14/10/2026
From laboratories to places of worship: 20 years of supporting churches
How can churches make space for conversations about science and faith—in Sunday services, small groups and everyday ministry?
For 20 years, this question has been at the heart of Dr Ruth Bancewicz’s work at The Faraday Institute for Science and Religion. Today, Ruth, the Church Engagement Director, and Dr Ana Jones, the Church Engagement Manager, continue that work through Faraday Churches, helping church leaders and congregations explore scientific questions with curiosity and confidence.
Ruth joined Faraday just weeks after its foundation in 2006. Based at Bennett House at St Edmund’s College, Cambridge, the small team shared ideas around a table at their Tuesday meetings. Her first assignment was to develop materials for churches, establishing a strand of work that has continued throughout the Institute’s history.
“There was a real ‘can-do’ attitude,” Ruth recalls. When someone arrived with slides for the first Faraday course and there was no projector, a colleague found one in their attic. “And we just carried on.”
That practical spirit remains central to Faraday Churches. The aim is to give everyone opportunities to consider how science relates to faith, without requiring church leaders to create new programmes from scratch or take on substantial costs. Ruth and Ana help churches bring these conversations into activities they already run, connecting scientific research with worship, teaching and the life of their communities.
The support available ranges from individual advice and follow-up to speakers for church events and materials for services. Videos, articles, accessible books, devotions and adult small-group resources provide different starting points for discussion. Hands-on science offers another way to explore questions together, encouraging participation and discovery.
Online and in-person short courses—held over a day or several evenings—create opportunities for further learning, while lay and ordained church leaders can access priority places on Faraday’s short courses. A monthly Faraday Churches newsletter keeps readers connected with resources and opportunities.
Together, these activities help churches make engagement with science a regular part of their ministry. A congregation might begin with a reflection during worship, a small-group discussion or an invited speaker, then build on that conversation with support from the team.
Looking back, Ruth sees a change in the confidence with which Christian communities approach science. “Back then, some Christian organisations were still a bit iffy about science. But now, the door is much wider open for thoughtful conversations.”
Her hopes for the future centre on encouraging others: “What I hope I have the vision and humility to do is to stand behind the next generation and say, ‘Go, do your thing’—just like Denis (Alexander) and Bob (White) did for me.”
As Faraday celebrates its 20th anniversary, we celebrate both Ruth’s past contributions and the continuing work she and Ana do alongside churches. What began as an early resource-development project has become one of the Institute’s longest-running programmes, sustained by the support of churches, individual donors and grants.
Your support helps this work continue and expand, providing resources, advice and opportunities for more communities to explore science and faith. If you are considering becoming a donor, we would be delighted to hear from you.
Explore the resources, sign up for the newsletter or get in touch through Faraday Churches.
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