youth-children-update

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May 2026

Welcome to the latest Youth & Children Update!

News and Highlights

Confirmations at St Matthew's Rosslyn Chapel

On Sunday 3 May, Bishop Mark confirmed five candidates, including two young people, at St Matthew's Rosslyn Chapel.

Congratulations to Graham, Philip, Gloria, Jayden and William!

Open Events this Weekend

The Friends of St Mary’s Cathedral are holding an Open Day on 9 May for anyone interested in knowing more about St Mary's Cathedral. It includes tours of the belltower! You are welcome to look around the Cathedral throughout the day. Free hot drinks and displays are available 10am–1pm. More details about the open day here.

The Cathedral open day will include an Active Travel, Active Hope event, including the start of a 24 hour relay to symbolise the individual and collective energy we need to address the climate and ecological crisis, political polarisation and war; and to transform the land within our care into a place of healing and renewed hope.

St Cuthbert's, Hawick: Open Church

Or if you're based towards Hawick, why not drop in to St Cuthbert's 'Open Church' from 10.30am to 12.30pm on the same day? There will be tea, coffee, cake and cheese scones, and the opportunity to explore the theme of 'Jesus the Good Shepherd' through crafts and scripture. Visit their Facebook page for more.

Opportunity: Children and Families' Worker

St Peter's, Musselburgh is seeking to appoint a committed and experienced person to become its Children and Families' Worker. The Children and Families Worker will continue and develop an existing ministry to children and families both within the church and in the community of St Peter's. More information

National Children's Day UK, 10 May 2026

Sunday 10 May is National Children's Day UK (NCDUK). Recent findings from the Good Childhood Report show that in the UK children's average happiness with life has declined across several areas, including family life, school experience and personal confidence, and that we have the unhappiest adolescents in Europe. In 2026, therefore, NCDUK will spotlight:

• Children’s rights and voice – ensuring children are heard, not just spoken about

• Whole-child wellbeing – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health

• Play, creativity, wonder and awe – essential foundations, not “nice extras”

• Nature connection – every child’s right to a relationship with the natural world

• Digital life & media literacy – supporting healthy, age-appropriate engagement

• Equity and inclusion – tackling poverty, disadvantage and systemic barriers

• Future generations – because short-term thinking is not working.

Find out more on the NCDUK website.

Christian Aid Week, 10–16 May

Christian Aid Week is upon us! Sign up and receive a free fundraising pack, a personalised online fundraising page and access to helpful emails with tips and resources. This year there's a Christian Aid Week Hub which brings all the resources together. Find out more here.

Mental Health Awareness Week, 11–17 May

The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2026 is 'Take Action' – for yourself, for someone else, and for all of us. The Mental Health Foundation has produced a range of tips for action to help people do this.

One of the ways people can take action to raise awareness about mental health is to wear green on 14 May! Find out more about Wear it Green Day.

Events and activities

Exam Chillout

Saturday 9 May

Take an afternoon to chill at St Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, Edinburgh in the midst of the exam season, with friends from across the Province, food, and a Taizé-style Eucharist.

You can still sign up here until lunchtime on Saturday!!

Children's Come and Sing, Friday 19 June

Calling all children in P3–7 who love to sing! Join us for an afternoon of singing songs on the theme ‘Earth, Sea and Sky’. Doors will be open from 1:30pm, with the singing starting at 2pm. There will be a break for juice and a biscuit, and children will be fully supervised by Cathedral staff during the workshop. The afternoon will end with an informal performance of songs learnt at 4pm. Parents and families are warmly invited to join us for this. Book using this link.

Yeek 2026, "On the Way", Glenalmond College

26 July–1 August 2026

Are you ready to set off On the Way? If you are in S1-S6 then there can be no better starting point than at YEEK 26, the provincial youth week of the Scottish Episcopal Church. Over the week, join other young people from across Scotland at Glenalmond College in rural Perthshire for a slight detour on your journey of faith: full of fun, great people, and plenty that can happen on the way. All details at yeek.scot.

Magnitude Festival, 18–22 July

Magnitude is a five-day annual Christian festival for young people aged 11–18. Based in Lendrick Muir, near Kinross, it is a space to encounter God, enjoy community and experience nature together. Bookings close on 4 July or earlier if capacity is reached. Find out more.

Morland Choristers' Camp, 26 July–2 August 2026

This annual residential summer course for young singers aged 9–17 offers a unique opportunity to experience the excitement of singing in a 100-strong four-part choir and to enjoy a week of outdoor activities in the Eden Valley. Anyone can apply: all that is needed is a love of singing and lots of energy.

The cost is £475 (discounts and bursaries available).

More Information and Registration Here!

Other events in 2026

▶ Diocesan Pizza-Bowl: end of August.

▶ There are plans for a Province-wide sleepover in Brechin in September.

▶ There will be a pilgrimage to Iona in October, organised by the Province.

We are also keen to support youth events across the Diocese. So, do you want to host something and are not sure quite how to do it or if you have enough numbers? Please do get in touch, and we can help make it happen!

Journeying Towards Pentecost

The ideas and resources on our Lent to Pentecost web page will take you all the way to Pentecost Sunday. See the resources page here.

Thy Kingdom Come runs from Ascension to Pentecost (14–24 May) and resources for 2026, with the theme God with us, are now available via the TKC website. They include this year's Novena, written by Archbishop Sarah Mullally; five great ideas for how your church can take part in Thy Kingdom Come; and ten daily prayer ideas.

For young people there's a new Digital Detox Journal for 2026, with the title 'Draw Near'. It's free to download and contains a passage of scripture for every day of the 11 from Ascension to Pentecost and ideas for prayer activities, as well as the same VIP3 idea as last year. VIP3 is a Very Important Prayer for a Very Important Person for a Very Important Purpose, and encourages the owner of the journal to identify and pray for three people during the span of Thy Kingdom Come.

Download the journal here.

Young Adults 18+

WhatsApp group for young adults

The Pisky 18+ WhatsApp Community is a PYC initiative to help Yeek graduates and other 18–25s keep in touch with each other and with key Youth leaders. There are announcements of opportunities such as pilgrimages, and the chance to join different groups in the Community (e.g. your Diocese, Yeek 24 leavers). To join, fill in this short form.

Rooted and Roaming

This is an SEC-wide, self-run young adult group. It seeks to 'explore the SEC one church at a time', buildings fellowship and faith along the way. Each month, a different church is visited for Sunday worship. Follow on Instagram for 2026 dates: @rootedandroamingsec

For Leaders - From the SEC

Youth and Children's Grant. The next deadline for the Diocesan Grants Committee is 25 May. If you wish to make an application for the Youth & Children's Grant, please send your completed application form to the DMMC Team by that date.

More information, and forms, can be found on the Diocesan website.

The Diocese is a subscription ‘hub’ for ROOTS on the Web, enabling congregations to sign-up for access to Lectionary-based digital resources (including the 20-year back catalogue) for the subsidised cost of £20 for the year. Interested congregations should register via this form. One-month free trial here.

beHeld: Youth & Children’s Ministry Training Days

In 2026, all involved in youth and children's ministry are invited to a fresh series of training days at Ps & Gs Church called 'beHeld'. The next is on 23 May (future dates are 26 September and 28 November). Each event will be on a Saturday morning, 9am–1pm, with light refreshments, worship, and the chance to hear from experts on key subjects relevant to ministry with youth and children. Get more information on the Ps & Gs website.

beHeld costs £15 per session, but the diocese will cover the cost of one ticket per charge. Just email us at [email protected] with your name and charge, and we'll book you in for the 23 May session.

The Provincial Enable Grant can be used to access up to £5000 in any one year. It aims to enable SEC congregations to develop new projects, or to support existing projects with an SEC connection, address increasing poverty amongst families in their community. More details are on the SEC website.

For Leaders - From other providers

On 30 June there's a special Messy Church Masterclass: Messy Church Goes Wild. This 90-minute live and interactive Zoom Masterclass is designed to help you confidently start or grow a Messy Church Goes Wild in your own setting. The session explores what it looks like to be church outdoors, sharing stories from groups already meeting outside and offering simple, practical ways to get going, whatever your context.

Find out more about Messy Church Masterclasses

CPAS are offering a number of useful courses for leaders in the next couple of months:

Spiritual Development vs Christian Discipleship: Building Shared Theology for Schools and Churches: 10 June, 9:45–11:45am, online, £20.
Church Growth and Engaging with under-30s:
17 June, 9:45–11:40am, online, £20.
Church & School Planning Together for the Next Academic Year: 17 June, 1:30–2:30pm, online, £20.
Working with People who are Neurodiverse:
30 June, 1:30–3:10pm, online, £20.
Introduction to the 'Pathways' Course:
30 June, 1:30–2pm, online, free.

Find out more and book on the CPAS website.

The Foundry is a monthly gathering of leaders of all kinds who are passionate about children, young people and their families, and want to grow in the knowledge and real-life application of the Deeper, Rooted, Lasting approach from Parenting for Faith. Meetings will happen on Thursdays online from 1 to 3pm.

On the BRF website you will be able to read about this monthly event and how to join in. The first session will be in December this year, so you'll have some time to consider and reflect before jumping in! Find out more.

For Parents

Care for the Family are running a series of events called 'Left to Their Own Devices?' that explore how to raise tech-savvy kids. One of these events is on 20 May at Ps & Gs, Edinburgh from 7.30–10pm. It will cover:

What our children might be exposed to online, who they might be speaking to and how they behave
The teenage brain and why managing the online world is harder for them than for us
Practical ways to keep your family safe online
Ways to keep up with a fast-changing industry
The impact social media is having on mental health
How parents can be role models.

Tickets are £11. Find out more and book here.

Sarum College is hosting a Parenting for Faith course online on 11 & 18 June: Parenting for Faith: Five Key Tools. The course is suitable for parents, carers, grandparents, church leaders, children’s, youth and families leaders & volunteers. It will explore Five Key Tools that will equip you with what you need to help your family meet and know God. They can be used in the everyday bits of life and with however your family life looks. Cost: £70. Find out more.

Adventures in Faith

REMINDER: You can find lots of information under the Adventures in Faith headline on our website, including a list of Awareness Days updated for 2026, as well as courses/events you might find helpful. Links to the Adventures in Faith pages can be found via the gold-coloured menu items above.

Keep up to date with Diocesan
News & Events!

Youth and Children's

The Communicant

Adventures in Faith

Revd Fiona (Fee) Reynolds, Advisor for Christian Life, 0131 346 9089 [email protected]

Cathy Ballantine, Communications & Support Officer, 0131 346 9085 [email protected]

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