Diocese of Chichester

The Church of England has today launched a new programme to make prayer a household habit once again.

Faith at Home is a national campaign that builds on the work of Growing Faith and Everyday Faith to support the faith development and pastoral care of children and young people.

The programme broadly supports three areas: school, parent and church.

It aims to share experiences that inspire parents and families to grow in faith together in the ‘new daily normal’ of the home. Provide resources that equip children and young people to explore faith together and feel supported pastorally as part of school and church communities, and signpost networks that connect school leaders, church leaders, chaplains to share great practice and build community together focused on the faith development of children and young people.

Trevor Cristin, Director of Education for the Diocese of Chichester said: “ We are really excited by the launch of Faith at Home. A partnership between family, church and school gives a strong foundation for our children and families to grow in faith together.

“As part of the wider church family, we look forward to exploring these opportunities together.”

Video content will be featured each week to help families to talk about faith and pray together.The videos will be led by children, young people, staff and school leaders from across the country.

Over the next three months, #FaithAtHome will explore themes including courage, patience, generosity, resilience, love and hope.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, said:

“These aim of these resources is to offer simple ways for families and households to approach complex and difficult topics, such as illness, fear and bereavement.

“The coronavirus pandemic has forced people of all ages to confront difficult and painful questions that none of us can explore on our own; we need one another to help navigate them.

“My hope and prayer is that #FaithAtHome will not only equip children and young people to engage with difficult questions, but also inspire them to explore how they can become the answers to their own prayers, and, when this crisis is over, they are freshly inspired to love and serve those around them.”

The Church of England’s Chief Education Officer, Nigel Genders said:

"Home is the new normal, and faith at home is a habit we need to rediscover."

“It will offer people of all ages and faith backgrounds a chance to pause, think and reflect, and to rebuild lost habits of prayer and faithful reflection in the home.”

The #FaithAtHome programme will run for an initial 11 weeks and can be accessed on our website.

You can watch the launch video here and find out more about all the exciting things in store for your church, your school, your community.