'ORGAN DONATION WEEK' COMING UP IN SEPTEMBER

A couple of years ago Free Churches Group, working with the Blood Transfusion and Organ donation services, facilitated a one day conference with our member churches and groups. This was a useful event to help us to raise the profile and importance of these services, particularly for our churches who have members from Black, Asian and other ethnic communities. We would like to continue to encourage more blood and organ donors from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities to come forward to meet the needs of patients from across our communities. Certain conditions, such as sickle cell and thalassaemia, are more prevalent within these communities.

We would like to share with you news of Organ Donation Week which is coming up in September.

This is an awareness raising week from 20th - 26th September with a theme this year of: ‘Leave Them Certain’. This campaign aims to encourage people to talk to their loved ones about organ donation through highlighting that families are always involved before organ donation goes ahead.

Find out further information about this year’s campaign and how you, your churches and your families can get involved in the discussions about this vital issue.

ORGAN DONATION WEEK

(cover photo courtesy of DESIGNECOLOGIST at Unsplash)

Helping faith communities welcome people leaving prison

Helping faith communities welcome people leaving prison - that is at the heart of the mission and values of the work of The Welcome Directory.

This Friday, we are invited by Prison Fellowship to pray for the vital work of The Welcome Directory as it seeks to support churches and other faith communities offer a warm welcome to men and women leaving prison.

“Loving God, we pray for the work of The Welcome Directory seeking to help faith communities become places where people who leave prison can find acceptance.”

— Amen

Over the next few weeks, I will be sharing inspiring features about the vital work of The Welcome Directory, to help us to learn more about their work and find out how our church and community can get involved.

The logo of The Welcome Directory

living wisely...

I wonder if you feel that you live wisely? I know from time to time, I ask myself whether I do live as wisely as I might, and in such moments of doubt or indecision, I humbly seek God’s wisdom in prayer, for my life.

Living wisely is the theme of the Bible study which the Prison Fellowship are hosting this week in prisons across England and Wales. Will you join with me to this Saturday to pray for these vital and life changing Bible studies….?

“Living God, we ask you to draw close to those in prison today as they consider their actions and strive to make wise choices.

Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. ”

— Amen

Prison Fellowship: their mission is to show Christ’s love to prisoners

by coming alongside them and supporting them.

(cover photo courtesy of Priscilla Du Preez at Unsplash)

(Sara, FCG media support officer)

Why not host an afternoon tea for Imago Dei Prison Ministry?

Why not host an Afternoon Tea!?

Our friends at Imago Dei (ID) Prison Ministry are inviting us all to host an afternoon tea on or around 14th August. Supporters of Imago Dei Prison Ministry are joining together to host Afternoon Teas across the country for their friends and family to raise awareness and funds for ID Grace House UK. For further information and how to register your event and get your bunting and fundraising pack, click: Will you join us?

Grace House UK is a project of ID Prison Ministry, set up specifically to offer housing with life skills training and support for women leaving prison in the South East who may otherwise be homeless and need further resettlement provision.

(cover photo courtesy of Soo Chung at Unsplash)

Churches Together in England is delighted to announce the appointment of two new incoming Presidents

Churches Together in England is delighted to announce the appointment of two new incoming Presidents.

Archbishop Nikitas, of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Archdiocese of Thyateira and the United Kingdom, will be our new Orthodox President.

Bishop Tedroy Powell of the Church of God of Prophecy, will be our new Pentecostal and Charismatic President – having been elected by the Pentecostal and Charismatic Forum within CTE as their next Moderator and President.

The new Presidents, who will take office in September, succeed Archbishop Angaelos of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of London and Pastor Agu Irukwu, leader of Jesus House RCCG in north London, and until recently the leader of the Redeemed Christian Church of God in the UK. Archbishop Angaelos and Pastor Agu have been tireless in their commitment to the work of the CTE Presidency, and we thank them for their service in the cause of ecumenism among the churches in England.

Bishop Tedroy Powell of the Church of God of Prophecy (left) / Archbishop Nikitas, of the Ecumenical Patriarchate Archdiocese of Thyateira and the United Kingdom (right)

The new Presidents will take up office in September, to later be joined by another new President in April 2022 – Rev Helen Cameron, Methodist Chair of the Northampton District – who will be succeeding Rev Dr Hugh Osgood, the current Free Church President and Moderator of the Free Churches Group, of which Helen Cameron is the Moderator-elect.

Bishop Tedroy Powell represents the Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. Of his new role at CTE he says, “It is an honour, great privilege and a truly humbling experience to be selected to serve as one of the six presidents of Churches Together in England.

“As the Pentecostal and Charismatic President-elect, I congratulate Pastor Agu Irukwu, current incumbent, who has built on the foundations of his predecessors... It is my aspiration and prayer that I can contribute the gifts, leadership experience and collaborative graces that God has bestowed upon me to fruition, in this sphere, as we serve the ecclesia of God, and our country in these uncertain times and seasons.”

Archbishop Nikitas represents the Eastern Orthodox churches (which alternate with the Oriental Orthodox churches to nominate a President to represent all Orthodox).  Of his new role at CTE he says, "Now more than ever before, our world is in need of faith in action, and only through our own example will society experience the power of the message of salvation. Our world desires a “culture of solidarity” among all people, and most especially, among Christian sisters and brothers.”

CTE General Secretary, Rev Dr Paul Goodliff, says, "Following in the footsteps of Archbishop Angaelos and Pastor Agu is no small challenge! They have both served the Presidency wonderfully well, but I am convinced that Archbishop Nikitas and Bishop Tedroy will more than meet that challenge.

"Although Archbishop Nikitas is relatively new to his appointment as Archbishop to the principally Greek community in England, arriving in 2019 from California, every time I have met him, I have grown in my appreciation of his many gifts – his ecumenical commitment and his passion for the mission of the church.

“Similarly with Bishop Tedroy, whose recent promoting of vaccine uptake among his own Church of God of Prophecy has been inspirational. He has played a full part in CTE’s Pentecostal and Charismatic Forum and I know him to be a person of deep faith and generous ecumenical commitment.”

You can read the full article on the CTE website HERE.

(cover photo courtesy of Joshua Eckstein at Unsplash)