CRE News

ByDave Hall

Benefact outrank Asda and churches pocket the difference

Essential support to churches and their communities is now available through new grant-giving programmes from Ecclesiastical, Benefact Group and their charitable owner Benefact Trust.

The Building Improvement Grants programme helps protect and enhance churches and Christian buildings ­– ensuring their continued use for generations to come. The programme will support capital costs such as essential repairs and improvements, conservation and restoration and energy-efficiency measures. Also, the new Community Impact Grants Programme, which helps projects making a positive and transformative impact on lives and communities, is also now open for applications.

These initiatives come at a time when the Benefact Group has been named the UK’s third-largest corporate donor to charity, according to the Directory of Social Change – The Guide to UK Company Giving 2023/24. This has been achieved by donating all dispersible profits back to churches, charities and communities.

In fact, the Benefact Group finished higher in the rankings than corporate giants such as Vodafone Group plc, Goldman Sachs International and ASDA Stores Ltd. The group has given almost £200m to good causes since 2014 and is aiming to reach its ambitious cumulative target of giving £250m by 2025.

Mark Hews, group chief executive at Benefact Group, said: ‘Owned by a charity, here at Benefact Group all available profits go to good causes, helping to transform thousands of lives for the better. The more the group grows, the more we can give and make an even bigger difference in society.’

Their flagship Movement for Good Awards is now in its 5th year and enables individuals to nominate their favourite charity (or charities), putting them into a draw for a chance to receive an award. This year they will be giving away over £1m in three main ways:

£1,000 draws – nominate a favourite charity at any time for the £1,000 draw. There will be three £1,000 draws this year, giving away between £120,000 and £150,000 in each.

£5,000 special draws – four themed special draws over the year, giving 10 awards of £5,000 in each. The first draw will be launching soon, so keep an eye out on their website for these limited time themed draws.

Larger Grants – These £10,000+ grants are available from July to support larger transformative projects get off the ground.

Ecclesiastical are on stand P29 at CRE Midlands 2023

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands

ByDave Hall

Why there are 29,000 reasons to use a trusted energy broker

When the gas supplier to St Andrew’s Church, Islington, went into administration the church made a sensible decision – to call in a specialist energy broker.

Regular CRE exhibitor Andrew Silley, 64, found the church a more competitive supplier than the Ofgem supplier of last resort. However, due to the company’s poor practice, the contract never went live – an issue which didn’t come to light for a couple of months. Andrew raised a complaint with the supplier, who refused to accept any responsibility.

Award-winning energy broker Andrew Silley (centre)

A former churchwarden himself, Andrew then submitted a complaint to Ofgem who upheld the complaint, found against the energy supplier and agreed to Andrew’s suggested resolution – that the PCC of the Barnsbury Team Ministry should not be financially disadvantaged as a consequence of the ‘negligent’ actions of the supplier of last resort. The remedy agreed by Ofgem is that the supplier has been instructed to credit the Barnsbury Team Ministry approximately £29,000 over the next three years.

The company concerned challenged Ofgem’s decision but this was dismissed and Andrew is now working to ensure payments are made to the PCC of Barnsbury Team Ministry. 

None of the staff at St Andrew’s have had to spend any time securing the outcome – they simply had to be patient and trust Andrew’s expertise!

‘Lots of churches, charities and businesses think they can do it best when it comes to renewing energy supply contracts. Why use an energy broker?’ said Andrew. ‘But this episode demonstrates why it is worth getting expert advice.’

Andrew, who has exhibited at CRE for many years, is committed to using his industry knowledge and expertise to help churches and charities get the best deals for their energy.  National retail chains, schools, care homes, churches and charities are amongst his customers.

‘I will usually get customers a better price from energy suppliers than they can obtain for themselves,’ he said. ‘I’m also available to be used by my customers as a remote consultant, to deal with issues that might arise.’

Things can go wrong when switching between suppliers and that’s where his industry knowledge and expertise comes into its own. He will never invoice for his services and offers a completely ‘hands free’ service that will save churches and charities time, effort and money.  His work saves churches time and the hassle of dealing directly with energy suppliers.

• Andrew Silley is on stand C35 at CRE Midlands 2023

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands

ByDave Hall

Pursuing a dream and changing a life

‘Your “student” has done better than she ever imagined possible,’ read the message. ‘We have obtained funding from seven out of 12 applications!’

They are words which blessed Sean Tully, a trusts and foundations specialist with more than 20 years’ experience in grant-making and trust fundraising. Sean now works for CRE exhibitor and sponsor Action Planning, a specialist consultancy for charities and other non-profit organisations.

‘It was a simple piece of work but had a profound personal effect on the volunteer, who prefers to remain anonymous,’ said Sean. ‘It’s always good to hear our support is bearing fruit for an organisation but the message went on to reveal a valuable personal benefit, too.’

The message continued: ‘The whole process caused me stress and angst. As a newbie to the village in which I live, what would it be like if I achieved nothing for the community? I realised there are things I can put my heart and soul into that can turn into something special from a starting point of nothing. In this respect the process has been life changing – thanks to your experienced counselling. So this is a very personal thank you for helping me through the process and for challenging what I was doing, to make it more relevant. We are now obtaining tenders for our project and the whole village is excited about the prospect of a new space for community to flourish.’

Action Planning’s work with churches ranges from very simple challenges like this, to complex challenges such as the successful bid compiled for the Diocese of Oxford in which a £2m grant was won from the Church of England Strategic Development Fund.

‘This client testimony came as a welcome reminder never to underestimate the impact we can have on the people we work with, regardless of the size of the prize,’ reflected Sean.

The thank-you letter concluded: ‘Bid writing is a lonely job and one which I had not tackled before but only by doing the job does one discovers what is involved. I am now thinking about what else I could tackle that I never thought I could do – singing is one of my thoughts!’

Sean commented: ‘Singing tuition in not among the many services we offer at Action Planning, but if our support inspires our clients to sing as well, we’re very happy with that!’

• Action Planning will be on stand B15 at CRE Midlands 2023

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands

ByDave Hall

Let auto-reporting ease your copyright burden

A new system which automatically reports which hymns and songs have been used during a church service has been well received by churches throughout the UK.

‘Auto-reporting removes one of the biggest pain-points facing our licence holders,’ said Rich Burrough of CRE Midlands exhibitors CCLI. ‘We rely on reports from our customers so that royalties can be fairly and accurately distributed to song owners. But we know that it can be a burden and we have long wanted to make it easier to do.’

For the past few years, all reporting has had to be done manually online with churches encouraged to report weekly following their Sunday services.

‘We’re indebted to the many churches who report,’ continued Rich. ‘In the UK, the accuracy (and therefore integrity) of our pay outs is admired by mainstream copyright organisations, some of whom we work in partnership with. But, while most of the time it’s a fairly straightforward process, with a repertoire of 600,000 authorised songs, finding the correct version of a song can sometimes be a time-consuming process. With more than 24,000 UK churches registered with CCLI, plus a similar number of schools and Christian organisations, it’s so important that we get this right, so we’re really pleased to be introducing a better way.’

Now, with Auto-reporting, churches can connect a growing list of participating presentation and planning tools to CCLI’s reporting website – and their reports will be done for them! Auto-reporting is now available through ProPresenter, EasyWorship, MediaShout, Proclaim, OnSong, ChurchTools, SongBeamer, Loop Community’s Prime multitracks app and three free WorshipTools applications – Presenter, Planning and Music Stand. Other popular applications are coming soon.

How you enable Auto-reporting depends on the application you use but is typically as easy as ticking a box within your worship software. Then, as long as the songs in your setlists and service plans include the CCLI song number, they’ll be reported automatically. The best and easiest way to ensure the song number is always present and correct is to use CCLI’s SongSelect to pull in lyrics. Lyrics on SongSelect are now available free to all CCLI Church Copyright Licence holders.

‘Thousands of churches have already enabled Auto-reporting,’ says Rich, who will be at CRE Midlands 2023. ‘I’m looking forward to showing CRE visitors how easy it is, and helping more and more to get started.’

• CCLI are on stand D29 at CRE Midlands 2023

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands

ByDave Hall

Twin your turnips and bless a family

Twin your garden and plant hope for a family in rural Kenya.

That’s the suggestion from Ripple Effect, a charity that works alongside farmers in six countries in East Africa, helping them learn more, grow more and sell more.

‘If you are proud of your garden, whether it is large or small or even a simple patio, you might like to twin it with a family in Migori, Kenya,’ said Ann Hatton, Ripple Effect’s church development executive. ‘By doing so, you will plant hope for a family, so they can grow more food in their own gardens.’

Ripple Effect started in 1998, under the title Send a Cow. Christian farmers answered an appeal from the Bishop of Uganda, with families desperately short of milk after a long civil war. But from that humble beginning the project blossomed, enabling African families to learn how to create productive allotments on small plots of land – to produce food to feed the family and provide enough to sell for other necessities.

‘We are a farming expertise charity, training women how to improve the quality of land they farm,’ said Ann. ‘We also offer talks on health and safety, as well as social development – and in more recent times, Covid-19.’

Ripple Effect, exhibitors at CRE Midlands 2023, are now asking UK Christians to twin their gardens to plant hope for a family in Migori, Kenya. A £60 donation provides three years training in sustainable organic farming, beginning with a small kitchen garden which the families are encouraged to set up and use as a small business which can also provide for others.

‘Not only that, but the families helped are encouraged to share what they have learned with neighbours and communities, creating a ripple effect across rural Africa,’ explained Ann.

‘Families learn to build productive farms and adapt to the effects of the climate crisis. Women and people with different needs and abilities get a greater voice and influence in their communities. Farmers learn enterprise skills and become resilient entrepreneurs, in charge of their own futures.’

She pointed out that UK donors not only gets the pleasure of knowing they are giving a new start to a family in a rural district of Kenya, but also receive a sustainable wooden plaque to mount in their own garden, a vegetable growing guide from no-dig expert Charles Dowding, and wildflower seeds to give a colourful annual reminder of the help they have given to others. In the same way, churches with gardens can twin them and display the plaque to those who visit.

• Ripple Effect are on stand F7 at CRE Midlands

Organisations looking to book a stand at CRE Midlands 23 should contact Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk) or James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk).

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands

Visitor registration for CRE Midlands 23 will begin in the Spring

ByDave Hall

Facing the facts: booklet dispels popular myths about Jesus

An evangelistic booklet called ‘Jesus Unmasked: Fact-Checking the World’s Greatest Influencer’ is already into its second print run.

Written by Andrew Halloway, editor of national evangelistic newspaper Good News, the booklet was only published last year but sold out within six months. Specifically designed for churches and individuals to give away to non-Christians, Jesus Unmasked tackles the effects of a recent survey which shows that only 54 per cent of the UK population are sure that Jesus was a real human being. Those who believe Jesus is a mythical or fictional character has risen from 22 per cent to 28 per cent. Only 49 per cent of those aged 18-24 believe in the historicity of Jesus.

‘There’s always a need to share the good news about Jesus in a way that is contemporary, fresh and relevant,’ said Andrew, ‘so this booklet is written in today’s language and illustrated throughout. We live in a society where most people know very little about Jesus. What they do know is often inaccurate because of the untruths that are pushed around by atheists on the internet. Yet, as the Talking Jesus survey showed, one in three non-Christians want to know more about Jesus Christ. I’ve written the booklet to counter false impressions that many have innocently taken on board.’

Step-by-step, the booklet tackles arguments about the Bible being written long after Jesus lived (and inaccurate) or written by a biased Church. It shows there is plenty of historical evidence to back up the Gospel accounts. Jesus Unmasked also shows why Jesus’ life and teaching, and ultimately resurrection, form a strong argument that he is the son of God. At the end the reader is challenged to consider Jesus and discover a relationship with him for themselves.

Jesus Unmasked can be read in full here and costs £1 for one copy or 80p each if ordered in a pack of 5 or 20, plus p&p. Email: goodnewsoffice7@gmail.com to order.

With more than 30 years in Christian publishing behind him, Andrew will be at CRE Midlands in November to talk about the booklet and his monthly publication, the Good News newspaper, which offers a selection of easy-to-read articles with testimonies and helpful material for non-Christians. Thousands of copies are given away in door-to-door ministries and in personal evangelism.

• The Good News newspaper is on stand C15 at CRE Midlands 2023

Organisations looking to book a stand at CRE Midlands 23 should contact Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk) or James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk).

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands

Visitor registration for CRE Midlands 23 will begin in the Spring

ByDave Hall

Church of the Ascension rises from the ashes

A church in Greater Manchester has been spectacularly rebuilt following a devastating fire six years ago.

The blaze, which destroyed the roof and much of the interior of The Church of the Ascension in Lower Broughton, took dozens of firefighters with six fire engines to extinguish. Gas pipes melted with the subsequent ignition causing additional damage. The roof of the building collapsed and the interior was destroyed.

The £5m restoration of the Grade II-listed church in Salford has involved many partners including specialist insurer and CRE Midlands exhibitor Ecclesiastical – along with local architects, contractors, engineers and project managers overseen by the Diocesan Advisory Committee.

Damage to the 149-year-old church, designed by eminent Manchester architect James Medland Taylor, occurred after the community had spent three years fundraising and securing grants totalling £250,000 to go towards a renovation.

Jeremy Trott, claims director at Ecclesiastical Insurance, said: ‘It’s fantastic to see the church restored to its former glory and to bring the community back through its doors. As a specialist insurer set up more than 135 years ago, we have a huge amount of expertise in working with churches. We understand the complex nature of a restoration of this scale. I’d like to thank the teams who worked on the project and the church community for their support.’

Fr Falak Sher, priest in charge, took over two years ago and was delighted when the church was officially reopened in November last year.

‘Broughton is a poor area and the church is surrounded by blocks of flats which have recently been built so the church is a witness to the new community of all nationalities,’ he said. ‘In the past few months I have conducted six weddings, 15 baptisms and three funerals, so it is already being well used. The reconstruction means that, while the exterior looks similar to the past, the interior is completely suitable for community work – a mixture of old and new which presents a lovely welcome atmosphere.’

To mark the six-year anniversary of the devastating fire at the Grade-II listed church, the team at Ecclesiastical Insurance have created a case study which showcases just how much adversity the church overcame to restore the beautiful building.

• Ecclesiastical are on stand P29 at CRE Midlands 23

Organisations looking to book a stand at CRE Midlands 23 should contact Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk) or James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk).

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands

Visitor registration for CRE Midlands 23 will begin in the Spring

ByDave Hall

Bursting with good news, CRE is expanding!

Strong demand for stands at this year’s Christian Resources Exhibition has encouraged the event’s organisers to expand the exhibition floor area.

CRE Midlands will take place at Cranmore Park, Solihull, near Birmingham on 8-9 November 2023.

‘With several organisations booking space every week, we can now offer  positions in the venue’s Diamond Suite,’ said CRE event director Brett Pitchfork. ‘This will enable us to run Mission on the Map, where a number of agencies will come together to focus on mission opportunities and resources, at home and abroad.’

Securing the Diamond Suite also means the event’s talks and arts programme will be increased with a third presentation area in the body of the hall.

‘We are grateful to our loyal exhibitors for supporting us through Covid and beyond,’ said Brett. ‘It is also encouraging to see several new organisations taking the opportunity of reaching key local church leaders throughout the Midlands and beyond.

’The venue is conveniently located in a major conurbation, near the motorway network. At similar centres nearby, parking can prove prohibitively expensive for exhibitor and visitor alike – but Cranmore Park has free parking for hundreds of vehicles. 

‘Although there are more than eight months to go until the doors open, any organisation considering exhibiting should contact the sales team as soon as possible.’

Rev Mike Royal, general secretary at Churches Together in England, said: ‘I’m delighted CRE is coming to Birmingham. It provides a unique opportunity for church and charity leaders to engage with the widest network of Christian organisations seeking to make a difference at home and aboard. I am looking forward to seeing many people there!’

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk) or James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk).

• Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands
• Visitor registration will begin in the Spring

ByCRE

CRE National 2022: three days where practical met creative

Local church leaders and members made the most of the last scheduled CRE at Sandown Park, Surrey (Oct 11-13), writes David Giles.

Visitors were treated to a medley of music from Two Lads and a Laptop as they awaited the opening ceremony, undertaken by Christian comedian Tim Vine (pictured above), using typically over-sized scissors to cut the ribbon. After the formalities, Vine was interviewed in the event’s arts café by Sorted magazine’s Steve Legg. Amid much wit and one-liners, the punmeister spoke of the importance of faith, family and the joy of simply having fun.

Two Lads and a Laptop help open the show

That fun was evident in a number of CRE’s stands aiming to equip Christians with tools and resources to share their faith with others in innovative ways. Vine was presented with a pair of not-quite-eponymous ‘I am the Vine’ socks at the Holy Socks stall – part of a large range of clothing sporting a subtle (or less subtle!) gospel message. Also on offer: evangelistic golf balls!

In one of the thought-provoking seminar strands, ‘Lifting the Lid’, Alan Charter (pictured below) of Global Children’s Forum and Children Matter, explored child spirituality and invited more than 80 attendees how best to serve the needs of younger churchgoers. Using a variety of techniques, the sessions focused on children and young people referred to in the Bible and provided a wealth of practical advice on enabling youngsters to find and grow in their Christian faith.

Alan Charter of Global Children’s Forum and Children Matter

Charter shared his view that ‘children are, perhaps, more able – and have a less world-impacted radar – to tune into God’s voice than sometimes we adults do, so maybe we need to flip it and learn a little from them as well.’

‘We are innately spiritual beings,’ he continued, ‘so how do we nurture a child’s spirituality as well as our own? Let’s give every opportunity for children to encounter God in any and every way that they can.’

One of the attendees, Pauline Joyce – youth and children’s worker at St Mary’s, Speldhurst – found these sessions enormously encouraging. ‘We are doing better than we thought we are!’, she exclaimed, finding the content to be highly relevant to her congregation near Tunbridge Wells in Kent. ‘And being CRE, we’ve also come away with lots of useful resources.’

Tim Vine tests out a heated pew cushion

Contemporary topics from racial justice (Revd Dr Chigor Chike, Archbishop of Canterbury’s Racial Justice Commission) to the climate change emergency (Revd Dr Darrell D. Hannah, Operation Noah) were also covered in the 70-strong talks programme.

More than 160 exhibitors addressed issues as diverse as church insurance and creation care, vestments and Veggie Tales. Combined with the programme of talks and opportunities for prayer and worship, the event truly had something for all the church family.

Leigh Ides (pictured below), representing exhibitor Trinitas Church Insurance Services, explained the value of CRE: ‘Insurance is a people industry. And so is the church. For us, selling a non-tangible product, one of the real benefits of CRE is meeting people face-to-face. It helps us to explain who we are and what we do, to an engaged audience. Even if it’s not the church treasurer in attendance, the ability to offer visitors an information pack and ask them to pass it on in person is powerful. It’s about exchanging information. We get asked a lot of questions!’

Leigh Ides of Trinitas Church Insurance Services

Rounding off Mission Worship Wednesday in the venue’s Arts Café, Christian music executive Les Moir chaired a panel discussion with worship leaders Lou and Nathan Fellingham, Noel Robinson, Philippa Hannah and artist Helen Yousaf. He reflected on the differences between music produced for professional albums and music ministry in churches where the same level of ability and resourcing may not be available.

The producer of Graham Kendrick’s Shine Jesus Shine, Moir observed that ‘what’s important is “heart song” – that the song is in your heart. When we look at John 4, people worship God in spirit and truth. Let’s be real. Let’s be real in our worship. When we read the Psalms, we find that they are very real. We should just be honest in our worship – not pretending or putting on behaviour. And let’s not confine worship to the four walls of the church – let’s worship in the public space.’

On the Kingdom Coffee stand at CRE

It was a theme echoed by Helen Yousaf, champion of using visual arts in the church, who spent the middle day of CRE painting a number of bespoke pieces based on words or descriptions she felt the Holy Spirit giving her. ‘I feel like creatives are the postmen and postwomen of Jesus,’ said Yousaf. ‘When you put paint in front of children, they’re not going to sit there and decide if they’re artists or not. They’ll just pick it up and paint. I think that if we can just put more options in front of people to worship – no matter what they are – that will be beautiful as we become childlike in our worship again.’

CRE attendee Ginny Milns, a member of the worship team at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Four Marks, Hampshire, agreed. ‘What inspired me? The creative and artistic options, definitely. I can be quite creative not just musically but through crafts, and CRE has inspired me to develop that part of my identity. I hope my creative expression in serving God can flourish.’

Cranmore Park, Birmingham
Cranmore Park, Birmingham, where the next CRE will be held in 2023

The next Christian Resources Exhibition will be held at Cranmore Park, Birmingham 8-9 November 2023 (pictured).

‘We are not abandoning the south east for good!’ said CRE owner Steve Goddard. ‘However, there are many other cities sending us a “Macedonian call” – come over and help us! We begin in Birmingham in November 2023.’

• For stand enquiries at CRE Midlands 2023 (8/9 Nov 2023) please contact our sales team:

Carol Malpass: 0161 250 2467 or carol@creonline.co.uk
James Batterbee: 0161 250 2306 or james@creonline.co.uk

• Click here for the official CRE Midlands 2023 brochurefloor plan and price list

ByDave Hall

After Liverpool disappointment, encouraging lift off for CRE Midlands 2023

Following Liverpool’s winning bid for Eurovision 2023, the hall booked for CRE North 2023 (3-4 May) was requisitioned by Liverpool City Council for the contest.

As a result, the next exhibition will be CRE Midlands, held at Cranmore Park, Birmingham 8-9 Nov 2023.

‘We hope to return to the north west but cannot say when,’ said CRE owner Steve Goddard.

Even before news broke of Liverpool’s bid for Eurovision 2023, CRE Midlands had been confirmed in the autumn slot usually reserved for CRE National at Sandown Park.

‘Our exhibitors want us to take the exhibition to new venues where they can make fresh contacts,’ said Steve. ‘We’re delighted to respond with the first-ever CRE at Cranmore Park, a friendly, relaxed venue, conveniently located near the motorway network in the heart of England.

‘At other nearby centres parking can prove prohibitively expensive for exhibitor and visitor alike – but Cranmore Park has space for hundreds of vehicles. And it’s free!’

CRE’s last visit to the Midlands, in March 2020, coincided with the onset of Covid-19.

‘We’re returning in double-quick time to make sure churches throughout Greater Birmingham and beyond benefit from the goods and services offered by an expected 140 organisations on the exhibition floor,’ said Steve.

Response has been overwhelmingly positive with more than 50 per cent of space sold or reserved within two weeks.

‘This is well beyond expectations and while it doesn’t make up for the disappointment of losing a much-anticipated exhibition in Liverpool, we are heartened by the commitment of our valued exhibitors,’ said Steve.

• For stand enquiries at CRE Midlands 2023 (8/9 Nov 2023) please contact our sales team:

Carol Malpass: 0161 250 2467 or carol@creonline.co.uk
James Batterbee: 0161 250 2306 or james@creonline.co.uk

• Click here for the official CRE Midlands 2023 brochurefloor plan and price list