Mothers’ Union are now an official partner in Prisons Week!

We are pleased to share that Mothers’ Union are an official partner in Prisons Week, along with the Free Churches Group and other Christian agencies.

Taking place 13th – 19th October 2019, Mothers' Union, and other Christian organisations working for the needs of all those affected by prisons, will join together to encourage churches and individuals to pray. The week is dedicated to thinking of and praying for prisoners and their families, victims of crime and their communities, those working in the criminal justice system and the many people who are involved in caring for those affected by crime on the inside and outside of our prisons. You can read their press release here.

Mothers' Union are delighted to be an official partner of Prisons Week, offering our members a fantastic opportunity to share more about how they contribute to this important work and for us all to join our prayers with Christians around the country. 

Prison Week - praying with families….

Faithful God, who watches and waits with those who are betrayed and suffer; draw near to family members who are affected by crime and imprisonment. Give us your strength to persevere through pain and disappointment, soothe our anger and heal the wounds of separation and loss. Help us to know your grace to find forgiveness and hope for the journey ahead. Faithful God, set us free. Amen.

(Photo courtesy of https://www.mothersunion.org/our-story )

A week of prayer coming up...

Prisons Week aims to encourage prayer and awareness of the needs of prisoners and their families, victims of offenders, prisons staff and all those who care, reflected in the Prisons Week Prayer offered throughout the week:

Each day of the week, a new prayer brings into focus a different group affected by prison or criminal justice. Churches and individuals are also asked to reflect on what they might do or offer as part of their response, through the range of Christian agencies and charities involved in supporting Prisons Week.

The prayer sheet for Prisons Week this year can be downloaded, prayed through and shared HERE.

(photo courtesy of Rohit Guntur @ Unsplash)

Prisons Week - free event with amazing keynote speakers: Southwark Cathedral: 17th October

Coming up very soon… to help us to focus on Prisons Week… 17th October at Southwark Cathedral

Engaging in conversation with Christians in criminal justice.

Keynote speakers: Robert Buckland QC MP and Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin.

The 2019 Prisons Week lecture arrives at Southwark Cathedral for an evening with Robert Buckland QC MP, Lord Chancellor & Secretary of State for Justice, and Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the incoming Bishop of Dover.

Hear from keynote speakers on the theme of FREEDOM and engage in dialogue with Christians and Christian organisations working and volunteering in courts, prison, probation and the community as a whole.

There will be a time for networking from 6pm-6:45pm in the cathedral refectory, with the formal lecture part beginning at 7pm The evening is expected to finish at 8:30pm.

To book your free place and find out more click here.

(photo courtesy of Dyu-Ha at Unsplash)

Conference on teaching GCSE in Judaism coming up soon

As part of the our work with the RE Council, FCG has a strong working relationship with the Board of Deputies of British Jews, so we are delighted to share details of their forthcoming conference with you.

On 11th December, The Board of Deputies of British Jews are hosting a conference for educators who are involved in teaching Judaism GCSE.

This will be held in a central London location and includes panels, workshops, lectures and interactive sessions, will be delivered by leading Jewish authorities in Religious Education, and representatives from the Exam Boards. A keynote speech will be given by Rabbi Joseph Dweck, Senior Rabbi of the Spanish & Portuguese Jewish Community.

You can find out further information and book your place here.

You may also be interested in this free sample of the Judaism GCSE teaching resources.

(photo courtesy of Ben Ostrower at Unsplash)

Free Church Commission, Project Update #2, 15th January 2019

Photo by Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash

The project has now been running for three months, and we have completed our first case study – with more on the way!

• 49 participants consulted across 38 interviews, and 5 observations completed, with a further 40 interviews anticipated for completion by early February

• Pilot case study (Bolton) completed and introductory blog published on the Theos website here.

• MPs for several case study areas interviewed at Westminster

• Croydon and a supplementary sample agreed as the 12th and 20th case studies

• Case studies currently underway in Newham, Haringey, and Croydon, with imminent case studies upcoming (late January/early February) in Middlesbrough and Thanet

• Dates for all 20 case studies and the mid-project review scheduled

• A range of experts consulted in the social cohesion field, and literature review ongoing

  Since the last commission meeting, the research team has completed the pilot case study in Bolton, begun interviews for our London case studies in the boroughs of Haringey, Newham and Croydon, continued to interview MPs for our chosen areas in Westminster, and finalised a timeline for all our case studies and dissemination schedule through 2019-2020. We have now completed 38 interviews (involving 49 participants) and 5 observations, with a further 40 interviews scheduled for completion by the start of February.

  The Bolton pilot yielded fascinating interviews and insight into emerging themes, such as the importance of physical place and space to community cohesion, the relationship with local councils, and the centrality of strong personal relationships to successful community cohesion projects. We spoke with churches across the denominational spectrum, representatives from other faith communities, journalists, council officials, executives/staff of local charities, and local people with no professional link to social cohesion work. We were given tours of religious buildings and social action projects, visited social clubs, and attended community lunches and cafes. We are now in the process of transcribing these interviews and observations, and implementing our findings from the pilot into subsequent case study planning. We particularly noted the importance of the quality of relationship churches enjoy with the local council, both in terms of practical considerations like funding, and also in the recognition of churches as community stakeholders.