All are welcome in this place...

Following advice from the Government advising churches to suspend public worship, whilst some churches are staying open to provide support in their communities, we are hosting a website page where member churches / groups can discover resources and still feel part of our wider Free Churches network. Over the next few weeks, we will share worship resources, Bible studies, reflections and prayers.

We would like to welcome you to this place…

General resources

• Mothering Sunday invitation from Rev Barry Osborne (CEO Rural Mission Solutions) - Join a virtual service for Mothering Sunday; 10-10.30am

• A national call to prayer 22nd March 7pm - Light a Candle of Hope Presidents of Churches Together in England - Archbishop Justin Welby, The Archbishop of Canterbury; Cardinal Vincent Nichols, The Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster; Revd Dr Hugh Osgood, The Free Churches Moderator; Archbishop Angaelos of London, CTE President for the Orthodox Churches; Pastor Agu Irukwu, CTE Pentecostal President.

• Daily devotions prepared by the United Reformed Church (URC) and shared here for you. You can also use this link to subscribe to these. Each Sunday, at 10 a.m., Sunday worship will be provided in written and audio form, complete with prayers and hymns to join in, in the style of a radio broadcast

Education

• Pray for Schools prayers

Healthcare

• Dying Matters pamphlets and resources

Prisons

• Prison Fellowship Angel Tree Mother’s Day

(cover photo courtesy of Melissa, who is a 15 year old Gateway programme student)

Disclaimer: NB - all resources and information are for advice only. For medical and legal information about the Coronavirus pandemic please check HERE.

(Photo below from national orchid show held at a school in Somerset)

A safe place to put down roots and grow...

Have we got a safe place to put down roots and grow? This might be a family home, shared accommodation with others, or perhaps a place of our own?

The story can be very different for those leaving prison. Typically, young prison leavers are placed in cheap, low quality accommodation which can encourage a return to old acquaintances and destructive patterns of behaviour. The Message Trust with staff, partners and volunteers are on a mission to help to change this situation… They are doing this in a number of ways, including providing a resettlement house called The Oaks. At the heart of The Oaks is a vision of a Christian community that both supports our team members as they rebuild their lives, and blesses the local area.

The Oaks is a 9 bedroom resettlement house for particularly vulnerable individuals who need extra support before they are ready to graduate into full-time employment. The Oaks offers a residential support programme lasting a minimum of 12 months. After an induction, courses will guide new team members into greater emotional stability and deeper faith in Christ. Life skills and coaching help them become better stewards of their time, finances and relationships. Days are carefully structured to allow for a balance of vocational work placements, devotions, training and free time.

Feel free to share news about this amazing venture and join us as we pray for those leaving prison that they may find a safe place to put down roots… May each person at The Oaks and all of those leaving prison be strengthened in confidence and faith, as they find a safe place; to know they have have hope and the chance to grow… Amen

Working in a primary school or leading children's groups at your church?

Barnabas in Schools has produced a wide range of engaging and thought- provoking materials for Lent, Holy Week and Easter.

Barnabas in Schools is a professional education service provider to primary schools and works throughout England and Wales. They offer quality creative arts-based Barnabas RE Days for pupils and specialist INSET sessions for teachers. They also provide free ideas for collective worship, RE and classroom reflection, as well as books and resources. Their overall aim is to enable schools to explore Christianity creatively and confidently.

Check out their Lent and Easter resources HERE.

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The Barnabas in Schools Prayer Jesus, you chose a child as a model for adult maturity and of God’s presence among us. Thank you for our schools with their teachers and children. Together may they create: safe places for lives to flourish; happy places for wonder and discovery; hopeful places of peace and healing; stimulating places of learning and laughter; places where everyone feels valued and respected; places that offer security and stability to all; places where both old and young can find purpose and direction in life. Amen

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(photo courtesy of Neal E. Johnson at Unsplash)

Free Churches Commission into social cohesion in the UK - our work so far

Social cohesion has been near the top of the political agenda for well over a decade now. FCG set up a research project looking at the relationship between the Church and social cohesion in England. The project is being conducted by Theos, the UK’s leading think tank on religion and society issues.

There will be updates on this work coming up soon and the full report will be published in the autumn. If you haven’t had the opportunity to learn about our work in this field yet, then you can get up to speed and read all about it, by checking out the Commission updates which have been produced since the project began HERE.

We would like to thank Westhill for their support of this commission.
For more information visit their website →

Beginning Chaplaincy...

There is a Beginning Chaplaincy course starting soon at St Padarn’s Institute in Llandaff.

Our Free Churches Secretary for Healthcare Chaplaincy, Rev Meg Burton, will be teaching on this programme, in early March, alongside colleagues.

What are your recollections of beginning a new course of study? I always feel there’s a sense of trepidation mingled with excitement when we begin a new course - lots of things to learn, new people to get to know, different concepts and ideas to encounter and engage with…

Please join with us as we pray for the tutors, support staff and students on this course, which is running from 7th until 11th March.

We pray for wisdom and understanding for the tutors; we pray for the wider staff at the college as they support this course and for the students, as they begin their studies into this vital area of ministry. May they be upheld in their studies and work; may this course provide a firm foundation from which to serve in the setting in which they minister. Amen

You can find out more about the Free Churches healthcare chaplaincy work here.

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(photo courtesy of David Travis at Unsplash)