Higher Education Chaplaincy
How we support Free Church chaplains in Higher Education
For many years the Free Churches have supported chaplaincy in universities and other HE institutions, and member churches are represented in universities in England and Wales. We recognise the variety that is part of the landscape of Free Church chaplaincy – with full-time posts, part-time posts, some paid, some voluntary, some local ministers or church leaders with HE chaplaincy as part of their post in a church or group of churches – and many more variations. We also recognise that chaplaincy is challenging and sometimes lonely, which is why, after consultation with a number of chaplains, we felt there was a need to find ways of bringing Free Church chaplains together.
Although our focus is on Free Church chaplains, any chaplain is welcome to join us in any of the events we offer.
What we do… a quick guide to this section: coffee and chat; webinars; register of Free Church HE chaplains; other support materials. For further details, please see below.
What we do
Coffee and chat
Join us on zoom!
Coffee and chat for HE chaplains is a weekly opportunity to come together (virtually) with other chaplains. There is no fixed agenda, so you can bring questions, ideas, things that are bothering you, celebrations …
Each session lasts an hour and concludes with time for reflection and prayer, in a very relaxed and gentle way, often with visuals and music.
Coffee and chat will take place on zoom. For further information, contact our Education Officer - Sarah Lane Cawte
Tel: 0203 651 8339
Email: sarah.lane.cawte@freechurches.org.uk
Twitter: @SarahFCG
Webinars
Here are a range of recording from webinars we have hosted, which are of specific interest to HE chaplains.
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In this webinar, we explored the recently published Theos report and research conducted by Simon Perfect, about HE chaplaincy during the Pandemic: “Relationships, Presence and Hope: University Chaplaincy during the COVID-19 Pandemic”. You can read a copy of the Theos report here. Simon kindly agreed to talk to us about his research at the webinar in April and participants had the opportunity to talk with others about how the experience of chaplaincy during the Pandemic might have taught us things that can strengthen chaplaincy in the future.
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In this webinar, we will explore the value of chaplaincy from the perspectives of research, university management and churches. There will be an opportunity to think through how your ministry is part of the missional life of the church, why the continuing provision of chaplaincy is essential for the life and health of the institution, and how to communicate the value of chaplaincy to different audiences, including management committees and employers.
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Universities are managing their return in a variety of ways, with more activities and formal input happening online, and fewer staff and students on campus. Lawrence Moore, Church Mission and Discipleship Consultant, has been building communities online for many years. In this webinar, he will help HE chaplains to look at theological perspectives underlying community-building, and explore the new opportunities for chaplains to connect with students and staff in a changed environment.
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The conditions created by the pandemic have taken their toll on the mental health of students. Chaplains are increasingly having to deal with issues connected with mental health, but may lack confidence to do so. This webinar aims to give chaplains access to the latest thinking from both institutional and student perspectives, and to signpost further sources of information and support.
Register of Free Church H.E. chaplains
We are trying to keep our list of chaplains up-to-date so that we can contact you with news and to ensure that member churches are in touch with chaplains from their denomination or group. If you are aware of Free Church chaplains who don’t receive e-mails from the Free Churches Group, please let us know and we will get in touch with them.
Contact us
If you have questions, suggestions or you need support in other ways, please contact Sarah Lane Cawte, Free Churches Education Officer:
E-mail
Phone
Twitter: @SarahFCG
Other support material
Chaplains on Campus: Understanding Chaplaincy in UK Universities