News
THIS IS AN ARCHIVE OF RECENT EVENTS
Beautiful Minds Supporting Young People’s Mental Health
Free Breakfast Training Eve
nt – Please Join Us!
Bishop Mike Royal speaking at the
Churches Together in Hertfordshire Forum on 25th May 2022
If you missed our AGM and Forum you can watch the presentation from our speaker Bishop Mike Royal, General Secretary of Churches Together in England here.
Thanks to all who joined us for this event, it was great to see old friends and make some new ones too.
Thy Kingdom Come Launch Event 2022.
All Are Welcome!
Beautiful Minds:
Supporting Young People’s Mental Health in Hertfordshire
Churches Together in Hertfordshire are working with youth organisations Phase in Hitchin, Haven and STEP in St Albans and Lionel Wallace, former High Sherriff of Hertfordshire to help the churches support young people’s mental in Hertfordshire. So far there have been two online events and an in person training morning is scheduled for 8th October 2022. Please watch your inboxes for more information.
Aimed at resourcing ministers and youth leaders Beautiful Minds brings people together from across the churches.
United in Prayer for Ukraine: 3rd April 2022
#PrayforUkraine
Churches Together in England and Churches Together in Britain and Ireland are inviting churches across Britain and Ireland to join together in an act of witness to pray and light candles for Ukraine, for an end to the conflict and for all those affected by the terrible impact of war.
We have all watched the unfolding conflict in Ukraine and seen the heart-breaking stories of people fleeing violence, not knowing when they’ll see their loved ones again. Over two million people have fled Ukraine. Many more have been forced from their homes to seek shelter. Lives have been lost and families torn apart.
Homes have been destroyed and many roads are blocked. No one is safe. Churches in Ukraine, in neighbouring countries and here in Britain and Ireland alongside many others in the community have responded with generosity and hospitality to support and welcome refugees.
On 3rd April 2022, churches and Christians from across the UK and Ireland will come together in an
act of witness to pray and light candles for Ukraine, for an end to the conflict, and for all those
affected by the terrible impact of war. Please join us in prayer.
Churches Together in England Forum:
Statement in response to the situation in Ukraine
CTE Forum is the broadest gathering of churches and Christian organisations in England, gathering 52 national member churches, Christian organisations and intermediate ecumenical bodies. Meeting at The Hayes, Swanwick on 14 – 16 March 2022, the Ukrainian crisis was an urgent priority alongside its planned programme considering ‘Reconciling Hope — A Broken Church for a Broken World’.
The Presidents of CTE and the Fourth Presidency Group made this statement on behalf of the whole of Forum. You can read this statement here .
Christians Join Together In Prayer!
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2022
On the 25th January at 7.30pm to mark the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2022 Christians from around Hertfordshire joined together in prayer. Hosted by Doral Hayes of Churches Together in Hertfordshire the event brought together over a hundred people from across the county. Starting with short service led by Rt. Rev Michael Beasley, Bishop of Hertford, with music led by harpist Alison Eve, the service used the resources from CTBI. The prayers were led by Kieran Murphy, from ecumenical youth organisation Phase Hitchin and representatives from Local Churches Together Groups and Ecumenical Churches in Stevenage, Digswell, St. Albans and Hertford all contributed by reading.
The service was followed by a time of open prayer for Christian unity as well as other concerns for the country and world, this was facilitated by Stephen Copson of the Central Baptist Association.
It was wonderful to have so many people together in prayer and thank you to all who contributed to the event.
Christians from around the county come together to pray
Thy Kingdom Come 
The meeting will be hosted by Rev. Dr David Chapman, Chair of Churches Together in Hertfordshire and a short service of prayer will be led by Bishop Paul McAleenan of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Westminster and others.
Join us in praying together – all are welcome!
See the Thy Kingdom Come page for information about prayers and reflections from around Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire in response to the question “How Are You Praying”? f and please do “share” “like” or “tweet” our posts on social media.
Staying Connected – Ecumenical Priorities for 2021
Further to the cross county Zoom meetings that have taken place during 2020 a report is available which summarises our ecumenical priorities for the coming year.
These include:
- Praying Together
- Love Thy Neighbour
- Get Digital
- Inclusion
- Working together
The full report can be found here.
COVID 19 – Up to date guidance for the churches from Churches Together in England can be found here
Christians join across the world in prayer.
Thy Kingdom Come 2020.
Although our churches were closed Christians were still able to unite in prayer that others may know the love of God. Click here to find out more about what is happened across Hertfordshire this year.
Church Leaders Issue Joint Statement for Holy Week
At the start of Holy Week, as Christians follow in the footsteps of Jesus as the events that lead to Good Friday unfold, followed by the hope of Easter Day, leaders of churches throughout the British Isles have issued a statement and call to continued prayer as we face the Covid-19 pandemic.
Click here for more information and to read the statement in full.
Prayers of Hope – every Sunday at 7.00 pm
During the Coronavirus crisis thousands of Christians across Britain are praying together at 7.00 pm every Sunday evening. This began on Sunday 22 March after the Presidents of Churches Together in England issued a joint call to prayer. The response was amazing.
To keep the prayer going, Churches Together in England is offering a poster to encourage #PrayersOfHope
You can download the poster from the CTE website here. There’s one for you if you can print in colour, or a black & white version if you prefer, or one to colour in. If you’re from another country, there’s a version without words so that you can add your own.
If you use Twitter please use the hashtag #prayersofhope and share this poster with others.
St Paul tells us to pray continually. However, it can help to know that others are also praying at a specific time, so we encourage you to pray at 7.00 pm on Sunday evening. If you want to join in online prayer, there are just two options of which we are aware:
- Premier radio: Prayers of Hope service at 7.00 pm on Sundays
- Baptists Together are broadcasting at 7.00 pm on Sundays (and Wednesdays)
National Call to Prayer and Action around Coronavirus
The Presidents of Churches Together in England called for a National Day of Prayer and Action on Sunday 22nd March.
At 7pm people were encouraged to light a candle in the windows of your homes as a visible symbol of the light of life, Jesus Christ, our source and hope in prayer.
Thousands joined in with this Call to Prayer and a full press statement can be found here
You can also visit www.cte.org.uk/coronavirusguidance for links to guidance web pages from a number of churches, as well as prayer resources.
Churches Come Together to Pray, Share and Learn in Lent
Many churches across Hertfordshire are coming together during the season of Lent to reflect, learn and pray. For example churches in Watford are doing “Lent Together” and there are so many different events organised as we journey towards Good Friday and Easter Sunday that Churches Together in Watford have produced a booklet giving details of many the options available across the town. By working together this way not only will there be more opportunity for people to hear about the events and groups meeting at different times but all these events will be accessible to more people and involved are able to learn from each other and share their Lent journey together. Among the different Lent events that are advertised are book groups, bible studies as well art sessions and training events. For more information click here
Churches Together in St Albans have also produced publicity together so people can see all the different activities happening throughout Lent. Again this shows the variety and opportunity to engage with God in different ways across the town. More information about these events is available here.
Radio Verulam during Lent
Local station Radio Verulam has recorded a series of Lent reflections to be broadcast on morning, evening and weekend programmes during the season. The St Albans community station has produced a graphic (attached) that can be printed off for display on noticeboards etc, or (they suggest) posted on church social media accounts. They suggest that the following tags might be used:
#LiveLent2020 or @diostalbans or @radioverulam or @churchofengland
You can find the station at https://www.radioverulam.com/series/live-lent/
Lent resources are also available from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland for Lent 2020. Click here for more information.
What are your Churches doing together this Lent? Please do let us know.
Thy Kingdom Come – INSPIRE AND EQUIP EVENT
In order to help inspire and equip Christians across the region we are holding an Inspire and Equip Training Event on the 10th March 2020 at 7.30pm.
This event will be led by speakers from Thy Kingdom Come and will be held at The Coptic Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George, Broadhall Way, Stevenage, Herts. SG2 8NP. For more information click here
All are welcome so please put this date in your diary and extend this invitation across your churches and networks.
New 2020 Prayer Calendar Available Now
Join Christians across the county in prayer throughout the year as we share prayers from across the Churches and focus on the hope we share for greater Christian unity. Click here to download the Churches Together in Hertfordshire Prayer Calendar for 2020.
Churches Together in England 2020
Download the new leaflet from Churches Together in England here.
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2020
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is traditionally observed from the 18th to the 25th January.
This week is an opportunity for all, both individually and together across the Church to focus our prayer and worship on Christian Unity.
To find out what is happening in your area contact your local Churches Together Group.
For more information about the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity and resources that are available click here
General Election 2019
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland now have a dedicated website bringing together information from across the Churches relating to the forthcoming General Election on 12th December 2019. The dedicated General Election 2019 website can be found here.
On this site you can register your own or search for local hustings – meetings where you can quiz your local candidates. This is a great resource for individuals, churches and local Churches Together Groups too as CTBI are also compiling a list of resources from the churches and Christian organisations, to help you decide which way to vote, or to plan a hustings meeting of their own.
Several of the Hertfordshire Churches Together Groups have already been in touch to tell me about their Forum or Hustings and information about these events will be added to the Events page.
If you are planning an event in your area as we approach the general election please do let me know and happily share the details of your event too. Please do join Christians across the county and the country as we pray about this significant time in our national life.
Student Christian Movement are seeking a new Chief Executive Officer
As part of an exciting development, the Student Christian Movement wishes to appoint a CEO to lead the organisation. SCM are looking for a dynamic and motivated person who can provide strategic leadership, raise the profile, and oversee fundraising to support the growth of the movement. Together with the Operations Manager, the CEO will support and develop a talented staff team.
The ideal candidate will enjoy networking, acting as a confident ambassador of the organisation, and will be adept at promoting organisations with marketing flair. The CEO will be a successful manager of teams, creating high levels of motivation and ensuring financial targets are met.
SCM particularly welcome applications from disabled, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic and LGBTQ+ individuals who are currently underrepresented in the organisation.
Hours: 35 per week
Up to £40,000 depending on experience.
Flexible location
Contract: Permanent, on completion of a six month probationary period
SCM are a student led movement committed to creating community, deepening faith, seeking justice and celebrating diversity.
Please visit www.movement.org.uk/vacancies to download a detailed recruitment pack and application form.
Application deadline: 12 noon, Friday 27th September
A new resource from Churches Together in England – A Flexible Framework for Local Unity in Mission
Churches Together in England has just published A Flexible Framework for Local Unity in Mission.
The document is a reworking and renaming of A New Framework, issued some time ago which was universally well received as ‘exciting, significant and practical’.
It has liberated work for local unity in mission and continues to be key to mission-shaped unity, especially at local level.
The re-published and slimmer text, which now includes hyperlinks can be found at the CTE Website.
Thy Kingdom Come – An Ecumenical Beacon of Praise in St Albans
Around 1000 people from around Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, came together in St Albans to celebrate Thy Kingdom Come’s ten-day wave of prayer for people to know more of Jesus Christ. Some came with their churches and others independently, all joining in with hymns led by Soul Survivor’s band and with the various forms of prayer on offer in different parts of St Albans Cathedral during the service.
The service was hosted by Marina Fidel, of the Coptic Orthodox Church and Dean Pusey of the St Albans Diocese (featured below taking a selfie with the congregation). The event was co-ordinated by an ecumenical planning group with representatives from the Roman Catholic Church, Coptic Orthodox Church, Methodist Church, Central Baptist Association as well as the Church of England and Chaired by Doral Hayes of Churches Together in Hertfordshire.
There was prayer for all traditions, personalities and age groups; from drawing round your hand and naming five people or things to pray for, lighting a candle in the Shrine of St Alban, putting a cardboard apple on a prayer tree for answered prayers or praying with others, whether silently before the sacrament or in groups of two or three. The vastness of St Albans Cathedral accommodated them all. A number of local and regional Church leaders, as well as lay representatives from different denominations contributed to the evening’s theme: ‘How do people know I’m a Christian?’. There was a short reflection from Bishop Paul McAleenan, Auxiliary Roman Catholic Bishop of Westminster, on the suffering church. He addressed the question, how do we pray for those who suffer for making their faith known, or who live under the threat of persecution, and led prayer for those in such situations.
The main talk was from Revd Dr Paul Goodliff, General Secretary of Churches Together in England, offered some answers to the question, ‘How do people know I’m a Christian?’ He said, in a nutshell, how I talk, how I act and how I smell, the last being about creating ‘the aroma of Christ’ among those around us: having a good impact.
The event was a wonderful example of Christians together in prayer and praise, leaving people both energised and moved by the richness and diversity of Christian worship and the display of Christian Unity.
Churches Together in England Review of the Year
CTE’s review of 2018 is now available in either hard copy or to download. If you need a hard copy contact CTE directly of download a copy here
National Call To Prayer
The Presidents of Churches Together in England, together with our partners Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, are calling the churches to prayer as we approach the date when the United Kingdom is scheduled to leave the European Union. From Wednesday 28th March to Sunday 31st March the Presidents urge churches in our nation to find ways to pray, and to enable church buildings to be opened for any in their communities seeking a space for prayer. Churches Together in England supports every opportunity for local churches to pray together and urges Churches Together Groups and other expressions of Christian unity to take hold of this moment to pray together for our nations. This builds on other calls to prayer from member churches over recent months and reflects the increasing urgency of the moment as Brexit approaches. In particular, we suggest that as the Presidents of Churches Together in England and other church leaders meet to pray at 10.30 am on Saturday 30th March in central London, churches throughout the nations may wish to join in similar expressions of prayerful concern for the future of the peoples and nations in the British Isles and Ireland, and beyond, during that morning.
Rev’d Dr. Paul Goodliff General Secretary, Churches Together in England 26th February 2019
Click here for link to the news item
Letchworth Christian Bookshop – Volunteers Needed
Letchworth Christian Bookshop urgently need volunteers. Help is needed with the following:
- Specialist IT skills
- Maintaining social media for the shop
- Sales assistant workIf you have any or all of the above skills and are interested in partnering with Letchworth Christian Bookshop, or would just like more details please email christianbookshop@xln.co.uk Or leave a note in the shop addressed to the manager.
The Big Pancake Party
1 in 8 British adults say they are anxious about not being able to afford food. All across this country there are children going to school hungry and parents skipping meals so that their kids can eat an evening meal.
The work of Church Urban Funds Together Network we are working to change this but need your support. They are calling on churches, schools, families, and individuals throughout England: will you join the Big Pancake Party and stand up to food poverty?
Click Here to find out below how to join the party on Pancake Day, or Shrove Tuesday, which this year is the 5th March!
Read the letter from CTE Presidents and Church Leaders regarding the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity here.
National Call To Prayer
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) has today issued a request that all its member churches and associated bodies join together, at this the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, in a time of dedicated prayer for the national political situation in the United Kingdom. We believe that this is a time that requires particular prayers for discernment and wisdom, as well as a time for deep listening to God’s call to live together in peace and justice.
CTBI especially asks that churches, and everyone of faith, join together over the coming week, beginning this Sunday, in praying for our politicians and political institutions.
For more information visit their website here
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is traditionally observed from the 18th to the 25th January. Please contact your local Churches Together Group to find out what is happening in your area.
Do share with us what is happening in your area, either by contacting us at facilitator@ctherts.org.uk or on Twitter using the hashtag #wpcuwall or #wpcu2019.
Resources which include daily prayers and reflections and a service outline (which can of course be adapted to meet your needs) are available to buy or download free of charge from the Churches Together in Britain and Ireland website.
Resources for 2019 have been prepared by Christians from Indonesia, the largest country in South East Asia, made up of more than 17,000 islands, 1,340 different ethnic groups and over 740 local languages, united by one national language Bahasa Indonesia. With some 86% of its 260 million people estimated to be Muslim, it has the largest Islamic population of any country. About 10% of Indonesians are Christian. Indonesians have lived by the principle of gotong royong which is to live in ‘solidarity and by collaboration’, regarding all Indonesians as brothers and sisters.
But gotong royong sits ill at ease with the neo-liberal approach to economics that has led to economic growth, and corruption infecting politics and business, often with devastating effects on the environment. Meanwhile those who are supposed to promote justice and protect the weak fail to do so. As a consequence, a country rich in resources bears the burden of many people living in poverty. Particular ethnic and religious groups are often associated with wealth in ways that have fed tensions.
The Christians of Indonesia found that the words of Deuteronomy, ‘Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue…'(see Deut. 16:18-20) spoke powerfully to their situation.
CTE Job Opportunities
Churches Together in England (CTE) is seeking to appoint an able and experienced full-time Evangelism & Mission Co-ordinator, and a new half-time 1-year fixed term contract experienced Communications & Media Officer following the retirement in the summer of 2019 of the current post holder of a combined evangelism and media role. This allows us to further develop two of the strategic priorities of CTE — enabling the member churches to collaborate in evangelism and mission, and to strengthen our public voice.
Evangelism & Mission Co-ordinator
Full time/Flexible over 5/6 days per week incl. weekends/evenings, travel etc.
- Home based, accessible to London
The ideal candidate will be skilled at brokering and developing relationships within and beyond CTE, have wide ecumenical experience, take responsibility for evangelism and mission co-ordination and share in the responsibilities of the staff team.
An application pack can be downloaded at www.cte.org.uk/MissionCoordinator
Communications & Media Officer
Half time/Flexible over 5/6 days per week incl. weekends/evenings, travel etc.
- 1-year fixed term contract.
- Home based, accessible to London
The ideal candidate for this exciting new post will be able to maintain the CTE website and social media activity, have knowledge of the Christian denominational communications landscape, develop CTE publications and produce monthly mailings.
An application pack can be downloaded at www.cte.org.uk/MediaOfficer
To arrange an informal chat for either post, please contact the General Secretary, Revd Dr Paul Goodliff at paul.goodliff@cte.org.uk
Closing date: 12 noon on Friday 1st February 2019 Interview dates: 27th – 28th February 2019
There is a Genuine Occupational Requirement for applicants to be a practising Christian and an active member in good standing of a member church of CTE/CTBI.
Holidays Clubs Across Hertfordshire
Many churches work together across the summer months providing Holiday Clubs for children in their town or village. These clubs provide a great support to working parents over the summer months as well as help many Children, often from outside the churches, to hear about Jesus. Several of these clubs are being advertised on our Events page this year along side other ecumenical events.
If your Church or group of Churches is offering a holiday club please do contact us and we can help tell people about it.
World War One Remembrance – 100 Days of Prayer
Many hundreds of local groups of churches across England will be working together in the next few months, often in partnership with schools, Local Authorities, British Legion etc. to remember 100 years since the end of World War One and specifically to pray for peace
Both churches and individuals will be promoting prayer together for peace, hope and reconciliation, during the 100 days that will run up to November 11th from August 4th. This replicates a call for prayer from King George V that preceded the Armistice in 1918 and for which new devotional material has been produced for use each day.
HOPE, the ecumenical charity which co-published The Servant Queen and the King She Serves, is coordinating this season of prayers for peace. Church leaders, Christian ministries, charities and members of the Armed Forces from Britain and the Commonwealth have provided prayers and suggestions for peace-making activities. These 100 Days of Peace and Hope have been collated online at www.remembrance100.co.uk/100-days.
They are available free to be used by individuals, churches and schools in villages, towns and cities across the UK to reflect on the losses of war, and to work and pray for peace. In his introduction to 100 Days of Peace and Hope Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby writes, ‘From 4 August 2018, in churches across this country, let us mark 100 days with prayers for peace, hope and reconciliation.’
Many organisations and denominations are working together to provide Remembrance 100 resources for local churches and communities. These include the Armed Forces Christian Union, Bible Society, Christian Vision for Men, Church of England, Churches Together in England, Deo Gloria Trust, HOPE, Lifewords, the Methodist Church in Britain, the Peace Alliance, the United Reformed Church, Scripture Union, Sports Chaplaincy UK, and the World Prayer Centre
Click here to see the 4 August 1918 Order of Service for the National Day of Prayer. thanks to the Archive of the Methodist Church.
A number of key resources that are being made available through the dedicated website www.remembrance100.co.uk. These include the facsimile soldiers Gospels produced in 2014, alongside many new resources that includes the booklet Silence, a film from Bible Society of the text used in Memorial Services, Church of England Liturgies and prayers, school lesson plans, group discussion material, and more resources to be added.
Please do keep check on the Remembrance 100 website as you prepare for your own remembrance events this year.
Grants for mission
An opportunity for grants to aid work for the Kingdom has emerged from the wave of prayer called Thy Kingdom Come that swept across the nation in the days leading up to Pentecost when people prayed that others too should have the chance to know Jesus. Now, aided by a fund, Christians of all traditions can work for the fulfilment of that same prayer. 
Behind Thy Kingdom Come was an initiative of the Archbishops of York and Canterbury in 2016 which soon spread across the world. It caught the imaginations of many, and this year it has been even bigger. The 2017 conclusion in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire was a moving Pentecost Service in St Albans Cathedral. A collection was taken, and the proceeds were to be split between paying for the event itself and setting up a fund for local mission. This is the money now on offer. The collection raised £1400 for mission!The money is being given in seven grants of £200 each, with a preference for outreach with an ecumenical dimension. Any Christian group in Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire may apply. The form can be found here…
New Ecumenical Facilitator Appointed for CT Herts – Doral Hayes
Having grown up as an interchurch child I have been involved in ecumenism from an early age, I was raised within the Church of England and the local independent Free Church. After a journey through several different churches in my early adulthood, I found my spiritual home within the Church of England. My husband, Declan is a Catholic and our children, Amelia and Dylan, attend both Anglican and Catholic schools.
After completing my degree in Health and Community Studies I spent ten years working for medical and educational charities, followed by another ten years working in learning and development roles. In 2013 I became the Executive Development Officer of the Association of Interchurch Families, supporting and speaking for interchurch families as well as communicating their witness and service and the opportunities they bring to the Church and to Christian Unity. Throughout this role I have worked with both the national Churches and the national ecumenical instruments, CTE and CTBI. I am currently the Chair of Bodies in Association with CTE and CTBI, a group of ecumenical organisations working across the UK, and am part of the CTBI working group editing the resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. I will continue in this role alongside my position as Ecumenical Facilitator for CT Herts.
In my local area I am a lay preacher, retreat and housegroup leader and I also am currently completing my MA in Contemporary Christian Theology at Newman University. I am delighted to be taking on the role Ecumenical Facilitator for Churches Together in Hertfordshire and look forward to working together to further promote Christian Unity across the county.
Please do contact me at facilitator@ctherts.org.uk
CTE Publish Theos Report on Ecumenism in England
In September 2017 CTE published the Theos report into its work and into ecumenism across England. This report provides a snapshot of contemporary ecumenism in England. It tells the story of how ecumenism has changed and describes a movement that is now sitting at a critical juncture as it looks to the future. The report focuses primarily on Churches Together in England, the main ecumenical body operating in England. It identifies the strengths of the organisation and discusses the challenges it now faces. ‘The report concludes with some suggested possibilities for the future, making some tentative recommendations for Churches Together in England as an organisation. It is our hope that this report will serve to provoke fresh debate about the purpose, focus, and direction of ecumenism as it develops over the coming years.’
Click here to find out more and download the report
