Praying alongside the Prison Fellowship...

Prison Fellowship Prayers for Sunday 14th June

This Sunday, we pray for our brothers and sisters in prison:

“For though I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit and delight to see how disciplined you are and how firm your faith in Christ is.”

(Colossians 2:5)

Amen

The Free Churches Group and our work in prison chaplaincy have worked with The Prison Fellowship (PF) for many years. Last year the Prison Fellowship celebrated 40 years of working with prisoners… their mission is : “to show Christ’s love to prisoners by coming alongside them and supporting them.” Find out more about their work HERE.

You can read and pray through their June Prayer Diary HERE.

(photo courtesy of Kelly Sikkema at Unsplash)

Praying with the International Prison Chaplains Association

A global day of prayer is taking place for prison chaplains across the world on 25th August 2020.

Please encourage your church fellowships to get involved by praying in your homes or by safely physically distanced in your churches (as appropriate). Join with the Free Churches Group and many other ecumenical partners across the globe for the International Prison Chaplains Association (IPCA).

The theme for this year is: The Grace of God

The IPCA has produced an order of service, complete with readings from Scripture and prayers for you to share and pray through….

Join us as we pray together… you can download the prayer and worship resource HERE

The IPCA’s mission is: “Uniting, encouraging and equipping... a global network of prison chaplains as they share God’s love and restoring justice.”

For the last ten years the IPCA Steering Committee has invited all those involved in prison ministry around the world to come together in a special day of prayer on 25 August, the birthday of IPCA. We would like to thank members of IPCA AFRICA and EUROPE for arranging this year’s program together.

The Free Churches Faith Adviser to the Prison Service, Revd Bob Wilson, serves as the Vice Chair to the International Prison Chaplains Association (IPCA).

(photo from IPCA Global Prayer Day resource)

JOIN US, IN PRAYING WITH PRISON FELLOWSHIP, IN THE WEEKS AHEAD...

The Free Churches Group and our work in prison chaplaincy have worked with The Prison Fellowship (PF) for many years. Last year the Prison Fellowship celebrated 40 years of working with prisoners… their mission is : “to show Christ’s love to prisoners by coming alongside them and supporting them.”

Their work continues, as do the links the FCG and other organisations have with PF. You can join with friends and partners of The Prison Fellowship, by praying together through the month and May and beyond…

Prayer Diary – June 2020

This month, they are continuing to pray for all the prisons across England and Wales. There are four listed each day. To find out more about their work and register for their monthly prayer diary, click HERE.

“I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.” Philemon 6-7

Prayers for Sunday 7th June

Although we cannot gather for church in buildings and prison chapels today, we celebrate that in Christ we are united as one body. We pray that any barriers between us might continue to be broken down, and strangers become family.

Amen

(photo courtesy of Diana Simumpande 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””

Pentecost Sunday - prayers with and for the Prison Fellowship

Prayers from the Prison Fellowship for Pentecost Sunday 31st May

Let us pray…

Come once again Holy Spirit as our advocate, our counsellor and our helper.

Give us Your Fire, that we may burn to see justice and truth in this world;

Breathe into us, that we may bring Your life to all we encounter;

and speak into us Your words of hope, that we may see lives renewed and transformed,

in Jesus’ Name. Amen

The Free Churches Group and our work in prison chaplaincy have worked with The Prison Fellowship (PF) for many years. Last year the Prison Fellowship celebrated 40 years of working with prisoners… their mission is : “to show Christ’s love to prisoners by coming alongside them and supporting them.”

Find out more about their work HERE.

(photo courtesy of Jon Tyson at Unsplash)