Southend Faith and Belief Festival

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Consultation has concluded

Southend Museums and Southend's Faith and Belief Network are organising a Festival to celebrate the cultural diversity of the Borough. Co-produced in collaboration with a diverse range of Faith and Belief communities, this festival welcomes those who want to showcase their faith or belief and encourages us all as a community to get to know each other a little bit better.

The last year has been a particularly challenging one for our community. This virtual festival will explore the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic presented to our faith and belief communities and how they have overcome them. This will be a great opportunity to showcase how practices have been adapted and what has been done to help each other and their local communities.

This first virtual Faith and Belief Festival is being produced by our communities, this will be an ongoing project built initially in three parts;

  • Introductions, stories and experiences

Please tell us about yourself, what faith or belief you are a part of and what matters to you. Share your stories and experiences of how you practiced your faith during lockdown. How did you celebrate any events of significance?

As part of your story telling we would also like to explore the objects that helped our faith communities to express their faiths at home during multiple national lockdowns. We welcome you to share photographs of objects of importance and anything significant to your faith or belief.

  • Virtual Exhibition

Visit the online exhibition that will take place online from May 17th . The exhibition will showcase pre-recorded videos presented by local faith and belief leaders about their role , the faith they represent and their community work during the pandemic.

This community led exhibition will be accompanied by images of faith related objects from the Museum collection. In partnership with Southend's Museums and Galleries we explore new ways of building an archive that doesn’t currently reflect the variety of faiths in the borough. We hope that, noting the lack of some poignant objects (particularly domestic objects), we can ignite a positive discussion about how we can change that.

  • Festival Flyer / Southend Faith and Belief Network Logo Competition

We also want to invite the young people of Southend to help us design our new Faith and Belief Network logo and Festival flyers used to promote the event and to represent the diversity of our local faith and belief communities in Southend.

This is site will be developed over the coming weeks. Look out for updates and links

To read about how the Council handles your data please visit our Privacy notice: Southend-on-Sea Borough Council Privacy Notice(External link)(External link).

Southend Museums and Southend's Faith and Belief Network are organising a Festival to celebrate the cultural diversity of the Borough. Co-produced in collaboration with a diverse range of Faith and Belief communities, this festival welcomes those who want to showcase their faith or belief and encourages us all as a community to get to know each other a little bit better.

The last year has been a particularly challenging one for our community. This virtual festival will explore the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic presented to our faith and belief communities and how they have overcome them. This will be a great opportunity to showcase how practices have been adapted and what has been done to help each other and their local communities.

This first virtual Faith and Belief Festival is being produced by our communities, this will be an ongoing project built initially in three parts;

  • Introductions, stories and experiences

Please tell us about yourself, what faith or belief you are a part of and what matters to you. Share your stories and experiences of how you practiced your faith during lockdown. How did you celebrate any events of significance?

As part of your story telling we would also like to explore the objects that helped our faith communities to express their faiths at home during multiple national lockdowns. We welcome you to share photographs of objects of importance and anything significant to your faith or belief.

  • Virtual Exhibition

Visit the online exhibition that will take place online from May 17th . The exhibition will showcase pre-recorded videos presented by local faith and belief leaders about their role , the faith they represent and their community work during the pandemic.

This community led exhibition will be accompanied by images of faith related objects from the Museum collection. In partnership with Southend's Museums and Galleries we explore new ways of building an archive that doesn’t currently reflect the variety of faiths in the borough. We hope that, noting the lack of some poignant objects (particularly domestic objects), we can ignite a positive discussion about how we can change that.

  • Festival Flyer / Southend Faith and Belief Network Logo Competition

We also want to invite the young people of Southend to help us design our new Faith and Belief Network logo and Festival flyers used to promote the event and to represent the diversity of our local faith and belief communities in Southend.

This is site will be developed over the coming weeks. Look out for updates and links

To read about how the Council handles your data please visit our Privacy notice: Southend-on-Sea Borough Council Privacy Notice(External link)(External link).

How have you practiced your faith or belief during lockdown?

Please tell us how you (and/or your faith/belief community) have adapted practicing your faith/belief during lockdown, what has meant the most and how have you overcome the obstacles faced by this new way of living.

Please share your stories and thoughts and, if you wish, please attach a picture of an object which aided you through this time. The object can be anything that helped you through the pandemic and/or helped you to connect with your faith/belief (examples are a candle, or a laptop with a Zoom service/meeting, etc.) These pictures will be saved in the Southend Museum Archives.

- If you would like to attach a picture you can see a bar above the text box with two lines; you need to click on the picture icon which is the third picture in the second line.

Thank you for sharing your story with us.
CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.
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    We are looking to expand our team at both site Fair Havens and Little Havens. Please, pass on the information. Thanks

    by moorin, over 1 year ago


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    Zoom Time

    by Vonne, almost 3 years ago
    Shoebury Gospel Hall in Wakering Ave, Shoebury has a small membership but we have been able to keep in contact during lockdown. After initially joining other churches on Zoom we decided to set up our own account.

    Each Sunday morning we have all met together visually for our Breaking of Bread service, having our own bread and wine and singing hymns courtesy of You Tube.

    At present, we are holding a Family Service on the 1st and 3rd Sunday mornings at the church and Zooming Breaking of Bread and prayer time at home on the other weeks. We will probably... Continue reading

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    A return to faith

    by Diane E, almost 3 years ago

    I had been away from my Christian faith for many years . But after the first lockdown when churches reopened, I started going again to Westcliff Free Church. I found the peace and quiet of the church service with no singing, gave me the opportunity to focus on God and hear from Him. Over the weeks my faith gradually returned, until it was stronger than it had been before. I gave my testimony at the fiirst service in January, before the third lockdown started and the churches shut.

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    WhatsApp Church

    by DavidMatthew, almost 3 years ago
    At Kings Church Southend we've made full use of WhatsApp for our Sunday morning meetings. We are a church that love it when everyone gets involved in worship and so streamed content wasn't really an option. Using WhatsApp people can still share bible verses, prayers and other contributions for others to read and we can maintain some of that community/family feel. Now that we are allowed we are looking forwards to some open air church picnics (when the rain holds off!)
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    BUDDHA ZOOM

    by Asksarah, almost 3 years ago

    I am an ordained Buddhist teacher with many years experience of teaching small groups how to meditate and calm their minds. In 2019 many months before we had even heard of Covid 19 I began to feel that I needed to take my meditation classes online and started to explore the options around Zoom classes. I finally set this up in September 2019 and shared it with others under the banner "Dharma in Pyjamas", Dharma in Pyjamas met initially every Sunday at 9.30 till 11am. I met with a friend in Cork who is a Minister and he said he... Continue reading

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    An old man in a chair

    by John Barber, almost 3 years ago

    I was part of the original Southend Interfaith Working Group (SIWG) and helped organise early faith and belief events. As a lifelong Southender, I am happy to note the many positive connections between members of different faith communities and the positive impact they make on our town. I have met wonderful people from all the main faith communities, including those I regard as friends.

    As someone who was encouraged to lockdown and who is less physically able anyway, a lot of what I do is as “an old man in a chair” with occasional outside forays. Two things spring to... Continue reading

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    Southend Orthodox Jewish Community

    almost 3 years ago

    Our next holiday is coming up next week its called Sheveos where we celebrate receiving the torah/ bible. We have a milky meal followed by a meaty meal- its very heavy yet delicious 😊.

    So we have all been preparing some delicious stuff, we decorate our tables with a flower theme as the bible was given on a bear mountain that miraculously blossomed with flowers once it was chosen to be the mountain that would be stood on to give the torah to the Jews


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    Southend Orthodox Jewish Community

    almost 3 years ago

    WE had a festival 2 weeks ago its called Lag Beomer where we light a fire and dance we did it in our back garden. I made a special cake with the kids that represents the festival.

    If you are not familiar with what happened a few weeks ago in Israel, we Jews go to mount Meron in Israel where one of our ancient mystical rabbi is buried and we light a fire and dance around it in honor of his passing. Unfortunately there was a tragic accident- a stampede occurred and sadly 45 were killed and 150 were hospitalized... Continue reading

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    Southend Orthodox Jewish Community

    almost 3 years ago

    Preparing for Passover we do a mass spring cleaning to make sure the house/flat is clean of any crumbs. The kids really enjoy helping out as they get to do the mummy stuff.



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    Southend Orthodox Jewish Community

    almost 3 years ago

    Preparing for the holiday of Passover.

    You will see a lot of ingredients on the kitchen counters and if you look closely the counters are either covered in plastic, silver foil or tablecloths. This is to "separate" the counters for this particular holiday.

    Another picture is of all the pots and pans that are used only on Passover. another picture you will notice the gas range is covered, this is another type of covering the regular kitchen to be able to use on Passover.

    There is a picture of a child squeezing lemons this is because a lot of people... Continue reading