The Jerusalem Trust exists first and foremost to spread the good news of the Gospel. It does this in all manner of creative ways throughout the UK and across the nations. Learning about and understanding the Christian faith is a crucial aspect of this work.
One of the most recognisable Christian brands that helps people do just that is Alpha. The Alpha Course was developed as an evangelism tool which explains the Christian faith in clear bitesize sessions and welcomes all questions - nothing is off-limits. The course has now been translated into 112 languages, used within 45 HM Prisons, repackaged for all sorts of cultural contexts and adapted for today’s digital-first audience through its Film Series and Youth Series.
Always run for free by the local church and usually over a meal, Alpha has, over three decades, taken its 28 million worldwide guests on a journey of faith and to explore a relationship with Jesus. In doing so, and with support from The Jerusalem Trust, it is one of the grantees that perhaps embodies the spirit of the Trust in its purest form.
Christian education in all its forms is important to the Trust, and so in the 2000s it began funding initiatives to support the development of a distinctively Christian approach to education and learning, recognising the value of teachers with faith.
For Christian teachers, relating their faith to the professional environment can be difficult – especially within a society that has seemed, at times, to be abandoning its spiritual foundations. A steering group of experts was set up by the Trust to develop the Transforming Lives project, worked through the Stapleford Centre – a website and hub that espoused the same values. They had twin aims to promote teaching as a Christian vocation and bring about a change in attitude and practice within churches and schools. A clear rationale for teaching as a Christian vocation was disseminated to all the Church of England Diocesan Boards of Education, and work began with helping school leadership groups develop their own understanding of Christian ethos.
Over six years, Transforming Lives supported and equipped Christian teachers to integrate their faith and profession as Christian education practitioners. While initially concerned with recruiting more Christians into teaching, the project then chose to concentrate on developing the quality of the teaching experience. The resources were tailored and made available for churches, school governance channels, teacher training pathways and continuing professional development within Higher Education.
Although the project closed as planned in 2012, the message had been delivered in enough contexts that the place of faith within education remains a valid topic – and teachers can be proud of their faith’s value to the profession.
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