Churches Together in Cambridgeshire
Prayers for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity - 18th-25th January 2025
Each day of the week we will be posting a prayer for Christian unity. They will be selected by the members of the the Standing Committee of Churches Together in Cambridgeshire, representing seven denominations between them.
DAY 3: MONDAY 20th
Today's prayer for the Week of Christian Unity is from Colin Watkins, our Methodist Denominational Ecumenical Officer:
Holy and loving Lord,
Jesus your Son prayed that we may all be one as You and He are one.
Forgive us our disunity, our petty squabbles, and the differences we have invented.
Help us to see beyond all that separates us to that which we hold in common.
May we rejoice in our shared faith in you, the love of Jesus for each one of us, and the power of the Holy Spirit, the go between God, who binds us together.
Give us the strength and courage to work for unity and understanding between all who confess you as Lord,
and may we join together in the work of your Kingdom, to your glory.
Amen
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
18th-25th January 2025
18th-25th January 2025
Some local events taking place that we have been asked to publicise:
Recent News & Forthcoming Events
Shared Bible Studies with our partners in Vellore
From January to March 2025 we are sharing in a series of Bible Studies based on material written in Vellore. The material explores the subject of Gender Justice.
The studies are taking place on Zoom. If you would like to take part please email countyofficer@ctcambs.org.uk
Modern Slavery and Church Responses
Saturday 22nd February 2025 - 10:00am-1:00pm
Westminster College, Cambridge, CB3 0AA
Westminster College, Cambridge, CB3 0AA
The in-person and online conference will equip churches and ordinands to know about modern slavery and human trafficking in their contexts; to identify people at risk, and to safeguard. With contributions from The Together Free Foundation and Churches Together in Cambridgeshire.
BOOK YOUR FREE TICKET:
Online ticket:
https://modernslaveryonline.eventbrite.co.uk
In-person ticket:
https://modernslaveryinperson.eventbrite.co.uk
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025
Do you believe this?
For 2025, materials were prepared by the ecumenical community at Bose in Northern Italy.
As we celebrate 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea, the worship service has at its heart, the Nicene Creed. Reflecting this, the scripture readings for this year focus on belief.
We are invited to reflect on the story of Martha’s confession of faith in Jesus as narrated in John 11:17-27. Each is called to sit with Jesus’ provocative question to Martha: “Do you believe this?”
For more details and downloadable resources see: www.ctbi.org.uk/weekofprayer
Daily prayers for Christian unity will be published on this website and on Facebook. The prayers will be selected by the members of the the Standing Committee of Churches Together in Cambridgeshire, representing seven denominations between them.
Northstowe Church Partnership Celebration
On Sunday 20th October a joyful occasion marked the commissioning by the three partnership denominations (Baptists, Church of England and United Reformed Church) of Beth Cope as minister of the Local Ecumenical Partnership church. The Methodist and Quaker support was also celebrated.
The afternoon featured all-age learning options and a bonfire lit from the Easter candle - and of course cake!
Ecumenical Conference
In September three representatives from Churches Together in Cambridgeshire took part in the Churches Together in England conference held in September at the Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire. It was a valuable opportunity to form relationships with others working to support Christians working together . It was especially enriching to listen to Rev Dr Susan Durber, the World Council of Churches president for Europe.
Celebration of Chaplaincy
Gale Richards, Chair of Churches Together in Cambridgeshire, spoke at the Celebration of Chaplaincy service in Ely Cathedral on Saturday 6th July.
Gale is a patron of Cambridge Workplace Chaplaincy as CTC is very supportive of their ministry. There are close links between our two organisations. The service was open to everyone from all denominations as it was very much an ecumenical event.
Click here to watch the service on YouTube. Gale's sermon starts at 0:44:24.
Ecumenical Churches Lunch
We shared our first gathering of LEP church leaders over Pizza on 15th May 2024 at Lighthouse Church, Ely (thanks to them for their hospitality).
It is an important part of our work to support churches where Christians of various denominations are worshipping and serving together. Meeting together in this way led to lots of useful conversations and learning from each other.
Promoting Church Unity
Churches Together in Cambridgeshire promotes the visible unity of God’s Church within the Cambridgeshire.
Local Churches
Supporting Local Ecumenical Partnerships (LEPs) and Emerging Partnerships
We support local churches with ecumenical partnerships. Some of these are formal agreements, called Local Ecumenical Partnerships (LEPs).
Others utilise a newer framework called 'A Flexible Framework for Local Unity.'
We are especially excited to support emerging partnerships in new housing areas, like Northstowe Church Network.
Learn about all of these partnerships --- and how you can start your own! --- at the link below.
Churches Together
Celebrating Local Unity Movements
Churches Together in Cambridgeshire is a bridge. We form a link between the national ecumenical movement and local ecumenical movements. The national link brings expertise. The local links keep national ecumenism real.
A number of local Churches Together groups meet in the area that we cover. We celebrate, support, and encourage these groups as part of their ecumenical journey.
Global Partnership
Mission and Unity are two sides of the same coin.
Churches Together in Cambridgeshire celebrates 30+ years of mutual learning and friendship with the Vellore Diocese in the Church of South India.
