Light for the path as we move into the new year

May we have a blessed and peaceful new year, however we are able to serve in this coming year.

May Jesus, the Light of the World, light our path and lead us as we serve with courage and in faith in the years to come.

Amen

As we all look forward and think about how we can strengthen the work of our churches, you will find the recent report FCG has commissioned interesting and inspiring reading…

The report looks at the relationship between the Church and social cohesion in England. The project has been conducted by Theos, the UK’s leading think tank on religion and society issues. All of this extensive research and pioneering conversations have been captured in a new report and supplementary materials (for churches and for policy makers). And the good news is the report is out now! Now all the work of the last few years can take root and flourish in our churches; it can strengthen how we, as churches, work for the benefit of our communities, fostering and building social cohesion, to love our neighbour.

For me, our report not only marks how well the Church moves from theory to practice, but highlights the ways in which we can continue to move forward, connecting communities and serving people even more effectively
— Rev Dr Hugh Osgood, Free Churches Moderator

Our Moderator extends an invite to us all, saying, “We want to work together on connecting and serving, using the ‘How to’ booklets we have produced to encourage community leaders to engage with the Church while encouraging our individual congregations to engage with society.


Connecting communities and serving people, led by the Light of the World

The Church and Social Cohesion: Connecting Communities and Serving People is the culmination of a major research project commissioned by the Free Churches Group and prepared by Theos think tank.

The research project has consulted with over 360 people in England to assess the churches’ social cohesion contribution on the ground. This vital and ground breaking work has been waiting to come to fruition over the last few years as Rev Dr Hugh Osgood, Moderator of the Free Churches Group, writes, “Some seven years ago I was asked to write a chapter for a book inspired by the then recently formed All Party Parliamentary Group (APGG) on Faith and Society. The chapter was called A Biblical Theology for Engaging with Society.“ This, and the wider social cohesion agenda, laid the foundations for discussions to begin about a longer piece of work, which would include conversations with hundreds of people across England about how churches connect, engage with and serve communities.

As we know from the news, social cohesion has been near the top of the political agenda for nearly twenty years now. Much of the discussion on social cohesion has been about the role of ‘religion’ and ‘religious’ groups in local communities. With this in mind, the Free Churches Group commissioned an eighteen-month research project looking at the relationship between the Church and social cohesion in England. The project has been conducted by Theos, the UK’s leading think tank on religion and society issues. All of this extensive research and pioneering conversations have been captured in a new report and supplementary materials (for churches and for policy makers). And the good news is the report is out now! Now all the work of the last few years can take root and flourish in our churches; it can strengthen how we, as churches, work for the benefit of our communities, fostering and building social cohesion, to love our neighbour.

For me, our report not only marks how well the Church moves from theory to practice, but highlights the ways in which we can continue to move forward, connecting communities and serving people even more effectively
— Rev Dr Hugh Osgood, Free Churches Moderator

Our Moderator extends an invite to us all, saying, “We want to work together on connecting and serving, using the ‘How to’ booklets we have produced to encourage community leaders to engage with the Church while encouraging our individual congregations to engage with society.

You can access the report online at:

You can contact us at Free Churches House for printed copies. You could also ask us about articles for your denominational magazines and round-table events for your ministers and teams. We look forward to helping your church network complement and extend the vital work being done in your communities in 2021 and beyond.

During this time of Advent, we are all too aware that as we approach and plan for Christmas, it will be very different for us this year. One thing that will never change is that we will celebrate and mark the Light of the World coming, Jesus Christ. And it is the role of the church to serve God and love our neighbour as ourselves… for it is what Jesus showed us when he walked among us and what Jesus taught us in his life and ministry.

May we have a blessed and peaceful Christmas, however we are able to serve this year, and may the Light of the World light our path and lead us as we serve with courage and in faith in the years to come.

Endorsement (Hugh Osgood).png

(Cover photo courtesy of Benjamin Muntz)

(Blog by Rev Sara Iles, FCG Media Support Officer & Minister with the Congregational Federation )

Healthcare chaplains - tea and chat

Tea & Chat for healthcare chaplains: a chance to get together and chew over the week before you go home.

Dates coming up soon!

Friday 18th December
Wednesday 23rd December
Wednesday 30th December
Friday 8th January
Friday 15th January


Links for joining these online events are:

Friday: Zoom Meeting ID:870 5327 8978 Password: 669993

Wednesday: Zoom Meeting ID: 892 5230 8978 Password: 956743

Meg Burton, Secretary for Healthcare Chaplaincy (pictured below), will host these events. Rev Mark Newitt will join FCG as the new Healthcare Secretary from mid January and Meg will post the dates for later in January at the beginning of the new year.

Meg provides the leadership on Healthcare Chaplaincy work at a national level for the Free Churches as well as in a multi-faith context.

(cover photo courtesy of Hello Light Bulb at Unsplash)

Rev Meg Burton

Rev Meg Burton

Coffee and chat at 4pm today for university chaplains

Coffee and chat for HE chaplains is a weekly opportunity to come together (virtually) with other chaplains. There is no fixed agenda, so you can bring questions, ideas, things that are bothering you, celebrations …

Each session lasts an hour and concludes with time for reflection and prayer, in a very relaxed and gentle way, often with visuals and music.

Coffee and chat takes place alternately on Monday mornings at 10 a.m. and Thursday afternoons at 4 p.m. We use Zoom as the platform and the codes are available on this page.

Coffee and Chat 4 p.m. today

Zoom code

Look out on our website for dates coming up in the new year.

Every blessing for a peaceful Christmas.

(photo courtesy of Tyler Nix at Unsplash)