let us know to help shape our planning.

Booking is to come, but an expression of interest can be made to Thandar Tun at thandar.tun@freechurches.org.uk or 02036518338.

Cost: £30 (including lunch and refreshments).

This event poster is available to download here.

Nourishing Roots - with Rev. Narinder Tegally at St Michael's Church, Bath, 13th Nov 24

Nourishing Roots days are retreat/quiet days by the Free Churches Group for anyone working within a chaplaincy setting. The title comes from a line in a paper David Ford gave at a healthcare chaplaincy conference back in 2017 where he wrote ‘essentials for wise chaplaincy, such as compassion, hope, and reverence for human dignity, need deep roots and constant nourishment.’ The days recognise that to sustain them in the spiritually and emotionally demanding work they do chaplains need a spiritual maturity and grounding and so provide an opportunity to pause, reflect, and nourish their spiritual roots. While planned with chaplains from a Free Churches Group tradition in mind, they are opened up to anyone interested in attending and we have had chaplains from Anglican, Roman Catholic and Quaker backgrounds attendings alongside those from Free Church traditions. One of the joys of the days has been meeting chaplains from a mix of contextual settings and feedback from previous sessions has commented on the value participants found in of meeting chaplains who worked in different areas from them.

Our next session is on the 13th November 2024 10:00 to 16:00 at St Michael's Church, Broad Street, Bath, BA1 5LJ. The day is led by Narinder Tegally who is the lead chaplain at Royal United Hospitals Bath.

Cost is £10 for chaplains from FCG denominations and £20 for all others (cost includes refreshments).

Booking is through Eventbrite HERE.

Prayer for those receiving exam results

As you receive your exam results, may you feel the love of God surrounding you.

You are a wonderful creation of God, made of love, light and hope,

May you feel the love of God surrounding you.

God is with you, whether you are celebrating or are disappointed,

May you feel the love of God surrounding you.

We thank God for your uniqueness; for your individual gifts and skills,

May you feel the love of God surrounding you.

As you take your next steps in life,

May you feel the love of God surrounding you.

God’s love will surround you wherever you go – may you also make that love known to others.

Amen

Schools Work Conference on 3rd September 2024

The Schools Work Conference is back, and we are excited to host it at The Flame Community Church!

This conference brings together Christians involved in schools mission or those considering joining this essential work. It inspires and equips youth workers by building their understanding, knowledge, and skills, ultimately helping them guide young people and children to meet Jesus.

We have a brilliant lineup of speakers:

• Phil Knox – Evangelical Alliance

• Joe Lowther – CEO of KICK and former headteacher

• Mark Arnold – Urban Saints

• Amelia Paynter – Chroma Church

• Plus, a number of Youth for Christ staff

Seminar Topics:

• Working with Additional Needs Children and Young People

• The Significance of Facilitating Friendship in Schools Mission

• Engaging the Disengaged

• Issues Facing Schools Today

• From School to Church

For more information and to book your place, please click HERE.

If you have any inquiries, please email us at yfc@yfc.co.uk.

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!