Interchurch families celebrate their Golden Jubilee with an ecumenical Evensong at Swanwick.

Webmaster • October 16, 2018

Fifty years after the Association of Interchurch Families (AIF) was founded, over 60 members and their guests met at the Hayes Centre in Swanwick on 13-14 October for a weekend to celebrate their Jubilee year. Central to the celebrations was an ecumenical service of Evensong that paid tribute to the vision of the founders of AIF; the service was led by the Anglican Bishop Tim Thornton (Bishop at Lambeth) assisted by the Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham and co-chair of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), Bernard Longley and the Moderator of the Free Churches, Revd. Dr. Hugh Osgood.

Back in 1968 Canon Martin Reardon, his wife, Dr. Ruth Reardon, and Fr John Coventry SJ recognized that couples from different church traditions who shared the sacraments of baptism and marriage often need a particular kind of pastoral understanding from their churches. They therefore brought together a number of such interchurch couples for mutual support. From this group grew an association that has also become a forum through which interchurch couples can share with their churches their experience of living together in love across the denominational divide.

Their experience of sharing Christ’s love across that divide, despite the challenges it presents, is a precious example of unity and a gift to the churches, summed up by Saint John Paul II in York in 1982 when he addressed interchurch families, saying, “You live in your marriages the hopes and difficulties of the path to Christian Unity”.

In a keynote speech Archbishop Longley spoke of the role that AIF has played in making the churches aware of the pastoral needs of interchurch families, and of what it had taught many church leaders about the joy and the pain of their situation. Speaking of their immense gratitude to the Association, one couple at the weekend gathering declared that without the support of the Association and its members they doubted that their marriage would have survived the difficulties they had faced.

From left to right: Bishop Tim Thornton (Bishop at Lambeth and Anglican President of AIF), Revd Dr Hugh Osgood (Moderator of the Free Churches Group and Free Church President of AIF); Dr Ruth Reardon (co-founder of AIF); Archbishop Bernard Longley (Archbishop of Birmingham and a long-standing supporter of AIF).

AIF Celebrate 50 Years with the AIF JUBILEE WEEKEND

National Call to Prayer starting 20th January 2019

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Happy New Year! January —The Courage to Begin Again

By Melanie Carroll • January 1, 2026

JANUARY — The Courage to Begin Again January is a month often framed by fresh starts, renewed hopes, and the desire to step into the year with intention. For many interchurch families, however, the idea of “beginning again” is not simply about turning the page on a calendar; it is a rhythm woven into their very way of life. Interchurch families live at the intersection of traditions, expectations, and identities. As a result, the courage to begin again is not seasonal — it is habitual. Yet January gives us an opportunity to name that courage, honour it, and recognise the spiritual depth it carries. Beginning again may be as practical as shifting Sunday worship patterns because a child’s schedule has changed, or as emotional as revisiting conversations about belonging that have long been sources of tension. It may involve addressing unresolved experiences from last year — a moment when a priest or minister misunderstood your family dynamic, or when extended family expressed opinions about your choices to raise your children in both traditions. For some, beginning again may be choosing to return to church life after a season of being stretched thin or feeling spiritually exhausted. The idea of “courage” can sound dramatic, but for interchurch families it is often quiet, steady, and almost unnoticed. It is the courage of showing up in a church that is yours but not fully yours. It is the courage of continuing to pray for unity when you feel the strain of disunity most sharply. It is the courage of teaching children that they are not divided but doubly enriched, even when the world struggles to understand that reality. January invites us to reflect on the difference between courage as a moment and courage as a practice. A single moment of bravery can be powerful, but interchurch life asks for something more: a patient, ongoing willingness to step forward, again and again, even when the way is uncertain. Beginning again in this context is not naïve optimism; it is a spiritual discipline rooted in hope. For many interchurch families, hope is what sustains the courage to begin again. Hope that the churches we love will continue to grow closer. Hope that our children will be able to live out their faith identities freely and fully. Hope that our own callings — lay or ordained, formal or informal — will be recognised and supported in both of our traditions. January reminds us that these hopes need tending, and tending requires courage. Scripturally, we often turn to passages that speak of new beginnings — “Behold, I am doing a new thing” or “His mercies are new every morning.” But for interchurch families, it may be equally valuable to reflect on the stories where God’s people must take small, faithful steps into uncertain territory. Abraham setting out “not knowing where he was going.” Peter stepping onto the water with trembling confidence. The disciples returning again to the upper room to pray and wait when they did not know what God would do next. These moments resonate deeply with interchurch experience. Beginning again is not about control; it is about trust. It is about trusting God with your family’s decisions, your children’s spirituality, and your own dual belonging. It is about trusting that unity is not only a prayer but a promise — one that will unfold over time, even if we do not yet see the full picture. January also encourages us to reflect on the internal dimension of beginning again. Many interchurch families carry memories of past experiences — some beautiful, some painful. The courage to begin again includes the courage to forgive, to heal, to remain open. Unity in the home requires unity of heart, and unity of heart requires the bravery to keep loving generously across difference. Perhaps you find yourself this January feeling hopeful, or perhaps tired. Perhaps you are longing for clarity about church commitments, or simply grateful for the stability your family has found. Whatever this year begins with for you, hear this blessing: Your courage is seen. Your hope is holy. Your faithfulness is part of the very story of Christian unity that the whole Church longs for. As we enter 2026, may you find the gentle strength to begin again — not because January demands it, but because God is already ahead of you on the path, welcoming you into the year with grace. Melanie Carroll - Executive Officer

A Christmas & New Year Prayer

By Melanie Carroll • January 1, 2026

Eternal God, at Christmas we give you thanks for the gift of your Son, born among us to bring light into the world and to draw all people into your reconciling love. As the Association of Interchurch Families, we come before you as those who live daily across Christian traditions, seeking to hold together faith, family, and unity in Christ. We give thanks for the churches and friends who walk alongside us, support us, and share in this calling. At this turning of the year, we pray that the light of Christ, first seen in the manger, may continue to shape our shared life. Grant to your Church and all people a generosity of spirit, patience in difference, and a deepened commitment to the unity we share through birth and baptism. As one year ends and another begins, renew our common resolve to listen well, to learn from lived experience, and to bear faithful witness together to the truth that unity in Christ does not require uniformity, but is grounded in Love. May the joy and hope of Christmas remain with us in the year ahead, strengthening our partnerships, guiding our discernment, and drawing us ever more deeply into your peace. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, the Word made flesh, the light of the world, now and for ever. Amen.