Action for Children have two events coming up soon...

Many of you will already be aware of the vital campaigns work of Action for Children. Some of their team have been inspiring and thought-provoking guest speakers at some of our FCG Education Committee meetings and we wanted to let you know that they have a couple of events coming up soon which may be of interest to you.

The first one is about fostering and will be on Facebook Live on 20th May at 7pm.

The second one is called - Boycott your Bed for Vulnerable Children - to raise awareness about and bring hope to vulnerable UK children hit hardest by the pandemic, on the night of Friday 9th July.

1. For further information about the fostering event and to book your place

“There were 78,150 children in local authority care in 2019, and many more foster carers are needed to give them a safe and loving home; that might just be you. We can answer any questions you have.”

— say the hosts of the fostering event

2. Boycott Your Bed is a fundraising and awareness raising event on 9th July - to find out more, learn how to get involved and to make a donation.

“Boycott your Bed and you’ll bring hope to vulnerable UK children hit hardest by the pandemic. Because – while happier times are ahead for most of us – this crisis has made things even worse for children and families already in desperate need. Wherever you sleep, the money you raise can make children’s dreams of a safe and happy childhood come true. ”

— says Action for Children

(cover photo courtesy of Artem Kniaz at Unsplash)

Conference: School & College Chaplains: "People of Hope in times of change" June 9th

Over recent years, here at FCG we have been an active partner in the work and mission of the Centre for Chaplaincy in Education. We are delighted to announce that further information and how to reserve your place on the forthcoming conference in June are now available.

The conference is aimed at School and College Chaplains and will be held online on 9th June and on the following day there will be a retreat-style gathering.

The conference is entitled People of Hope in times of change. For further details and how to reserve your place:

The conference will provide a time and space for reflection and growth as we continue to connect with others.

“We are excited to offer an ‘unprecedented’ full day and evening of keynotes, workshops and evening celebration with spaces for reflection and worship and opportunities for networking”

— Centre for Chaplaincy in Education

Dying Matters Week will be from 10th to 16th May 2021

This year, the Awareness Week will focus on the importance of being in a good place to die. There a range of resources and other information about this on the Dying Matters website.

Dying Matters are a network of organisations formed by Hopsice UK with NHS England and other partners whose aim is to raise awareness of dying, death and bereavement.

Dying Matters Awareness Week, running from 10 - 16 May 2021, is a chance for coalition partners, organisations and individuals to come together and open up the conversation around death, dying and bereavement.

“Where people die is changing. More people than ever are dying at home in recent years, and the pandemic has seen this number leap by tens of thousands. We have very little evidence about the quality of these deaths, and whether the right care and support was in place.

There is no right or wrong place to die; it will be different for everyone. But it is important for families to think about it, to talk about it and to plan for it. At Dying Matters, we want people of all ages to be in a good place when they die - physically, emotionally and with the right care in place. Getting there means having some important conversations and taking some careful decisions.

During Dying Matters Awareness Week, we’re opening up the conversation around death, dying and bereavement and asking you to think about what it means to be in a good place to die.”

— From the Dying Matters Awareness Week resources

https://www.dyingmatters.org/AwarenessWeek

(cover photo courtesy of Ekaterina Novitskaya at Unsplash)

Webinar on 26th April 'Moving forward in hope'

The Theos Thinktank recently published research conducted by Simon Perfect, about HE chaplaincy during the Pandemic, under the title of “Relationships, Presence and Hope: University Chaplaincy during the COVID-19 Pandemic”. 

Simon has agreed to talk to us about his research, and we’ll then have the opportunity to talk with others about how the experience of chaplaincy during the Pandemic might have taught us things that can strengthen chaplaincy in the future. 

You can read the report HERE.

The webinar is entitled “Moving forward in hope” is on April 26 from 1.30 – 3.30 p.m.

We hope many of you will be able to join. Registration for the webinar is via Eventbrite

Register for this event by clicking on the link on button above

Revd Bob Wilson, Free Churches Faith Adviser, invites us to a prayer vigil tomorrow...

Revd Bob invites us…. to join in a prayer vigil on Holy Saturday, 3rd April.

“I’d love to encourage you to join us this Saturday to pray for everyone who’s been affected by imprisonment…. it’s been a really tough year for so many of us, but it has been particularly tough for those in prison…”

— says Revd Bob

Register for this landmark event of prayer and care

The aim of the prayer vigil is to let the men and women in custody and all prison staff know that they are not forgotten and we are remembering them at this time. Every prayer counts.... says Revd Bob