NEWS
Christmas Reflection by Stephen Mugglin
Photo credit: Freely Christian Photos
I came across the following when seeking out some words of wisdom for a carol service. Stephen Mugglin has captured the essence of ‘peace on earth’ and how there are times when we need to go and find that peace amid the busyness that is a constant presence in our place of work – the healthcare system, and times when we need to create that peace for those in our care.
Debbie Hodge
Christmas Reflection by Stephen Mugglin
High in the woods of Pengrove Pass, where the water and the sky seem to sing the same song, there stands in a clearing beside the lake a little log cabin built by a friend. It stands empty most of the year now, for the children who once played and laughed there have long since moved on. Still there isn’t any sadness, for each morning the dawn catches its own reflection in the stillness of the lake, and peace covers all.
Photo by Charl van Rooy on Unsplash
I was scheduled to spend Christmas in Pengrove Mills, a town further down the river, but an unexpectedly busy autumn and fall had made me long again for the solitude of the mountains, at least for a little while, and so December found me in the cabin by the lake.
Mountains seem to have a wisdom all their own, and trees growing along the slopes in the pure air whisper their thoughts together in the silence. It’s a world of enchantment far and near, for the same snow that paints the distant hills also spreads a blanket over the cabin. Here earth and sky seem so close, mountain peaks just a snow-breath away, and time a cousin of eternity.
This was the year I celebrated Christmas twice - once in the cold loneliness of the hills, and later in the warmth of the town - once by myself in the calm of the night, and again with the sound of friends all around - once with the stars shining deep in the lake, and then with bright lights in every window. But much as I enjoyed the time in town, it was the silence around the cabin that reminded me most of the Song of the ages and the Light of the world. Alone on the hillside, I knew the peace that had come to earth.
New report published - On children and young people's mental health
On 22nd November, the NHS published a report concerning the mental health of children and young people across England. You can read the full report HERE.
We will know of children and young people in our churches and communities who have struggled with mental health issues; we may be a young person reading this who is encountering difficulties; we may have youngsters in our own congregations and families who have mental health conditions. This is a concern for us all and so it is important to be aware of the report’s findings and understand some of the issues that our children and young people are facing. There are links below which could help and can be shared with others in need.
Some of the key findings from the report are:
One in eight (12.8%) 5 to 19 year olds had at least one mental disorder when assessed in 2017
Rates of mental disorders increased with age.
Emotional disorders have become more common in five to 15 year-olds
A recent article in the Premier Christian Media Trust calls for churches to be open to teenagers facing issues. You can read about it HERE and find out where schemes to support young people are currently operating.
The Free Churches Group are committed to supporting member churches and groups engage with issues of the day and find ways in which our free churches can engage more fully in the community, in issues such as education and mental health support. We will be developing these further over the next couple of years so keep an eye out in our FCG newsletters for further information.
There are various networks you can register your support with or join their newsletter circulation list:
Festive - the Christian Further Education charity
A blessing Prayer
May the Lord God Bless you each step of Life’s way.
May you learn each day to open yourself to love and the blessings of love. May you find a stick to lean on when the road is hard- and not use the stick to beat yourself. May you be blessed with life's abundance and blessed in poor days too, learning again what really matters, what lasts.
May you never give in to despair or the lie that nothing can change. May you find ways of life and walk them with courage, knowing that every step is within the heart of Christ who holds all our days in love. Amen
Every school, a prayed-for school... pray with us today, with Psalm 100
Join with us today in an international day of prayer for schools
Pray Day is the third Tuesday of November every year when schools across Europe and around the world are the focus of prayer.
If you haven’t heard about it before, this is a day set aside every year for people across Europe to focus on praying for their schools, with events taking place in many countries including the UK. The day is for:
all types of school from nursery to sixth form
pupils, school staff, governors, parents, church leaders, youth workers and anyone else concerned about young people
anyone who believes that God hears our prayers
Resources for PrayDay 2018 based on Psalm 100 - a psalm for giving thanks to God
You can download the Prayer Sheet and other ideas for getting involved HERE.
“Shout to the LORD with joy, everyone on earth. Worship the LORD with gladness. Come to him with songs of joy.”
Project Update #1 [15-11-18]
The project has been running for almost a month, and is progressing at pace!
Our first eleven case studies have been selected: they will be
Bolton
Bury
Bradford
Middlesbrough
Solihull
Derby
Peterborough
Haringey
Newham
Thanet
Plymouth
Our team of researchers have met with leading academics and public figures in the field, and interviews have begun with key community leaders in our case study locations.
We are excited about the progress being made on this important research, and we encourage anybody who is interested in being a participant in the research to contact Madeleine Ward (madeleine.ward@theosthinktank.co.uk).
"At least one child is bullied in every class, each day across the UK," the TES reports
I have been shocked and saddened to read in the news recently that at least one child is bullied in every class, each day across the UK. You can read this article in the Times Educational Supplement HERE. Almost half of young people said they had been bullied, face-to-face, in the last six months.
Many of us will have encountered bullying and perhaps have been bullies ourselves. It is a deeply upsetting and threatening thing to experience and is often borne of powerlessness and which creates powerlessness and fear…
The Anti Bullying Alliance (ABA) is a unique coalition of organisations and individuals who are working together to achieve our vision to: stop bullying and create safer environments in which children and young people can live, grow, play and learn. You can read more about their work HERE.
They welcome members from a wide variety of organisations, including faith groups. You can sign up for their newsletter HERE.
There are lots of different ways to get involved in their work. They also have a range of resources and training programmes available. Why not get your church involved in this work, so that bullying can be tackled and we can all be educated to improve the lives of children and young people in our schools and colleges?
We are approaching the international day of prayer for schools - Pray Day - on 20th November - so perhaps you could pray for the work of the ABA and for the perpetrators and victims of bullying, that peace and reconciliation might be achieved.
As the Scripture tells us… “for God gave us a spirit, not of fear, but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Tim 1:7). In the name of Jesus, peace maker and healer, Amen
Revd Sara Iles, FCG Education Asst