Resources have been released from The National Stewardship team and from the Arthur Rank Centre for Harvest:
Harvest 2020: Thank you to our farmers!
(arthurrankcentre.org.uk/harvest-2020)
While the Arthur Rank Centre has long been known as a source of ideas and resources for rural churches, it’s been quite some time since we produced a substantial new harvest resource. But this month, we’re launching our Harvest 2020: Thank you to our farmers! campaign, inspired in large part by the recognition of people across the UK have gained of the role ‘key workers’ have played in keeping us all going through the COVID-19 epidemic.
Farmers are one such group of key workers, and over the last few months many people have become aware – some for the first time – of the vital role UK farms play in feeding our nation, while the food shortages we experienced in the early days of the COVID-19 lockdown reminded us how fragile the supply chain can be.
As churches and communities across the UK prepare to celebrate harvest, let’s embrace this opportunity to thank both the farmers across the UK who grow our food for us, and the Creator God that sustains and nurtures each of us. Visit our website for information, resources and ideas for celebrating harvest as a gathered church or in homes.
We’ve worked hard to make this a resource that could be used by all church communities, whether rural, urban, suburban or somewhere in between!
The Harvest Generosity Week
A group of new resources to help your church explore God’s generosity and how it enriches our daily lives.
Harvest is a time to gather what we have, a time to thank God for all he has given us, a time to think and reflect on what God is calling us to create.  These resources and materials from the National Giving Team can be used over the course of a week during the Harvest season and throughout the autumn to encourage people to live generously. We hope your church will join in and share this time to grow our understanding of God’s generosity and how it enriches our daily lives.
The Harvest Generosity Week includes a week of resources running from Sunday to Sunday:
- 8 daily audio reflection podcasts from a range of voices across the Church of England for your congregation to listen to (available from Parish Resources on 24 September)
- Service Content Packs with a range of material for service leaders to include in two Sunday services, one focussing on grace and one on gratitude (available from Parish Resources on 21 September)
- Liturgy for a week’s morning prayer services for services in person or online (available from Parish Resources on 21 September)
- A small group study session with a guide for leaders, including a biblical reflection and discussion questions based on the material from one of the Sunday services (available from Parish Resources on 21 September)
If you’d like to take part, please share the podcast link with your church and download the resources as they become available for free here: https://www.parishresources.org.uk/generosity-week-harvest/