Revd Bob Wilson, Secretary for the Prison Chaplaincy and Free Churches Faith Adviser

• It was great to serve as Chaplain to the Chaplains at this year’s Managing Chaplains’ training event in Nottinghamshire. It was a real privilege to encourage Chaplains to lead early morning worship (who knew people could sing so enthusiastically at 07:30!😊), and to hear from some incredibly well-informed speakers. As part of the event, I led a group of 15 chaplains, representing a range of faiths and Christian denominations, on a walk in the Peak District.

• There are currently over 220 chaplains working in the prisons of England and Wales who are from Free Churches Traditions. Some are full-time, some part-time, some paid and some volunteer chaplains. All are well qualified and recognised by their member denominations.

• If you are interested in exploring this rewarding, though sometimes challenging, ministry, please visit  https://www.freechurches.org.uk/become-a-prison-chaplain and the Vacancies Page of the FCG website.  

• The Baptist Chaplaincy Forum held its annual in-person meeting this month, chaired by the outgoing Chair, Sarah Crane.  The group meets regularly throughout the year to plan the annual Chaplains’ Day, discuss matters relevant to chaplains across sectors and to seek better ways to support chaplains within Baptists Together. This year’s meeting included representatives from the Baptist National Leadership Team, Baptists Together Communications, and  chaplains serving in the healthcare, prison, the armed forces and higher education,  among others. 

• Bob Wilson  visited  the two prisons in Portland (Portland and The Verne).  

• A huge thank you to the prisons that hosted the Regional Free Churches Chaplains’ days and especially the Managing Chaplains who made this possible: HMP Eastwood Park (Matthew farrow), HMP Styal (Jo Hirst), HMP Birmingham (Craig Smith), and HMP Durham (Muhammad Meah).