This page will be updated with news about the impact of Coronavirus on our work. Please check for updates.
Unlock Bible Study Resources
Unlock enables urban churches of any denomination to respond to their local contexts. They are especially concerned with helping oral learners engage with Bible Stories and explore the Christian faith.
Transforming Lives for Good
The Box of Hope Story Following the success of previous years, Transforming Lives for Good (TLG) are relaunching their emergency care package project, Box of Hope, this winter. Read more or get involved via the TLG website. When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the UK, TLG was incredibly concerned about children and families going into isolation without …
Restore
Across the country, there are many who have just had to keep going…and it won’t be until they are finally able to pause, that the full extent of the damage done in their lives will become apparent. Four years on, I know that God has restored my soul in so many beautiful ways, but I still …
A Space of Welcome in Wythenshawe
2020 – What a year! I came back from my break to Lisbon and went into run our regular Place of Welcome on the first Monday in March. The conversation was about one thing – Coronavirus. It soon became apparent a closure was on its way. Well, that’s it then. I’ll get laid off I thought. …
NECN in Conversation with Pioneer Minister Jane Emson
Middlesbrough CENTRE OF MISSION About the Centre of Mission Middlesbrough Centre of Mission is based on the Brambles Farm and Thorntree estates in Middlesbrough, which are in the top 1% most deprived neighbourhoods in the country. – Thorntree is being one of the most deprived areas in the UK (IMD 2019). St Thomas Church (Brambles Farm estate) …
Worship at Home Resources for Holy Week and Easter
This time last year, we were trying to get our heads around not being in the church building for Holy Week and Easter. Actually, that’s not quite right: we were trying to get our heads around not being able to gather for Holy Week and Easter. In Hodge Hill in recent years, many of the ways …
NECN in Conversation with Pam Howell
Last week we were blessed with a moving and inspiring interview with Revd Pam Howell about how St. John the Divine is reaching out into the community of Willenhall in Coventry – before and during COVID-19. Highlights include video interviews with families on the estate and film clips of COVID-safe community days in the church …
Hope Community Witham
Once again churches and communities are having to dig deep into keeping hold of hope as we start the New Year with a third lockdown. Today we bring you some good news of an estate church in Witham, Essex, the Hope Community. Their mission is ‘Bringing Hope, Being Community’. You can find their page on Facebook …
News from CURBS
CURBS is a small Christian charity set up in 1996 in response to the need for resources and training for church-linked children’s workers in inner cities and on outer urban estates. Like many charities we have been hit financially by COVID and they’re currently £8000 short to keep going this year. Because of this they have …
Transforming Lives for Good relaunch Box of Hope for Winter
Since COVID-19 hit the country, TLG has equipped over 200 churches to reach out to some of the most vulnerable families across the UK as part of their Box of Hope project. Over 510,000 emergency parcels have been delivered to families since the start of the pandemic. As the 2nd lockdown meets winter TLG have relaunched …
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
We are writing to you with prayers and love at this time of crisis.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected all of us very deeply. We know only too well how it is touching us, our communities, our families and our Churches. This is an extremely difficult time, and we know that you are all working really hard trying to work out the best way to be Church when we can’t meet physically, trying to figure out how we can continue to serve our communities, putting in place some mechanisms of care.
At NECN, we are praying for you. We are thinking of ways in which we can offer one another helpful support. If you have time, could you share stories and examples of what is working in your Church and your community? It would be a wonderful resource to get things into each others hands. If you are able to do this, please email Christine at christinem@cofebirmingham.com or put something on the Facebook page.
We will post things on our website here please keep an eye on this page for news.
One really important thing at the moment is that we don’t feel guilty about the things we can’t do. We need to be looking after our own physical, mental and spiritual health so that we can be serving others. And it is increasingly apparent that this will be a marathon and not a sprint. If you can’t livestream your services, don’t worry – just publicise links to churches that are doing this, and work out other ways of keeping in touch with people. We are all making this up as we go along, we are all making mistakes, and this is all very provisional.
Let’s continue to be a community that supports one another. Let us know if you have any particular prayer requests or questions. Please remember that although we might be physically isolated, we are not alone. God is with us and we have each other.
We will be in touch again after Easter, when things have hopefully settled down a little, with some ideas of how NECN can continue to be a family and support Estate Churches through the internet, through our local groups, and through conferences and webinars.
With love and prayers,
Andy, Lynne, Sara and Christine.
