Journeying from Despair to Hope… preparing for Prisons Week 2021

Journeying from despair to hope is an online event coming up on the morning of the 20th July to help church and community leaders explore the prayer and support materials for Prisons Week.

For forty years, Prisons Week has prepared prayer literature to enable the Christian community, through individuals and churches, to pray for the needs of all those affected by prisons: 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. Prisons Week raises awareness and generates prayer.

(cover photo courtesy of Jeremy Bishop @ Unsplash)

Get ready for Education Sunday - 12th September

For well over one hundred years there has been an annual recognition of Education Sunday in England and Wales. It is a national day of prayer and celebration for everyone in the world of education.

The theme is devised by an ecumenical steering group representing different Christian denominations and organisations - the theme this year is “A Word in Season”.

To help you get ready to celebrate this day in your church and community:

Further resources and worship materials will be shared over the summer on the:

Inspired this year by Isaiah 50. 4-9a, Psalm 116. 1-8, James 3. 1-12, Mark 8. 27-38.

(cover photo courtesy of Chris Lawton at Unsplash)

Revd Bob Wilson, Free Churches Faith Adviser, invites you!

Our very own Revd Bob Wilson, who is a key member of the Prisons Week planning group, extends a warm welcome to church and community leaders, to an online event on the morning of 20th July - offering an opportunity to explore the theme and resources for this year's Prisons Week (held 10-17th Oct).

I had the opportunity to preview some of the thought-provoking and inspiring resources earlier last week, so I can thoroughly recommend this event; it will be a great support to us all as we prepare for praying during Prisons Week this year.

- Sara (FCG media support officer)

This will offer church and community leaders space to meet and hear about this year's campaign, its theme and the prayer resources available, and to consider how we can best encourage others to pray.

Event details
Time: 10.30-11.30 A.M.
Date: 20th July

(cover photo courtesy of Billy Pasco at Unsplash)

Join us as we pray for our schools... on 16th July

Free Churches Group are an active prayer partner in the work and mission of Pray for Schools, along with many other groups who have a heart for prayer and love our schools.

It has been amazing and such an encouragement to all to be able to pray alongside Christians from across England and Wales, at Zoom gatherings, during the last few months.

We have had an excellent range of contributors who have been able to share news about our schools and support us in what needs our prayers and care. This has helped to guide our prayers during the meeting and make these shared times very powerful in both prayer and fellowship. At our next prayer, we are delighted to say we will be joined and guided in prayer by staff from Scripture Union and Association of Christian Teachers.

On 16th July, we will be gathering once more between 12.30 - 1.15 P.M. and all are welcome. It is open to all, but booking is required.

REGISTER HERE

“Pray for Schools’ vision is for ‘every school to be a prayed for school. At this time we need to do this with faith, hope and love. That’s the vision of Pray for Schools: to mobilise Christians to support their school communities through prayer. All over the UK, groups of parents, teachers or schools workers meet on a regular basis to pray for their local schools. Join us for one of our online events as we gather together in prayer for our schools. ”

— Pray for Schools

(cover photo courtesy of Abel Marquez at Unsplash)

Thanksgiving service for the NHS...

You may have spotted in wider press coverage that there was a thanksgiving event at St Paul’s Cathedral on 5th July, for the NHS. Although numbers were limited at the event, we are pleased to be able to share with you here some of the reflections from and about the service. Among those who were able to attend was the General Secretary of Free Churches Group, Revd Paul Rochester (pictured below); our very own Revd Dr Mark Newitt took some time to reflect on the vital role of chaplaincy work in the care sector during the pandemic - there is a recording of this which you can watch through the link below.

“At St Paul’s for the NHS’ 73rd birthday - an event which offers us all a chance to say a Big Thank You. The NHS, and the country as a whole, has been through a year like no other, because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, we can proud of the NHS, which at the same time as caring for people with COVID, rolled out the biggest vaccination programme in health service history. We are grateful for the dedication and professionalism of NHS staff.”

— says Revd Paul Rochester

Prior to the service, Mark joined with Rev Sarah Crane, as they talked to Dave Piper (TWR) about the chaplaincy work in the care sector during the pandemic – and how being aware of our own mortality can help turn our thoughts to God. You can watch a recording of this conversation below:

TWR (Trans World Radio) is a multimedia organisation, assisting the global church to fulfil the command of Jesus Christ to make disciples of all people. Our UK channel seeks to equip Christians to be effective disciples of Jesus in our complex twenty-first century world.

(cover photo by Revd Sara Iles, FCG Media Support Officer, taken on 5th July, a rainbow pedestrian crossing near Gloucester Cathedral)