Yearly Archive 2020

140,000 reasons why charity has earned national accreditation

An independent Christian safeguarding charity has been awarded the national quality standard for ‘outstanding’ helpline provision.

Currently celebrating 30 years of continuous service, Thirtyone:eight’s Safeguarding Helpline is open to anyone and provides a free source of advice and support for churches, charities and faith-based organisations on all safeguarding concerns.

‘During the pandemic, two issues have been raised more than any other,’ said Thirtyone:eight’s Peter Wright. ‘Firstly, how to communicate safely online with children and young people and, secondly, how to deliver essentials safely to adults that are self-isolating or shielding – and whether these adults are classed as having care and support needs.

‘Additionally, we’ve seen a particular rise in calls around mental health issues, domestic abuse and how churches can help people with anxiety caused by financial loss.’ 

Answering the calls are a team of committed Christian safeguarding professionals with backgrounds in social work, education and the police. As one caller recently said: ‘Knowing you can pick up the phone and get access to a dedicated team of professional safeguarding advisors, who understand the specialist context in which you are working, is hugely significant for us.’

National accreditation has been awarded by the Helplines Partnership (the national body for helpline providers) and has been specifically developed for the helpline sector to recognise excellence and best practice in service delivery.

‘It is a huge privilege to be awarded this national accreditation which reflects the high level of service to which we aspire,’ said Barbara Ball, the charity’s head of advisory services. ‘Since 1990 the helpline has been there for people to answer any questions or provide advice on issues ranging from drafting a safeguarding policy to how to respond to a case of abuse. In that time our experienced team have answered well over 140,000 calls. We are especially delighted to receive this award as we celebrate an important milestone in our organisation’s history.’

In granting the award, the Helplines Partnership said: ‘It was clear that Thirtyone:eight’s helpline is strongly focused on meeting the needs of its callers. From observations and discussions undertaken during the assessment, the commitment to delivering an effective high-quality service was strongly evident. Helplines Partnership would like to congratulate those involved.’

Click here for more information

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‘Quite a ride’: Paul reflects on 50 years in ministry

Every church is different because God is not in the business of cloning.

That’s one of the lessons in a CRE At Home 2020 seminar given by Rev Paul Beasley Murray in which he recounts five key lessons from his 50 years in Christian ministry.

He also speaks of the value of remembering people’s names, how to regularly affirm people, the passion needed for leadership and finally, the problem of retirement. 

‘The five decades have proved quite a ride,’ he reflects. 

Within three days of his ordination Paul was in Congo for two years – teaching Greek and New Testament in what became the Protestant Theological Faculty of the National University. He then spent 13 years as pastor of the Baptist Church in Altrincham, Greater Manchester, where his ministry boosted a membership of under 90 to more than 300. He then moved to London to become principal of Spurgeon’s College before spending 21 years as pastor of the Baptist Church in Chelmsford, Essex where again the congregation rose from 400 to a church family of 1,500 – until his retirement in 2014.

With six books already to his name, he has added a seventh, 50 Lessons in Ministry (Darton, Longman and Todd). It is from this book of reflections that he picks on what he considers five of the major lessons he has learned. 

‘We need each other’s wisdom to expand the scope and vision of Christian ministry,’ said Rt Rev Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York. ‘These 50 lessons are a very good place to start.’

Paul is part of the Chelmsford Cathedral Community, regularly leading the cathedral’s Sunday morning seminar-style ‘Breakfast with the Bible’. He is also chair of theCollege of Baptist Ministers launched in February 2014.

Click here to watch the seminar.

• Darton, Longman and Todd are exhibiting at CRE National 2021 (Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey, 12-14 Oct)

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No need to leave song-writing to the professionals

You don’t need leave it to the ‘professionals’ – writing new songs for your church can have a profound impact on local believers.

So says Krissy Nordhoff, of weareworship.com, in her CRE At Home 2020 seminar ‘Why the church needs new songs and 10 characteristics of the worship song’.

‘I want to encourage those who feel they have a song burning away inside them,’ said Krissy, a professional songwriter and author. ‘The Bible encourages us to “sing unto the Lord a new song” so it is in God’s heart to want new songs. They bring fresh praise to God and fresh revelation to his people. Sometimes the Lord gives us a new insight into how to express our songs in a new way.

‘When you write songs that are specifically for your church, you can use words that matter to the people there. They can also bring a prophetic viewpoint to help the congregation in a time of celebration, sadness – and can bring healing and joy.’

The seminar challenges not only the worship leaders in a local church but members of the congregation who love singing and are looking for a way to use a different gift to bless the church.

Krissy developed her love of writing from the age of five when she wrote her first song. She has developed into a writer of many well-loved songs, including Your Great Name, Mercy Tree, Famous For (I Believe), and hundreds more. She’s also a song-writing mentor to hundreds in her Writing Worship and Brave Worship communities.

Click here to watch Krissy’s seminar.

• Integrity Music/ weareworship.com will be exhibiting at CRE National 2021 (Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey, 12-14 Oct)

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When experience and expertise are striking qualities

Eight church insurance consultants now cover the length and breadth of the country – ready to support churches, parishes and dioceses. 

It follows customer feedback telling Ecclesiastical how vital and valued their support service is.

‘We would normally be attending and speaking at church events, as well as providing a local point of contact for our church customers,’ said Claire Woolway, customer relationship manager for Ecclesiastical. ‘In these challenging times, we are missing personal visits desperately but have had to adapt our ways of working, observe official guidance to keep everyone safe and instead remain available to offer support by phone, email and online.’ 

Church Insurance Consultant, Kay Short, who moved from the north to the south west just before lockdown, to cover the dioceses of Truro, Exeter, Bath & Wells, Bristol and Salisbury said: ‘We can’t wait to return to face-to-face meetings but there is still lots we can do in a different way.

‘Each week is full of variety for the team, even if a little different at the moment. It might include a call with an archdeacon about the financial issues facing many parishes; a Skype meeting with a diocese to offer training about metal theft; discussions with a church about cyber awareness; planning a webinar with police on reporting heritage crime, or a conversation with a Diocesan Advisory Committee.’

‘Together, our Church Insurance Consultants provide an incredible depth and breadth of experience and expertise in insurance and church life across the country,’ said Claire Woolway. ‘They work collectively as a team to provide incredible national and local support to all our church customers during these difficult times and continue to find creative ways of keeping in touch with our churches.’

She points out that the team can help churches understand their insurance and support them with health and safety or risk management. Their job is to provide reassurance to churches while the church concentrates on its missional role. 

Ecclesiastical’s Church Insurance Consultants are keen to offer and share their support in whatever way they can.

• To find out more about the team of Church Insurance Consultants please click here [WC1] [JA2] [SG3] or email meetus@ecclesiastical.com with your contact details and the name of your church, parish and diocese. Ecclesiastical’s local church insurance consultant will then be back in touch with you. 

• Ecclesiastical will be exhibiting at CRE National 2021 (Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey, 12-14 Oct)

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Church rotas: software to make them simple

Love them or (more likely) loathe them, rotas are a vital part of church life – and now there’s a solution to help make them hassle free.

Cambron Software’s plan2gether is a brand-new product from the creators of Power Music. 

‘We have one underlying philosophy – keep it simple!’ explained Cambron’s Colin Cameron. ‘There are some very powerful (and complicated) church management systems out there but we wanted to create something that did one thing well – make life easier for the people who organise church rotas. It had to be accessible from anywhere and easy to make changes and send reminders to people.’

With plan2gether all the rotas are in one place – worship band, security, welcoming, coffee morning, creche, AV, flowers and cleaning.

‘You name it, plan2gether will manage your rota and most importantly, automatically notify people by email or SMS text when they are on duty,’ said Gordon. ‘Users can make themselves unavailable and edit their rota duties to swap with others.

‘Currently, many churches are not running services as usual but as we move to a more normal situation, this is the time to start organising your church volunteers using our new solution.’

The first rota is available free.

Click here for more information

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The Bible: getting above the hubbub

It’s been dubbed the era of ‘fake news’ butEvangelical Christians have always believed the Bible stands above the media noise.

‘It is the revelation from God and the handbook of Christianity,’ said Brian Edwards, author of Nothing but the Truth (Day One). ‘If we want to know what we believe and how we should live, it is to the Bible we must turn.’

Today, we are confronted with a plethora of challenges that Christians must respond to – moral, social and theological. But is the Bible sufficient? Are there principles within it to guide us? How can we effectively understand it today? And, above all, can it be trusted as the reliable revelation of God in every part? Among much else, Nothing but the Truth reasserts the reliability and relevance of the Bible for Christians in the 21st Century.

A valued aid for all who take the Bible seriously in their personal life or teaching, answering many questions that people ask about the Bible such as:

•  What is its main theme?
•  Does it claim to be God’s word?
•  Who wrote the books and when? 
•  Are there contradictions?
•  Is the Bible all we need?
•  How to understand and enjoy the Bible

With more than 700 pages, including a full index and references to sources, plus charts and a Bible reading plan, Nothing but the Truth, published by CRE exhibitor Day One, is written in accessible language and style, assuming no pre-knowledge. It provides a significant starting point for Bible teachers, students, pastors and church members

‘Nothing but the Truth probes deeply into the nature of the Bible, considering and answering a full range of criticisms. Brian writes in a manner that will benefit the newest Christian. I hope his work receives the widest possible readership,’ said Dr Robert Letham, Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Union School of Theology, Wales.

Click here for more information.

• Day One will be exhibiting at CRE South West 2021 (17-18 Mar) and CRE National 2021 (Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey, 12-14 Oct)

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Open the door to your financial future

No one should reach the age of retirement without adequate provision for the future. 

So say Ecclesiastical Financial Advisory Services (EFAS), providers of expert, unbiased, independent financial advice for clergy, church people and PCCs.

‘Clergy, church staff and officials need reliable guidance and advice they can trust,’ said Richard Wood, director and head of EFAS. ‘We have provided independent advice about investments, pensions, savings and planning for retirement to clergy, church organisations and staff since 2009. You can have full confidence that the advice we give is impartial and concentrates on finding a suitable solution to meet your needs.’

Ecclesiastical’s fully independent advice services include:

• pension and retirement planning advice about the clergy pension, other church pension schemes and all other plans and schemes you or your partner have from previous employers or insurance companies across the market
• saving and investing for your future (including ethical investments and PCC funds)
• life assurance and protection for you and your family
• mortgage advice and specialist advice for those living in tied accommodation who want to buy a home or re-mortgage

‘I am also proud to say that EFAS were named as South West Local Mortgage Hero by NatWest for 2019 and have been nominated for the NatWest Mortgage Awards again in 2020,’ said Richard.

• Email getadvice@ecclesiastical.com to get more information or click here.
• Ecclesiastical will be exhibiting at CRE National 2021 (Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey, 12-14 Oct)

Please note: The value of investments (including pensions and property) can go down as well as up and you may not get back the amount invested. Your capital is at risk. Your home may be at risk if you do not keep up repayments on any mortgage secured on it.

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Prayer: gain strength from Anne’s struggles

One in 20 UK adults started to pray during lockdown according to a recent survey – and Anne Graham Lotz (daughter of the late Dr Billy Graham) has written a timely new book to help us all pray with more confidence.

As soon as we bow our heads, many of us start thinking of other things we need to do. How do we make time to pray in our busy lives? And how do we know what to say and how to say it?  Anne has also struggled with these questions.

‘Over the years, I have discovered that writing out my prayers draws me into deeper, more intimate conversations with God,’ said Anne, 72, who in addition to her itinerant teaching ministry, has authored 11 books.

The Light of His Presence, published by CRE exhibitor Authentic Media on Tue 6 Oct, offers 40 tender, honest prayers for real-life situations.

‘My prayer is that God will use my struggle with prayer to help you overcome yours. And that, as a result, you will be drawn nearer to the heart of God,’ said Anne. 

Authentic Media is a family owned publishing and distribution company based in Bletchley Milton Keynes. Its two key publishing imprints are Authentic and Paternoster. The company publishes a wide range of titles with a focus on bibles, children’s books and biographies. It also distributes Christian music and DVDs.

Read a sample chapter of The Light of His Presence.

Photo: Anne Graham Lotz

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Christchurch Ware: 160-year-old building renewed and revitalised

Eleven years after making first contact with a leading firm of chartered architects at CRE, members of Christ Church, Ware are making full use of their revitalised church building.

Closed for almost a year, while the Grade 2 listed 160-year-old building in Hertfordshire was gutted, the church re-opened at the end of November last year.

Martin Dudley, the church’s operations manager, described the choice of MEB Design to oversee the £1.2m project as ‘a wise decision.’ Church representatives made contact with the company at CRE and when the major redevelopment project was mooted, proved ‘highly capable, calling in other companies in areas where extra expertise was needed,’ added Martin.

The church was gutted to its foundations. Flooring, heating and electricity were all stripped back and the old pews replaced by chairs. 

‘With new flooring, heating system, lights, toilets, a kitchen and the addition of a balcony it proved a major project,’ said Martin. As the lockdown eased, new chairs made it easier to implement social distancing. The sound and vision system meant services could be live streamed for those unable to attend.

Paul Chester, a director at MEB Design, said: ‘The project presented a number of difficulties, not least because the Victorian building was in a conservation area. It suffered from dilapidated fabric and the heating delivery system was spent in particular. It communicated an unhelpful message.’

One of MEB Design founders, Mark Eddison, was in charge of the project and managed to overcome many difficulties. The new layout works liturgically. Gone are inflexible pews and there is space for carers to look after babies and toddlers during services. The chancel now provides an appropriate area for smaller meetings. There is proper space for a music group and all areas are backed up by modern communication equipment.

No wonder MEB Design see architecture as ‘an adventure, and enjoying creativity is at the heart of what we do.’

Click here for more information.

Click here to watch MEB’s Mark Eddison and Joel Callow from QODA Consulting lead the CRE At Home 2020 seminar entitled Climate change: how can church buildings be best adapted to meet the challenge?

• MEB Design will be exhibiting at CRE National 2021 (12-14 Oct, Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey)

Photo: Christ Church, Ware revitalised

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Christmas 2020: bringing meaning beyond the mistletoe

The first-ever Fairtrade Christingle, Fairtrade bars and a special edition of the Real Advent Calendar will ensure Christmas 2020 is not cancelled.

That’s the message from The Meaningful Chocolate Company (MCC) as it launches its 2020 festive range.

‘Even with current uncertainties, we can still do meaningful mission work during Advent,’ said David Marshall, founder of MCC. ‘That’s why we have produced a special edition 2020 calendar, complete with rainbow markings and a free 24-page Christmas story activity book. We hope folk will buy the calendars, encourage others to give one to their loved ones, buy for a school or sponsor a food bank donation.’

The 2020 calendar has a new design. As well as being made from Fairtrade chocolate, the free book remains a helpful mission resource.

‘No other calendar enables parents and children to experience the Christmas story for 24 days with a challenge to do some good in the season,’ explained David.

Calendars cost £3.99 delivered free in multiples of 18 or as singles (NB must be ordered by Fri 6 Nov to qualify).

Money raised from the sale of this year’s calendar will help Fairtrade farmers receive a fair price for their goods and a Fairtrade premium to spend on the priorities of their communities, ranging from solar panels and fresh water to teaching resources.

‘We will also help The Funzi and Bodo Trust provide care for mums and babies in Africa,’ said David. 

Click here for more information.

• Meaningful Chocolate Co will be exhibiting at CRE National 2021 (Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey, 12-14 Oct)

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