set all free 2007 church resource pack Leader's guide, 10 members' booklets
COMMENDATIONS FOR THE SET ALL FREE CHURCH RESOURCE PACK
1. James Jones, Bishop of Liverpool
'When I provided the resource packs at our meeting of Area Deans they fell on them! None was left. That’s a first! Colleagues saw immediately how valuable this resource would be for their own preaching, for study groups and for schools. It’s a brilliant pack!'
2. Joel Edwards, General Director, Evangelical Alliance UK
'set all free avoids the temptation to shout mindlessly at the historic and current atrocity of human slavery. Instead it provokes and educates, challenges and empowers us to respond to human slavery. And it does so by a call to justice within the context of worship.'
3. Elizabeth Caswell, Moderator of the United Reformed Church General Assembly 2006-2007
'set all free is a five-week Bible study which enables participants to study the Transatlantic Slave Trade and how it was effectively opposed. Bible passages are chosen with care to help groups see the connections between the spiritual and physical bondage, and also to explore how we interpret scripture. The easy to handle study booklets provide discussion and prayer material as well as useful historical information. No prior knowledge of the slave trade is needed in order for group members to participate, and there is a simple book of leader’s notes which contains further material.
This five-week study tackles the causes of racism and the existence of modern day slavery as well as focusing on the way history has been written up in such a way that it largely silences the voices of Black survivors of the slave trade who actively campaigned against it.
The series will be featured on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Worship and the Daily Service, and would make an excellent Lent series building towards Freedom Day on 25 March 2007. This will not be a comfortable study but it will encourage churches as they seek to acknowledge and overcome racism and combat contemporary injustice.'
4. The Rt Revd Barry Morgan, Archbishop of Wales and Bishop of Llandaff
'Sometimes in looking at our history we assume that the past has been dealt with. Many of us know a little of the horrors of slavery but look on it as a sad period of history, all the while failing to see that slavery is still a reality for too many people today.
In this course we are reminded that we are all children of God, and therefore bound to each other in a relationship which has its roots in God’s love for us. If we accept this then we have no choice but to do all we can to ensure that every one of our brothers and sisters is accorded the dignity and freedom which is his or her God-given right.
This study guide is successfully on many levels. First of all, it helps us understand the history of slavery and the shameful treatment of so many of its victims. But then it opens our eyes to see the reality of slavery for so many people today. Thirdly we are challenged, through the eyes of the gospel, to bring about change by confronting our own and other people’s ignorance and complacency and by working with them to bring freedom to those whose lives are devalued and broken.
I wholeheartedly commend this study guide to you. Please make use of it.'
5. Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster
'As Christians, our duty is to bear witness to the love of God for each and every person. Our concern for others must extend not only to our friends and neighbours, but also to those who are further away from us, both in distance and in history. It is for this reason that the plight of slaves must not be forgotten.
The suffering of those who were victims of the injustice of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, suffering which Christians regrettably played a part in inflicting, was a scourge on humanity. It is our responsibility now to ensure that neither their suffering, nor the ceaseless efforts of those who fought to free them from their shackles, is forgotten.
Through a series of reflections on biblical texts and testimonies from people who were wounded by slavery, set all free allows us to understand the Transatlantic Slave Trade from a truly Christian perspective, and to fully comprehend the affront to human dignity that slavery poses. The ideas for worship included in the resources demonstrate how Christian worship and action for social justice go hand in hand; our prayer life is a chance for us to take the reality of slavery into our hearts and pray for the healing of both slave and master.
I sincerely hope that these resources will be widely used, and will lead to Christian action against all forms of enslavement.'
A new resource is now available for churches to remember, reflect and respond to slavery past and present.
The set all free church resource pack has been written by Action of Churches Together in Scotland, CAFOD, CMS, Tearfund and USPG.
With the country gearing up to commemorate this historic Act of Parliament, this resource uncovers the forgotten history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, examines how it still affects us today and explores the role of the Church. It also looks at the alarming numbers of those still enslaved today and seeks to repair the damage caused by centuries of slavery. The pack contains:
- five-week Bible study including a leader's guide and 10 booklets for individuals
- prayer cards
- ideas for worship throughout the year
- ideas summary for 25 March 2007 Order of Service
- poster
John Richardson, Ecumenical Officer for Churches Together in South London, says, 'The leader’s notes are both challenging and practical. The course is a real gift to all who are wondering what to do next Lent, or any five weeks in 2007. Action of Churches Together in Scotland, CAFOD, CMS, Tearfund and USPG, who worked with set all free on this project, are to be congratulated on an excellent resource for an important year.'
The set all free church resource pack is available at £10 plus p&p from set all free, telephone or setallfree.net
For the pack and other resources go to the buy now page.
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