Conference on teaching GCSE in Judaism coming up soon

As part of the our work with the RE Council, FCG has a strong working relationship with the Board of Deputies of British Jews, so we are delighted to share details of their forthcoming conference with you.

On 11th December, The Board of Deputies of British Jews are hosting a conference for educators who are involved in teaching Judaism GCSE.

This will be held in a central London location and includes panels, workshops, lectures and interactive sessions, will be delivered by leading Jewish authorities in Religious Education, and representatives from the Exam Boards. A keynote speech will be given by Rabbi Joseph Dweck, Senior Rabbi of the Spanish & Portuguese Jewish Community.

You can find out further information and book your place here.

You may also be interested in this free sample of the Judaism GCSE teaching resources.

(photo courtesy of Ben Ostrower at Unsplash)

Free Church Commission, Project Update #2, 15th January 2019

Photo by Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash

The project has now been running for three months, and we have completed our first case study – with more on the way!

• 49 participants consulted across 38 interviews, and 5 observations completed, with a further 40 interviews anticipated for completion by early February

• Pilot case study (Bolton) completed and introductory blog published on the Theos website here.

• MPs for several case study areas interviewed at Westminster

• Croydon and a supplementary sample agreed as the 12th and 20th case studies

• Case studies currently underway in Newham, Haringey, and Croydon, with imminent case studies upcoming (late January/early February) in Middlesbrough and Thanet

• Dates for all 20 case studies and the mid-project review scheduled

• A range of experts consulted in the social cohesion field, and literature review ongoing

  Since the last commission meeting, the research team has completed the pilot case study in Bolton, begun interviews for our London case studies in the boroughs of Haringey, Newham and Croydon, continued to interview MPs for our chosen areas in Westminster, and finalised a timeline for all our case studies and dissemination schedule through 2019-2020. We have now completed 38 interviews (involving 49 participants) and 5 observations, with a further 40 interviews scheduled for completion by the start of February.

  The Bolton pilot yielded fascinating interviews and insight into emerging themes, such as the importance of physical place and space to community cohesion, the relationship with local councils, and the centrality of strong personal relationships to successful community cohesion projects. We spoke with churches across the denominational spectrum, representatives from other faith communities, journalists, council officials, executives/staff of local charities, and local people with no professional link to social cohesion work. We were given tours of religious buildings and social action projects, visited social clubs, and attended community lunches and cafes. We are now in the process of transcribing these interviews and observations, and implementing our findings from the pilot into subsequent case study planning. We particularly noted the importance of the quality of relationship churches enjoy with the local council, both in terms of practical considerations like funding, and also in the recognition of churches as community stakeholders.
  
  

Free Church Healthcare Chaplains Annual Study Day

Free Church Healthcare Chaplains are invited to the Annual Study Day on Thursday 7th November 2019 at Free Church House, 27 Tavistock Square, Euston, London WC1H 9HH.

As well as updating you on the chaplaincy scene nationally, we will be considering “From theology to Schwartz Rounds – an exploration of reflective practice”. Our keynote speaker is Dr. Daniel Nuzum. He will be joined in the panel by chaplains who are also involved in Schwartz Rounds.

Daniel is an accredited Healthcare Chaplain and Clinical Pastoral Education Supervisor based at Cork University Hospital and University College Cork, Ireland. His research interests are in the areas of perinatal loss, palliative care and pastoral care education.

Daniel is involved in Schwartz Rounds and hopes to train as a Schwartz Rounds facilitator.

The timetable for the day is as follows:

10:30 Coffee available
11:00 Welcome and opening prayers
11:15 Update on FCG and wider chaplaincy landscape
11:45 Keynote address
12:30 Lunch
13:15 Q&A with panel
14:00 What have you learned? What will you take back?
14:30 Issues from around the table
15:15 Closing remarks and Prayer
15:30 Depart

Please RSVP to Thandar at thandar.tun@freechurches.org.uk by Monday 4th November.

NAME: ………………………………………………………………………………
Any dietary requirements: ...........................................................................

We look forward to seeing you.

Best wishes,
Debbie and Meg
Secretaries for Healthcare Chaplaincy
Free Churches Group

"Well Beings" - a Guide to Good Mental Health from the Student Christian Movement

As part of our work with the Free Church Education Committee, FCG has been working with the Student Christian Movement (SCM) in the Higher Education Working Group.

We are pleased to announce that over the summer the SCM has published a resource pack for supporting good mental health for students. This free resource can be downloaded HERE.

The Student Christian Movement has launched Well Beings, a practical guide to good mental health for students. Produced in partnership with Space to Breathe, the resource is a response to a recent survey of students that showed over 90% of students have had mental health problems or are supporting someone who has poor mental health.

The resource covers themes such as where to find help, how to face anxiety and how to build resilience. Each topic is presented along with simple, practical activities to help students develop good mental health.

You can read more about the work we have been doing in the field of HE here and download more resources for you to use and share in your churches and share with your young people.

You may also be interested in a conference for Christian leaders on the theme of mental health which we are hosting later this month (23 Oct) - for further information and to book your place, click here.

(photo courtesy of Eli DeFaria at Unsplash)

What does freedom mean to you? And are you free?

What does freedom mean to you? If I was to consult the dictionary it might tell me that freedom is the “power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants” or “the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved”. I could say that I feel particularly free when I am on holiday or when I am in prayer. Freedom might mean very different things to us depending on our background or current circumstances.

With inspiration from Psalm 111:9, this is the question that Prisons Week illuminates in the resources and prayers for our churches to share and pray through from 13th-19th October.

‘He sets his people free.

He made his agreement everlasting.

He is holy and wonderful.’

(Ps. 111:9 NCV)

In the opening sentences for this year’s Prison Week prayer sheet, we read that, “God’s will and intention for all his people is freedom – the freedom to be the people he created them to be.”

Download your free prayer sheet and share in your churches and groups.

For over forty years Prisons Week has prepared prayer literature for the Christian community to use as they pray for the needs of all those affected by prisons: prisoners and victims, their families, their communities, those working and volunteering in prisons and the criminal justice system.

(photo courtesy of Aaron Burden @ Unsplash)