NEWS
Lots of inspiring resources 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. Education Sunday will be marked this year on 12th September and the theme is - A Word in Season.
There are lots of inspiring and helpful resources and materials to help you in your church to celebrate this day. This year, we are delighted that a preacher, who was one of the Sermon of the Year contest* (in 2020), has written a sermon for this year’s Education Sunday. You can download and share Jan Thompson’s dynamic and inspiring sermon HERE.
As well as this thought-provoking sermon, there is a theme introduction from FCG Moderator, Revd Dr Hugh Osgood, a Commissioning Prayers for Education Sunday and lots more to come! We hope that you enjoy using and sharing these resources which you can access at the Churches Together in England link below:
*Sermon of the Year is an annual competition held by Preach magazine.
(cover photo courtesy of Zero Take at Unsplash)
'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.
Watch this space for 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.
(cover photo courtesy of Alexandru Acea at Unsplash)
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)