Nourishing Roots with Catherine Todd – ‘Silence Inside’

A day of reflection, restoration and retreat for chaplains with Catherine Todd – ‘Silence Inside’

Date and time: Wed, 19 Nov 2025 10:00 - 16:00 GMT

Location: The Garden Room, Quaker Meeting House, John Street, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1SJ

Please join us on Wednesday, 19th November at the Quaker Meeting House, John Street, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1SJ.

Nourishing Roots retreat days, held three times a year, are an opportunity for chaplains in healthcare, prisons, education and beyond to retreat, reflect and recharge spiritually and emotionally from their challenging ministry contexts.

Catherine Todd will lead the day. She has worked in prison chaplaincy since 2007 in various prisons and now works nationally, supporting chaplaincy in the Youth Custody estate. Previously, she has worked in parish ministry, midwifery and nursing. She has also trained as a psychotherapist. Her particular interest is in experiential spirituality, of meeting the holy in the moment, wherever and whatever that moment is like. Silence is a good medium for this, and the day will very much be based in silence, with attentive, deep listening practices.

Tickets cost £15 for FCG Chaplains or £25 for non-FCG Chaplains. Please contact Mark Newitt at mark.newitt@freechurches.org.uk for FCG Chaplains ticket. note that refunds can be issued up to 7 days beforehand, but for catering reasons not beyond that date.

Register your place HERE.

Image by Michael Schwarzenberger from Pixabay

Nourishing Routes - at the Loreto Centre, Llandudno - with Rev Bob Wilson

A day of walking and spiritual reflection based in the stunning hills of Llandudno, North Wales, with time at the Loreto Centre.

Thu, 17 Jul 2025 10:00 - 16:00, Loreto Centre, Abbey Road, Llandudno, LL30 2EL

Please join us on Thursday 17 July at the Loreto Centre in Llandudno, North Wales, for our next Nourishing Roots event - 'Nourishing Routes'.

Nourishing Roots retreat days, held three times a year, are an opportunity for chaplains in healthcare, prisons, education and beyond to retreat, reflect and recharge spiritually and emotionally from their challenging ministry contexts.

This retreat will be based at the Loreto Spirituality Centre near the stunning coastline of Llandudno, and will include times of reflection alongside guided walks around Great Orme and the surrounding area.

The day will be led by Rev. Bob Wilson, Secretary for Prison Chaplaincy and Free Churches Faith Advisor. Bob is a Baptist minister and Free Churches Faith Advisor to both publicly and privately run prisons. This work sees him regularly visiting all 124 establishments across England and Wales for the pastoral support of Prison Chaplains, and to support prison management. He is also a keen rock climber and outdoors enthusiast, and has many years experience in helping chaplains retreat and reflect on ministry.

The ticket price is £15 for chaplains from FCG denominations and £25 for all others. (Please ask Thandar <thandar.tun@freechurches.org.uk> for an FCG Chaplains discount code).

Please note that refunds can be issued up to 7 days beforehand, but for catering reasons not beyond that date.

The Loreto Centre may be able to offer a limited amount of accommodation before or after the retreat day. Please note on your sign-up form if you are interested in this.

Register your place HERE.

Reflections from Revd Bob Wilson, Secretary for the Prison Chaplaincy & Free Churches Faith Advisor

Christmas is …

What words come to mind to you when someone says this? “For the children”, “Too expensive”, “So commercialised”? Or maybe some more positive remarks, “a time for family”, “a time of peace”, or “a time of giving”. I would say that the most common one I hear in prison is “hard”!

Christmas, the time when we celebrate the birth of Jesus as a baby, to Mary and Joseph, in temporary accommodation, in an occupied country, is a wonderful time, but it can be a hard time. It is hard to remember what we don’t have, what we have lost, where we would rather be. All true for Mary and Joseph, and maybe true for us too. Many of us will have lost friends, family, maybe our liberty this year.

But “To us a child is born, to us a son is given” and that birth was unlike any other birth in the history. The child born is the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Saviour of the world. A birth that will change time itself. Not a birth that turns back time, but a birth that gives us hope that time is no longer our enemy; neither hard times, nor good times. We no longer need to see the hands of time as a countdown to be feared, but we see that today, this is the time for life.

Christmas, above everything, is a time for change. A change that God can bring, a change that will bring a whole new order in our lives, a change to how we see everything.

Our Prison Chaplains this year will see many who are struggling in their lives to see beyond the gloom and darkness that is real and everywhere. They will be encouraging thousands of men, women and children to take a little time to pray, a little time to look for and at the Christ child. Maybe we all need to do this anew. Pray as I alone know how to pray, in my own words. Pray that the God who gave us the gift of a saviour at Christmas will step into my life again to lighten the darkness, to scatter the gloom. Maybe we can pray, along with our chaplains, our prisoners, our brothers and sisters that, just as a child was born to Mary, something new and life-changing might be born in our lives this year.

Or maybe just pray that, while Christmas will be hard, you will be able to see a way through to the other side!

And maybe then, rethink the ending to the sentence …

Christmas is …

A happy and peaceful Christmas to everyone

Revd Bob Wilson

Free Churches Faith Advisor to HMPPS

The First CoNNECT Day

Cover image from fauxels - Photography

Chaplaincy: opportunity for Networking, Nurturing, Encouragement and Community Together

Date: 13th February 2025, 10:30 - 16:00

Venue: Free Churches House, 27 Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9HH

Cost  £30 per participant to cover the cost of a light lunch/refreshments and administrative costs.

As part of the development of our  “Chaplaincy Hub”, which we hope to grow into a key resource space for those engaged in or exploring chaplaincy this first CoNNECT Day aims to draw together those with an interest in the development of chaplaincy from different settings and perspectives, including church and denominational leaders, suppliers of chaplaincy training and education as well as providers of chaplaincy services (particularly those beyond traditional settings).

The day will include a keynote address from Mark Birch, Chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, input exploring evidencing impact, opportunity to hear stories of chaplains (Pecha Kucha presentations) as well as space to network.

 Timetable

10:30  coffee and pastries

11:00  Welcome

11:15  Introduction to outline and purpose of the day

11:30  Keynote address: Mark Birch

12:15  Q & A

12.30  Lunch

13:30  Pecha Kucha presentations

14:00  Evidencing impact

14:45  Refreshment break

15:15  Next steps: facilitated discussion

15:50  Closing remarks and close

Nourishing Roots - at Oriel College Oxford, with Rev. Grace Allick on 19th March 2025, 10:00-16:00

A day of reflection , restoration and retreat for chaplains with Rev Grace Allick, held at Oriel College, Oxford.

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 10:00 - 16:00

Oriel College, Oriel Square Oxford OX1 4EW

Please join us on Wednesday 19 March 2025 in Oxford for a day of reflection, retreat, and recharging at Oriel College, Oxford University. The day will be led and facilitated by Rev. Grace Allick, who is a member of the Free Churches Group Healthcare Chaplaincy Steering Committee and who leads on Healthcare Chaplaincy for the Assemblies of God denomination. Grace has a wealth of healthcare chaplaincy experience and will lead us in reflection and encouragement around our chaplaincy roles.

To learn more about Grace: Hello. I’m Grace Allick — Free Churches Group

Tickets cost £15 for FCG Chaplains or £25 for non-FCG Chaplains. Please note that refunds can be issued up to 7 days beforehand but for catering reasons, not beyond that date.

For more information, please contact Mark Newitt at mark.newitt@freechurches.org.uk