Restoring hope through restorative justice

Have you come across the Sycamore Tree project which is run as part of the Prison Fellowship’s work?

Sycamore Tree is a volunteer-led victim awareness programme that teaches the principles of restorative justice. It is taught in prisons in groups of up to 20 learners, over a 6-week period. Learners on the programme explore the effects of crime on victims, offenders, and the wider community, and discuss what it would mean to take responsibility for their personal actions.

Perhaps you could pray at your church for the work of volunteers who support the Sycamore Tree?

Perhaps there are events and activities you and your church could get involved with?

The Free Churches Group support chaplains working across prisons in England and Wales - you can read more about this important work HERE

From the Prison Fellowship website: Not everyone is able to volunteer and visit prisoners. But everyone can pray. Sylvia Mary Alison wrote in her memoir:

“In our prayer imagination, we can enter any prison in the world, and visit Christ in prisoners there… It is Christ who beckons us into the darkest of the world’s jails. Will you cooperate with our Lord in building his house, from the ground floor up, by marching into every prison of the world in prayer?” – Sylvia Mary Alison

Photo credit Erik Holm, from Unsplash

Forty seconds to pray for colleges

As part of our ongoing work with the Further Education Christian charity, Festive, we invite you to pray with us, at FCG, for…

  • Emily is an RE teacher in the greater London area. She has had some really interesting conversations with other staff and is planning to run an Alpha course for them. She already has five staff members signed up. Please pray that her colleagues would be deeply challenged by the message of Jesus and feel compelled to offer their lives to him.

  • At the last Festive staff team day we spent some time praying specifically by name for non-Christian friends of many of our contacts. Luka, later wrote to tell us that his friend Joe became a Christian that day. We had been praying for Joe at our meeting. Praise God for a wonderful answer to prayer! Please continue to pray with us for the non-Christian friends of our many student contacts that they would be open and respond to the good news of Jesus!

  • Varndean is a huge college but the CU is only very small – just three or four people. Thank God for Gemma who has been leading it faithfully for two years now. As exams approach and she has to pass leadership on to others pray that God would supply motivated and eager people in Y12 to take it on. Pray for other CU’s leaders around the country who are also looking to pass on the leadership of their CU’s ready for next year.

  • Last month we asked you to pray for us as we had lost our free office space and urgently needed to find some more. Praise God, for he has provided for us in a wonderful way with a great new office, for free! Please continue to pray for Festive’s financial needs as two funding streams come to an end in three months’ time. Pray that God would wonderfully supply all that is needed for the work to continue and to grow.

You can read more about the work that FCG have been doing in the field of FE HERE

You can download and share this FE FCG flyer in your churches too HERE

Photo credit courtesy of Diana Simumpande at Unsplash

Inspired!

I went along to a church and schools Inspire event last night with one of our FCG partner organisations, Pray for Schools. Jane Newey, their co-ordinator for England, and I had an inspiring evening, praying with and chatting to the other exhibition stand-holders, as well as the visitors from schools and churches in Somerset. The event was hosted by the GoTeam from the Diocese of Bath & Wells, at Holy Trinity Church in Frome. We had over 30 people there, keen to make the most of how their church could link with their local school.

You may be interested in some of the organisations who were there, to help you in your church develop and strengthen your links to schools in your area:

Pray for Schools

Scripture Union

Big Start Assemblies

Prayer Space in Schools

Transforming Lives for Good

Lots of ways for us to get inspired.

Sara Iles, FCG Education Assistant

Join us as we pray…

Thank you Father for our schools. We praise You Lord, for You are full of love, peace and hope. Please help us to be people of good news sharing your love, peace and hope into schools. Please help us to build good relationships with everyone. Please help us to be peace makers when there is tension and stress. Please help us to bring hope when there is despair and dejection. Please help us inspire others to be joyful when there is much to celebrate. Please help us demonstrate your love Amen

Prayer written by Lisa Jones, Scripture Union’s representative on the Pray for Schools Steering Group.

A week of prayer for prisons

For over forty years now, 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. This year, Prisons Week will be between 13-20 October.

FCG are committed to supporting and encouraging Free Church chaplains across prisons in England and Wales. You can read more about the work of the FCG in this important area HERE.

You can sign up for the receive email prayers HERE

Make a note in your church diary now for the Prisons Week prayers and activities… 13th - 20th October…

And why not encourage your worship leaders and house groups to share this prayer throughout the year?

Lord, you offer freedom to all people.
We pray for those in prison.
Break the bonds of fear and isolation that exist.
Support with your love prisoners and their families and friends,
prison staff and all who care.
Heal those who have been wounded by the activities
of others, especially the victims of crime.
Help us to forgive one another.
To act justly, love mercy and walk humbly together with Christ
in His strength and in His Spirit, now and every day. Amen.

(Prayer from Prisons Week website)

Forty years faithful

The Prison Fellowship of England and Wales was set up in 1979. Since then they have been working with prisoners, showing the love of Christ to those in prison and their families.

PF’s mission is to show Christ’s love to prisoners by coming alongside them and supporting them. We seek through prayer and practical care to help, support and develop a Christian ministry to prisoners and their families.

They do this through their network of volunteers, and have over 2,500 volunteers. They are currently involved with almost all of the 120 prisons in England and Wales.

Your church can get involved HERE.

To celebrate this anniversary there will be a special event at Westminster Abbey on 30th March (2-4pm) - Rev Bob Wilson of the FCG will be there and many others - you can reserve your place HERE.

The FCG support chaplaincy across prisons and you can read more about our vital work in this field HERE.