Church Support Hub Newsletter: February 2026

17th March 2026

2 Corinthians 4:16

“So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.”

Hi Guest,

Welcome to the unveiling of our refreshed newsletter, previously called the Church Support Newsletter, now called the Church Support Hub Newsletter. We have updated the look and feel, which we hope you like – it still highlights the most relevant resources, including events, webinars, videos and inspiring stories designed to help you, but is now sent direct from our Hub. With Spring around the corner and the first edition of our fresh new look newsletter, we are embracing a period of Renewal in our team.

Just as the earth awakens and new life begins to flourish around us, we’re reminded of God’s continual work of renewal within His Church and within each of us.

This edition includes:

Resources for Draw Near: Life Giving Habits for Lent
National Rural Mission conference 2026
Messy Church: Starting new worshipping communities in areas of need
Step Forward 2026
RECOGNISE 2026

Webinars include:

Thy Kingdom Come online resources launch, 24 Feb ’26
Into all the parish: Pioneering Parishes, 26 Feb ’26
Engaging families and young people through Messy Church, 4 Mar ’26

We hope these resources encourage and equip you as you nurture the life and ministry of your church in this season of fresh beginnings.

Our new-look newsletter is still very much a work in progress, so if you spot any glitches, then please let us know. We would also love to hear your suggestions for upcoming editions.

Sherri

Church Support Hub team

The Church of England’s Lent theme for 2026 is ‘Draw Near: Life-Giving Habits for Lent’. This year’s reflections explore different aspects of Christian discipleship – worshipping together, praying, exploring the Bible, sharing communion, offering service and sharing the good news with others. A full range of printed and digital resources is now available to support your church in following the theme.

Our Lent reflections will also be available by email and on the Everyday Faith app, from Ash Wednesday.

Find out more

National Rural Mission Conference 2026

19-20 October 2026, Yarnfield Park, Stone

Join this 24‑hour national gathering to connect with rural mission practitioners, share wisdom, and explore resources for local mission. Be inspired by insights into regional mission strategy and discover what God is doing in small communities. Topics include multigenerational ministry, the beauty of small churches, young families, and new mission initiatives.

Find out more

Messy Church: Starting new worshipping communities in areas of need

In this video, meet the team at St. Mark’s Messy Church Downham, south-east London, an estate parish in one of the 10% poorest parishes in England. Hear their joys and challenges of estate ministry and how they have empowered their community to shape their Messy Church.

Watch the video

Step Forward 2026

This annual event for young people between 18 and 30 to learn more about ministry in the Church will take place again this year at Bishopthorpe, York on 7 March 2026.

You can find out more about Step Forward by watching this video.

RECOGNISE 2026

Save the date: RECOGNISE 2026

Taking place from 6–12 July 2026, RECOGNISE is a national week celebrating everyone involved in ministry with children, young people, and their families (CYPF). There will be opportunities for churches nationwide to thank, celebrate, and recognise those who serve in CYPF ministry.

Find out more

RECOGNISE is organised by the 30k Project.

2026 webinars

If you can’t attend live, please do register – you will receive the recording in the week after the webinar to watch at your convenience. All webinars have BSL interpretation.

Special webinar: Digital giving at Lent and Easter

Tuesday 17 February 2026, 12pm

How can you make the most of Digital Giving this Lent and Easter? This webinar from Digital Labs will dive into Digital Giving and how it can help your church, whether it’s online donations or contactless and in-person. We’ll look at templates for promoting donation QR codes, and how to edit those on Canva. We’ll also show you how you can maximise opportunities for giving over the Lent and Easter period.

Thy Kingdom Come 2026 online resources launch

Tuesday 24 February 2026, 10am

Join the Thy Kingdom Come team for the for the official 2026 resources online launch event! All the resources for this year will be based on the theme, the presence of God through His Spirit – ‘God with Us’.

Into all the parish: Pioneering Parishes

Thursday 26 February 2026, 12-1pm

Pioneering Parishes are offering a special introductory webinar to find out more about how they could give your church tools, practices and postures to help you go into all the parish.

Engaging families and young people through Messy church

Wednesday 4 March 2026, 12-1pm

In this webinar, you will hear about the Messy Church core values and how the model can be adapted to a variety of contexts, locations and church traditions. We’ll be hearing from clergy and Messy Church leaders who will share their experiences of Messy Church in areas of deprivation, a rural context and in a school setting.

How to be more effective with what you have got

Thursday 12 March 2026, 12-1pm

Discover how a simple shift can transform your children’s and youth ministry without needing extra time, money, or volunteers. This webinar shows how starting with what you already have—and equipping parents with an easy weekly toolkit—creates greater impact by empowering the people who know and influence children most.