Announcing the 2025 Scientists in Congregations awardees

Mars exploration, sustainability, and healthcare are among the science-faith topics churches will address in 2025, supported by the Scientists in Congregations awards.

We have awarded funding totalling over £70,000 to nine organisations in England and the Isle of Man, to explore the relationship between science and faith. Building on the expertise of scientists in their congregations, they will host a range of outreach activities over the next year, with the aim of showing how engaging with science can lead to a deeper experience of faith.

One recipient is St Cuthbert’s Catholic Church in Durham, who have received a grant of £5,000. Their project will work with young people in the parish to explore the relationship between science and faith, demonstrate large-scale scientific experiments with links to scripture, and offer leadership opportunities for teenagers in the church.

Francesca Blondell, who will be co-leading the project at St Cuthbert’s, said: “For those of us who love the Church and love science, there is a deep understanding that they both inspire awe and wonder. This project aims to foster this love in children for whom there is often a gap in provision in Catholic contexts.

“We will explore themes in scripture such as creation, salvation and the vastness of God’s love for us. We are excited to have this funding to explore some big ideas with big experiments! This project will reach children in Durham and the surrounding areas, which themselves provide an awe-inspiring backdrop to learn about God’s creation and foster a sense of care for our common home.”

The St Cuthbert’s project team, L-R: Francesca Blondell, Father Andrew Downie, Eva Fernandez Amez

This year’s awardees have received grants of up to £10,000 each, totalling £71,735. Scientists in Congregations is an ecumenical programme, and the range of denominations taking part this year includes Baptist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal and Anglican churches.

The Revd Prof David Wilkinson, Project Director of ECLAS, said: “We have given more than 80 Scientists in Congregations awards since 2016, and the diversity and effectiveness of the work that they have produced has been astonishing. We always knew that using the gifts of scientists, technologists and engineers in local churches would be important – what we did not expect was that when these folk work with church leaders, imaginative mission and ministry emerges in such a fruitful way.”

The full list of churches and organisations receiving funding to participate in Scientists in Congregations 2025-26 is:

• Trinity Network, Bristol, project title: ‘Science and faith video course.’
• Food for Purpose CIC, project title: ‘The Healthy Church Initiative’
• Great St Mary’s Church, Cambridge, project title: ‘Communicating Hope: Science, Faith, and Sustainability’
• St Clement’s Church, Cambridge, project title: ‘Stewarding God’s Creation in the Heart of Cambridge.’
• Knowle Parish Church, Solihull, project title: ‘Eco-Lent 26’.
• Cathedral Isle of Man, project title: ‘Mars – From Imagination to Science.’
• St Mary and Pope Kyrillos VI Coptic Orthodox Church, London, project title: ‘Give Joy to the Face of the Earth.’
• Nicholas Breakspear Catholic school, St Albans, project title: ‘Science and Faith Symposium: Building a Better World with Our Parents, Pupils and Priests.’
• St Cuthbert’s RC Church, Durham, project title: ‘Created and Called: Discovering God’s Story through Faith and Science.’

Applications for the next and final round of Scientists in Congregations will open in October 2025.