Community Response for Refugees

The Church of England has put together a toolkit of resources to support churches in responding to the needs of refugees through practical ideas, prayer, financial assistance, advocacy and sponsorship routes. churchofengland.org/resources/community-action/toolkit-supporting-afghan-refugees. As a church and community there are already well established ways to support refugees, including sponsoring individuals and families with The Global Sanctuary Foundation, sanctuaryfoundation.org.uk, becoming part of the Welcome Churches movement, welcomechurches.org or with City of Sanctuary UK (cityofsanctuary.org) are already working in East Lindsey, North Lincolnshire and Lincoln. 

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The Growing Good Toolkit is a FREE six session course helping churches explore the connection between social action, discipleship and growth. Through six flexible, interactive small group sessions, explore how churches can be faithful and fruitful in our local communities. https://growing-good.org.uk/

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A new resource created by the national Fresh Expression network in association with HOPE Together and the Salvation Army to help equip you to add a spiritual dimension to what you're already doing.

It's called Sharing Jesus – and it's free.

Sharing Jesus is a resource designed to help people add a spiritual dimension alongside what you’re already doing. It has ideas for sharing Jesus in a new worshipping community, Fresh Expression of church, missional community or church plant as well as community groups. 

Sharing Jesus adopts an open-handed, walking together, learning from one another, asking questions approach. It’s not about telling people what to believe, but about saying to friends: “This is what I am finding helpful. What do you think? Might we explore this spiritual path together?” It includes seven topics, each with a video animation, a video story, and a short downloadable guide with additional ideas and explanation.

One of the most interesting, and encouraging, parts of the material is Discovering
- witnessing made easy because the Bible does the work!

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Being with

The Being With Course was written by Revd Dr Sam Wells & Revd Sally Hitchiner, from St Martin-in-the-Fields church, to find a way to help people who found themselves on the edges of church to explore the Christian faith afresh. The ‘Being With’ course is run over 10 weeks, covering Meaning, Essence, Jesus, Church, Bible, Mission, the Cross, Prayer, Suffering and Resurrection. Training is coming soon for hosts, and Leaders and Participants guides are now available. Find out more here.

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Growing Faith

Here as some resources aimed at online which you could pick up on in whatever Hybrid form of church you are moving forward with. Faith at Home builds on the work of Growing Faith and Everyday Faith to support the faith development and pastoral care of children and young people.  “The Growing Faith Adventure is a call for the renewal of hearts and minds so that it becomes second nature to include and value children, young people and households in every aspect of church life for the lifelong formation of faith in the whole of life.”

If you are a parent, a church leader, or work in a school there are resources for you.

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Have you ever had a conversation which changed your life?

One of those moments where you glimpsed a different way of seeing the world? Perhaps you connected with someone else or a group of people at a profound level, even if just briefly, and something new, even unexpected, came out of the connectedness between those people on that day in that place and at that time?

A new resource from CMS to enable “creative conversations is now available on the Church Mission Society Resource Hub – aimed at helping people create space for such encounters and to make the most of them when they happen.  FREE to download.

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Lent and Easter Resources 

Click here for the Padlet board of ideas 

These boards will continue to be updated. Please contact Micki Carey-Slater ([email protected]) with any ideas you have that you would like to share with us all.