Interfaith mission & inclusion - with whom we work at First Peace Chaplaincy

Above: a snake at Hexham abbey, shows human creativity and animal and environmental imagery. In Christian imagery the snake can symbolise temptation, to pagans the touch of the snake against the earth links it to the earth goddess. Given the location, could this be the Lambton Worm?

1^st. Peace Chaplaincy; Interfaith Mission and Eco Spirituality Chaplaincy celebrated 40 years of service in 2022. The Ministry benefits co-operative communities, encouraging an increase in thoughtful, mindful and compassionate attitudes. In the diverse society in which we all live, understanding of citizenship and democracy is offered. We work with the spirit whatever the faith. We foster interfaith dialogue between people of different religious traditions and multifaith affinity. We focus the beliefs and philosophies of Pagan, Heathen, Druid, 1st. Nations (US), African Animist, Celtic and Saxon Christian and Spiritualist paths. The Chaplaincy offers expertise in spiritual ecology and wider well being programmes, alongside traditional ministry, worship and mysticism. We have found ourselves more in demand than ever, as people report feeling anxious about the social and political turmoil, fighting and war around the world and lack of action on climate change, nature loss, human and animal suffering.

Inclusion is key to our interfaith mission.

In order to deliver the Juno vision: “Educate to Rejuvenate: to aid & benefit our communities”, we have built coherent Communities of Interest Learning Groups including specialist researchers, communicators and people who wish to improve communities. Activities are organised by term. 

Our cultural learning interventions can have a positive social impact and increase attainment and self esteem in hard to reach learners. For example, we helped with a winter solstice woodland celebration at Little Adventurers Forest School. Activities included making evergreen woodland garlands. We have resource packs for pre-schoolers on the winter & summer solstices and the vernal and autumn equinoxes.

Below; making evergreen woodland garlands.

A PowerPoint has been produced, as a teaching tool, on belief-systems and equality. It touches on many aspects of religious practice, meditation, magic and ritual but most importantly prayerfulness. We see prayer as a global practical tradition, going beyond nationalities cultures and religions. We reach beyond the spoken words, that can be expressed in solitude or during group worship. Participants may experience connection to the the universal infinite, creative deities. Prayer can transform individuals, communities or groups of people. It is key to spiritual life and practice. Quiet, still, contemplative, thoughtful, earnest commitment can bring peace and renewed purpose. 

At First Peace Chaplaincy we observe with interest, the practice of others, so that we can co-operate and share best practice in our communities to create positive change.

One of our learning groups considered the writings of Rae Beth, exploring her idea that prayer is a profound experience that opens awareness to deity and opens our minds to linking and attuning to spirit and transcending the every day.

Above: Arbor Low stone circle is considered by some people to reflect a form of ancient spirituality. This wind blown site, abundant in nature with wide views of the landscape, encourages people to feel unity with the spirit of the earth.

We challenge bullying and racism. We have been working for some time with schools, pre-schools and others, to help people to understand about strangers touching black hair and the importance of teaching personal boundaries to children. Challenging bullying and racism is central to inclusion and diversity in education. Touching someone’s hair without permission is assault, an act of micro-aggression and should be challenged as such. Lots of resources can be found on the internet, eg: ttps://parentsfordiversity.com/touching-black-hair-as-micro-aggression.

For over sixteen years, we have worked with community groups in Nottinghamshire and spoken with the Police and Crime Commissioner on stop and search. More recently a report on police strip and search has stimulated discussion and parents are talking to children about racial profiling. One parent said to our CEO: “It scares me”. We have had reports of families moving home to reduce incidents. Research shows that strip search powers are being used disproportionately by the police on Black adults and children, with the figures for 2018 being of particular concern. To support families, we have publicized a strip search resource from the charitable CIC BLAM.

We continue to work on a range of key adoption initiatives; supporting charities and peer groups for families with adopted children within the domestic and international adoption communities. We have helped to develop training units on trans racial adoption. We have cooperated with a small group to lobby Central Government to expand the number of adopted children covered by the Virtual Schools and Virtual Heads, to make the service more diverse and inclusive. We have extended our resource on attachment parenting and PACE parenting (playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy) creating information tools that encourage positive family relationships. We are promoting awareness of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Our Vegan Kozy-Kitchen healthy eating project project is still in demand after 26 years. We have expanded our resources on sugar free diet and recipes; plant based dietary magnesium; B12, vegan life and orchard fruits. Our “Natures Plant Larder” project remains in popular demand. It covers basic skills and specific skills, such as identification, food preparation, cooking, reading recipes accurately, measuring ingredients, understanding healthy eating and wellbeing, memory and maintaining and celebrating cultural heritage. Families love our "Bring It Home" projects.

Great things happen in our trials garden, including growing  heritage vegetables from seed. These are delivered to preschool children’s educational gardens, mental health initiatives and other community organisations and supporters.

Our wellbeing work has been showcased widely. We were delighted that One East Midlands chose us as the subject for a Case Study and target for promotion. Bricks and Bread, the sustainable hub project based in London, has chosen us as “hub member of the day”  “in recognition of (our) hard work and support”, featuring us on the “bread line” website. 

Our Learning Communities of Interest Groups, bring together people from all ages, walks of life and abilities. They are emotionally, intellectually, and aesthetically engaged in learning, exploring issues, research, solving problems, creating products, and defining and creating meaning and carrying out beneficial actions. Participants and supporters contribute and participate as much or as little as suits them. They are drawn from local communities (rural or urban), global communities, communities of interest and academia, formal and informal communities, specialist and sectoral communities, social space and social media communities, learners, volunteers, activists for positive benefit and supporters. Collaboration, consultation and communication are vital tools to meet our learning objectives. Building leadership helps bring together people with diverse characteristics who share affiliation, social ties and common perspectives, to engage in joint action for the benefit of the community. We work with groups that our own organisation has brought together and built up, some over many years. We also work cooperatively with independent groups by request. We do not fund independent groups but we work with them providing expertise, learning, resources and events and facilitating opportunities.

We have helped with nature, history, creative and story-telling activities for preschool children, including: brewing up hot chocolate, hammering with wooden mallets, tying ropes, telling stories, practicing communication and teamwork skills and getting lots of fresh air. We have provided all weather clothing to preschool groups and outdoor equipment.

In our outdoor activities, we often make time to watching the clouds. Watching slow drifting or fast scudding clouds, can release anxieties, let them be taken by the clouds as we stay grounded here in a liberated reality. The clouds evolve, shapes and colours change as we watch, our worries can disperse, our feelings change, responsive to conditions. Nature is not stagnant; it is a living whole. Water in all its forms, clouds and ice are fluid; water has often been linked to changing human emotions. Water cleanses our body and quenches our thirst, it can calm our emotions. Come from a hot field to the bank of a woodland stream on a summer’s day and our emotions respond to the change. We try to be aware of the interconnectedness of ourselves with our living, changing natural world and seek in it (mentally or physically) what we find calming, joyful and beneficial.

We nurture respect for :

human communities
the natural environment
wild plants and open-pollinated heirloom plants
habitats and ecosystems
ecological communities 
all animals

All are too precious to be made into commodities; to be harmed or exploited; all should be free from suffering, neglect and cruelty.

Our work has added value because we roll out and share the benefits and advantage as far as possible, demonstrating best practice. We have created accessible community opportunities for people to improve skills, build awareness and gain independence for positive change. Anti bullying, challenging racism and building resilience continue as strong themes in our work. We have hugely expanded our learning resources on wide ranging topics from crotchet to pollinators.

Below: young people from an inner city community centre, where we enabled this music project.

We deliver community learning and skills development in order to enrich lives and help people into the labour market in exchange for fair pay, security and dignity.

We work with communities, discussing and exploring how their own resources and destinies can be secured; fostering the understanding that life resources, such as water, needed by plants, animals and humans, should be affordable, accessible to all, uncontaminated and sustainably managed.

We share learning in organic plant based food growing, seed saving and propagation, pollination, composting and soil management. We encourage the development and sharing of innovative low technology solutions by networking information. 

Our outdoor activities offer physical exercise and self awareness; they explore control and reflection and are of particular use for participants suffering from stress and low self esteem. We have held discussions with members of our community with Alzheimer’s or caring for those with the condition and local orchard owners, to open up orchards to benefit this group of people. Our environmental projects empower people in a stimulating natural environment and build community cohesion. We use “nature nurture” wellbeing tools to develop holistic learning skills. Natural music, natural art, natural weaving and plant dies can be explored. Nature observation and empathy offers transformational learning and insight into re use, creative application, craft skills and practical solutions planning and executive function skills.

Charlotte said: "I like that mindfulness is part of all the health and wellbeing activities. The ”flower breathing” exercise is very good: 

slowly and gently breath in through your nose, as though you smell the beautiful scent of a flower and breath out through your mouth as though you blow a leaf. 

I also like the “circle breathing” exercise when: 

using a poem, prayer or positive affirmation, we say alternate lines breathing in and out, in and out. 

I find it gives deep connection, awareness and relaxation. We are encouraged to use the "magic of like comparison" to give emphasis: 

we breath in visualizing a mountain, breath out saying I am steadfast; or breath in visualizing two caring hands reaching towards each other, breath out saying I feel the warmth of your hand; or breath in visualizing the stars, exhale exclaiming liberty! 

Isn't that fun." (June 2022)

Above: Wesaw Ancient Egyptian artefacts when we visited Weston park Museum, Sheffield.

We support access to cultural heritage that respects human, animal and environmental well-being, for the benefit of society.

We work with communities to stimulate cultural enjoyment and enterprise through participation in activities in heritage and history, the arts and crafts, such as the visual arts, ceramics, music, words and language, needle crafts, cooking, plant crafts and traditional wood skills.

We create opportunities and support for all, helping people meet their needs and fulfil their ethical aspirations, showing that enterprise is rooted in and responsible to communities and future generations. We have worked cooperatively and globally, especially with women headed households and children leaving care, to create positive community business models, favouring self management and worker ownership. Projects inspire future generations and create sustainability. 

We assist in the understanding of democracy and foster skills for participation in decisions that affect communities and impact on our lives and economy. We encourage accessible local democracy, encouraging collective responsibility, to help assure that the basic means of life, growth and development are available for all.

We help communities protect and conserve the life-sustaining systems of the planet; extending understanding and helping to bring about positive behavioural change. We understand that places have special meaning to communities and that places have irreplaceable habitats, ecosystems and beauty, that should not be desecrated by exploitation.

We cooperate with indigenous communities in specified international locations, respecting their right to seek inclusion in international agreements among nations, thus giving them a voice; indigenous people must be on an equal footing with other people and nations.

Below: Patrick Harry raising awareness of deforestation and promoting plant based food growing.

Safe spaces are important. Our Communities of Interest Learning Groups and chaplaincy activities provide a safe space for people ranging from those who are lonely and isolated or older, vulnerable, experiencing mental health challenges, those leaving service in the forces to families in receipt of Pupil Premium. 

We encourage self compassion during participation and mindful practice in breathing, movement, observation and communication. We believe that self compassion is a more positive motivator than self criticism because it replaces fear with love. When people are gentle with themselves, they are in a good position to reach out and empathize with others and with nature. We encourage fun times, quiet times and thoughtfulness. 

We continue to build strong networks for people to connect and share skills, needs, support, potential and opportunity. 

Nature is vital to us in so many ways. However, many folk find contact with nature deeply distressing at the moment due to looming climate change and biodiversity and habitat loss; eco-anxiety is an increasing issue. As part of our peace finding, we can acknowledge the benefits we receive from nature. We can tread gently with eco lifestyles. In these ways we can become more positive, realizing that by healing nature we can help to heal ourselves. 

Below: Wildflowers in Halam.

Sketching wildflowers and flora ID, encourages calm observation of detail and difference. Fauna ID encourages compassion and empathy for the natural world. Participants develop basic skills, use simple tool and develop pride in and understanding of their own achievements. People can develop spatial awareness, motor skills and understanding of the value of landscapes. Families are included and encouraged to ask the children to use all of the senses to make natural observations, experiment with natural materials and explore habitats. 

Earth stories and natural measuring, understanding horizons and perspective are popular activities. We received very positive feedback on our partnership on these work topics from Woodborough preschool committee.

Below: our youth project partnership activities in inner city Sneinton in Nottingham 1) Healthy cookery class. 2) Making music and drumming. 3) Drawing and animation.

We advance understanding and offer experience:

to develop, wellbeing, confidence, skills, knowledge and employ-ability

to promote respect and compassion and conserve the local environment

to promote volunteering, cooperation and contribution to a positive and ethical society 

to share knowledge, interest, friendship and enjoyment 

We aim to benefit:

unemployed people and young people not in education  

people with depression, dementia or learning disabilities 

those, from inner-city or rural locations that may lack services and transport, who feel isolated, including older people and carers. 

We challenge the bullying of those with physical ill health 

ex service personnel  

ethnic and minority members of the community. We challenge racism.

refugees and homeless people. 

families in receipt of pupil premium or free school meals, including adoptive families and fostered children. Women headed households and those leaving care. Elective Home Education Groups and forest experience schools