NEWS
Kindness matters most, Mental Health Awareness Week
This week is the Mental Health Awareness Week. The theme this year is kindness. You may have already seen this clip but if not, it's worth spending a couple of minutes looking at it.
Kindness Matters - Mental Health Awareness Week
"Kindness was chosen because of its singular ability to unlock our shared humanity. Kindness strengthens relationships, develops community and deepens solidarity. It is a cornerstone of our individual and collective mental health. Wisdom from every culture across history recognises that kindness is something that all human beings need to experience and practise to be fully alive."
Over the past eight weeks we have seen all over the country wonderful acts of kindness and how it can bring communities together to strengthen, support and encourage.
There is support for people who are finding life a struggle and who need a helping hand. No one should suffer in silence. There are plenty of suggestions and ideas if you tap in Mental Health Awareness 2020 into a google search. I am sure you will have either yourself, or know of somebody who is or has, struggled at some point in their lives. Thankfully this topic is talked about a lot more these days and help available but we need to be mindful at all times.
One of the quotes is "Now is the time to re-imagine a kinder society", hopefully we all try to do that, pandemic or no pandemic!
Matthew 25:35-40 Taken from The Message
34-36 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation. And here’s why:
I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’
37-40 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’ Amen.
Di Welchman
Trinity Methodist Circuit & Clays Churches (Admin Support)
Grove Street Methodist Church
Free webinar for Chaplains and Christian leaders: 2 June at 1.30 p.m. Reflective Practice: a Pathway to the Heart
Photo by Guillaume LORAIN on Unsplash
Date: 2 June, 2020 at 1.30 p.m. – 3.45 p.m.
Venue: wherever you like – as long as you have a screen and are connected to the internet (we’ll be using Zoom)
Cost: Free!
Who is it for?: Chaplains in healthcare, prison or education settings, or any other setting; Christian leaders; anyone who is interested.
We’ve talked to a lot of chaplains and other leaders recently, and understand something of the range of new pressures that the Coronavirus pandemic has brought with it. These pressures and challenges have opened up new opportunities for many people, but there has been little time to stop and reflect.
We’re offering you the opportunity to take a bit of time out for yourself – time to ponder, time to think, and time to learn how to embed reflective practice in your ministry.
Mark Stobert, chair of UK Board of Healthcare Chaplaincy (UKBHC) and Lead Chaplain at Cambridge University Hospitals, will present the webinar.
More details and information are available HERE
Please register here to book.
You will receive the links to join the webinar if you book in advance.
A participants guide to Reflective Practice Sessions is available to download here:
Join us in praying with Prison Fellowship in the weeks ahead...
The Free Churches Group and our work in prison chaplaincy have worked with The Prison Fellowship (PF) for many years. Last year the Prison Fellowship celebrated 40 years of working with prisoners… their mission is : “to show Christ’s love to prisoners by coming alongside them and supporting them.”
Their work continues, as do the links the FCG and other organisations have with PF. You can join with friends and partners of The Prison Fellowship, by praying together through the month and May and beyond…
This month, they are continuing to pray for all the prisons across England and Wales. There are four listed each day. To find out more about their work and register for their monthly prayer diary, click HERE.
“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”
Psalm 27: 13-14
Prayers for Sunday 17th May
God, give us this day a vision of Your Church, which extends into every prison in this country. Thank you that we are one in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen
(photo courtesy of Sincerely Media at Unsplash)
Insights into the social impact of Covid19: understanding poverty and who is most at risk
We are all sharing the experience of the storm caused by COVID-19 and the lockdown, but it is increasingly clear we are not all in the same boat. Some are being buffeted but remain fundamentally secure, yet it is clear that some groups are at risk of being financially overwhelmed.
The Joint Public Issues Team and Church Action on Poverty have started an ongoing programme of research with churches and local charities: Gleanings: Listening and learning about poverty under lockdown. Through surveys and regular focus group conversations we are aiming to understand the impacts being seen seeing on the ground.
This briefing provides a short snapshot, putting churches’ experiences in the rapidly developing wider context, and offering a context for thinking about what happens next.
Updates as the programme develops will be available here.
Summary:
What churches have seen:
● The families who entered the crisis with very low incomes and receiving benefits have been protected from loss of income. They are, however, experiencing a rise in costs for essentials. This is a particular problem for families with children.
● An enormous rise in demand for foodbanks. Trussell Trust figures show an 81% increase overall and a 122% increase in children supported. This rise is patchy throughout the country with some areas reporting little or no effect, and others overwhelmed.
● In England the voucher system introduced to replace Free School Meals and support low income families with children is poorly designed and is failing many schools and families.
● Around 1.5 million families have applied for Universal Credit. The application process has been made much easier, sanctions and debt repayments have essentially ceased and the payment has been increased to £94 per week. Churches are however reporting that those with IT difficulties or needing assistance are facing waits of several weeks for assistance from the usual charities who provide help.
● Debt workers are reporting an increasing number of approaches around managing unsustainable debt.
● Huge income shocks are appearing for middle income families, some of whom are struggling to cope. There are reports of people needing assistance who would not ever have viewed themselves as benefit claimants or foodbank guests.
The groups we are most concerned about:
● families with no recourse to public funds. These are non-UK citizens who can no longer earn money due to the crisis but do not qualify for most benefits.
● low paid self-employed or gig workers who face an income shock with limited state support.
● families who need help with Universal Credit – most commonly due to IT or language difficulties.
● for all of these groups, families struggling with children face additional costs and risks.
Official data on the wellbeing of the UK paints a troubling picture of a generally more insecure and anxious population. Many have faced an income shock or worry that their family will be next.
Alongside this there is deepening concern about the unavoidable household debts building up , often in the form of unpaid rent or utility bills. As we think about how those who need it most may be given muchneeded security in the coming months and years, the biblical ideas of Jubilee – of freedom from the chains of debt - may offer some inspiration and challenge to churches, government and wider society.
Please read full publicaiton here.
Onward in service of our member churches and groups...
The Free Churches Group team continue to meet online, to pray together, to review our work in prisons and healthcare chaplaincy and education. We will continue to find ways we can serve our member churches in these challenging times.
The way we work might have changed, via Zoom, Skype, phone etc… but we meet to carry on with our work for and with you, our members…
Our team members have been busy, working from home and meeting up with colleagues and our wider partners (remotely); recent meetings have been on the following topics:
Preparing papers for the next meeting of our Free Church Directors
Department for Education: Schools with a Religious Character / Faith Schools
Act of Commemoration by Community and Mental Health Chaplains
writing and publishing our May newsletter. If you have not already done so, you can subscribe to our newsletter, which is published monthly by completing your details at the bottom of this website link.
and many more….
Please pray for our team, as we continue to pray for your churches and networks.
May our work together continue to be a blessing to those we seek to serve, in God’s name.
Team meeting photo May 12th 2020 below. Cover photo courtesy of Diego PH at Unsplash.
