The Ecumenical Year
While the challenge of being Churches together is to share our common life, to do things ecumenically rather than to do ecumenical things as an added extra, nevertheless, the reality is that many Churches Together Groups do find that some of the activities below give them life. We've therefore gathered together resources to help you do some of these things as well as possible.
Click on the images below to explore each event further. (Churches Together in England is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
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The week of prayer for Christian Unity
(18-25 January)
The Churches in Britain and Ireland come together to produce common resources based on internationally agreed material. Use the search box on CTBI's website to find it.
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Holocaust Memorial Day
... is marked each year on 27 January – the anniversary of the date of the liberation of Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Material will also be available from CTBI -- access it by clicking the image above.
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For well over a hundred years Education Sunday (usually the ninth Sunday before Easter) has been a national day of prayer and celebration for everyone in the world of education. Each year, the theme is devised by an ecumenical steering group representing different Christian denominations and organisations.
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Women's World Day of Prayer
A global, ecumenical movement of informed prayer and prayerful action, organised and led by Christian women who call the faithful together on the first Friday in March each year.
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Lent Groups
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland produce material for Lent groups every two years. Find it by using the search box on their website.
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Good Friday Walk of Witness
Many Churches Together Groups organise a walk of witness on Good Friday. If you are doing this, ensure you have adequate insurance cover.
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Christian Aid Week
Very often, collecting for Christian Aid in a neighbourhood is done ecumenically.
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Children's summer holiday club
If you are organising one of these, you don't just need adequate insurance but you also need to put the correct child protection measures in place.
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Racial Justice Sunday
Observed since 1995 on the second Sunday of September, but many churches want material for any time of the year. So Churches Together in Britain and Ireland offers resources for a special Sunday and a year's worth of materials suitable for use in congregations, house groups, schools and other settings.
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One World Week
An opportunity in October (the week containing the 24th, United Nations Day) for people from diverse backgrounds to come together to learn about global justice, to spread that learning and to use it to take action for justice locally and globally.
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Remembrance Sunday
An Order of Service is published by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland and prepared with the Joint Liturgical Group of Great Britain and The Royal British Legion. A new version was produced in 2005. Download it here.
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Advent
Each year Action of Churches Together in Scotland publishes reflections for Advent. You can download them from its website.
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Carol singing in the precinct
A joyful way to end the year. Ensure it remains joyful by checking your insurance is in place! John Bradley has written new words to some well-known Christmas tunes; you can download them here.
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