Let your garden grow their future
Proud of your garden? Why not twin it with an African family’s life-saving allotment?
It’s a new initiative from Ripple Effect, recently renamed from Send a Cow, a charity started in 1988 when Christian farmers answered an appeal from Ugandans desperately short of nutritious food after a long civil war. The original vision was simple and practical: sending cows to Ugandan families whose livestock had been lost. But that simple project has blossomed, enabling determined families to learn how to grow enough food on a small plot of land, to feed their family and also provide enough to sell for other necessities.
It has now grown beyond Uganda to five other African countries – Ethiopia, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Zambia.
Ann Hatton, Ripple Effect’s church development executive, said: ‘We are a farming expertise charity, teaching smallholder farmers – most of them women – how to improve the productivity of their land so they can provide for their families. Our training work has evolved and starts with essential social development, tackling the sharing of work and responsibilities within families. We also cover health and safety issues, including how to deal with Covid-19.’
Renamed Ripple Effect this year, the organisation no longer sends cows to Africa – whatever livestock is placed is sourced locally. But UK Christians are now invited to twin their garden and plant hope for a family in Migori, in Kenya. A £60 donation provides three years’ training in sustainable organic farming. From a small kitchen garden, families develop business skills to build a future with wider opportunities.
Donors get the pleasure of helping to give a new start to a family in rural Kenya and also receive a wooden plaque to mount in their own garden – a vegetable-growing guide from no-dig expert Charles Dowding.
‘Some wildflower seeds also give you a colourful annual reminder of the practical support you have given to others,’ said Ann. Click here to find out more of the project.
‘We were so thrilled to be at CRE South West in February and meet old friends and make many new ones,’ said Ann. ‘As a result, many families in Kenya will get the skills and support they need to change their lives.’
• Ripple Effect (formerly Send a Cow) are on stand F8 at CRE National 2022
Book your tickets to CRE National 2022 – and save up to £5
Laura’s lessons for traumatised teens
Laura Newall’s course on self-esteem in girls and boys was hot off the press when she opened for business in February – but this brand-new resource touched a nerve-end with visitors at CRE South West.
Exeter-based Laura (pictured far left), was ‘absolutely bowled over by the large number of connections I made at the exhibition and the encouragement I got from so many people.’
In 2014 she went out to Uganda to teach girls and women how to recognise their abilities and self-worth. A life-changing experience, it inspired her to do something similar in the UK.
‘I had been trained as a primary school teacher and my dissertation was on self-esteem in children, so there was already something to go on,’ she explained. Her course for girls and women went down well so she produced a similar course for boys – ‘I have two sons and a daughter – all now grown-up – and knew the problems both faced.’
The new initiative, though well received by a number of schools, churches and other groups, was halted because of Covid-19.
‘It is a face-to-face course which needs a personal link,’ said Laura. ‘Now we are back to nearly normal, things are beginning to take off. Teenagers’ mental health has taken a nose-dive in the pandemic, so it is more important than ever.’
The Inspire Project aims to empower, encourage and equip people to become everything they were created to be by helping them discover the truth about their value and identity as well as God’s purpose for their lives.
‘It is for any person, regardless of whether they have a Christian faith,’ she said. ‘The courses can be used to encourage and equip those already in the church or as an evangelistic tool to reach out to those who are not.’
The courses are primarily targeted towards young people between the ages of 14-18. However, by adapting or changing certain activities, they can also suit children in primary school and people of any age.
Book your tickets to CRE National 2022 – and save up to £5
Photo: Laura Newall (left) at CRE South West
To the Sandown foyer, on a wing and a prayer
For the first time visitors to CRE National 2022 will be greeted by a full-sized Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) plane in the foyer.
‘At every exhibition people tell us mission is a key area they are looking to resource in their churches,’ said event director Brett Pitchfork. ‘We thought it was time to put it centre stage!’
In February, 15 organisations from the South West Agencies Network (SWAN) exhibited at CRE South West alongside MAF, under the title Mission on the Map.
‘Over two days in Exeter, a steady stream of visitors came through Mission on the Map,’ said Mike Frith of OSCAR (pictured far left), ‘giving rise to conversations about all aspects of mission, enquiries about serving and supporting and some fantastic networking opportunities.
‘It also enabled many of these organisations to connect/reconnect with their existing contacts/supporters in the south west. One mission organisation reported 55 connections over the two days, significantly more than most places where they exhibit.’
‘The success of the venture in Exeter has prompted us to run a similar zone at Sandown Park – this time in pride of place, above the steps in the entrance foyer!’ said Brett.
United Beach Missions, Church Mission Society, OSCAR and OMF are among the organisations already taking part in Mission on the Map at CRE National 2022. Other agencies considering taking a stand should contact the CRE sales team on 0161 240 4500.
Book your tickets to CRE National 2022 – and save up to £5
App happy Joanne creates God for Kids
When Joanne Gilchrist’s three daughters were growing up she created activity-based devotions to do with them at bedtime – and the end result is God for Kids, a brand new app for families everywhere.
‘I tested my ideas using paper, colouring pens, questions, puzzles and pictures – and added a big dose of fun,’ explained Joanne, from Sheffield. ‘The girls really enjoyed learning about God in this way.’
Her ideas were so successful she created the free app that involves children and parents in all sorts of adventures, in places like deserts and outer space. They learn more about God’s attributes as they go along.
‘At first I thought of writing a book,’ she explained, ‘but an app is far more appropriate these days. It can be used by a family or the children alone, but each session has a question for youngsters to ask a parent so they are involved in some way. God for Kids was also created so parents themselves learn basic things about God.’
Joanne has now begun to produce small books to accompany the course.
‘These take a bigger view and go a little deeper into exploring questions children ask,’ she said. Her daughters are now 13, 11 and four and the older two help create the various stories with voice-over parts.
Joanne was also sparked into action when helping on an Alpha Course where she found parents perplexed by questions their children were asking. The app and other material she produces aim to help in all these situations.
• Ruach Resources Stand R8 at CRE National 2022
Book your tickets to CRE National 2022 – and save up to £5
High hopes for High Leigh
The new premium bedroom accommodation wing and redeveloped Sycamore conferencing suite at High Leigh Conference Centre is now open.
‘We completed work during the pandemic on the construction of the new accommodation wing,’ said Christian Conference Trust’s Mark Rowe. ‘It features 38 environmentally-friendly bedrooms, powered by solar panels and air source heat pumps. Each room is equipped with air-conditioning, luxurious mattresses and elegant bathrooms. The new wing includes several accessible bedrooms and connecting family rooms.’
The redeveloped tower and Sycamore Suite features four new high-tech meeting rooms with views of the extensive gardens, an 80-seater air-conditioned conference hall and an elegant servery and lounge.
‘The new centenary tower houses a large lift, making the stylish first floor conferencing suite fully accessible to all our guests for the first time,’ said Mark.
Combined, these new facilities are available as Signature at High Leigh, a high-end experience for groups of between four and 80 delegates. Guests can use the new luxury facilities for day meetings and residential events.
The Christian Conference Trust (CCT) has three centres:
- The Hayes in Derbyshire, their largest conference centre on the edge of the Peak District with accommodation for up to 400 delegates
- High Leigh in a rural setting in Hertfordshire with conference facilities for up to 220 delegates
- Belsey Bridge in East Anglia, a budget residential centre on the Suffolk/Norfolk border offering group breaks for up to 100 people
• The Christian Conference Trust are on stand C1 at CRE National 2022
Photo: High Leigh Conference Centre
Book your tickets to CRE National 2022 – and save up to £5
Racial justice: Lord Boateng to speak at CRE National 2022
Lord Boateng will speak at CRE National 2022 as part of the exhibition’s ongoing discussion on the Windrush legacy.
In July 2021, Lord Boateng was appointed chair the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Racial Justice Commission, to scrutinise the Church of England’s policies, practices and culture in relation to racial justice.
The Commission reports to the archbishops every six months, with recommendations to help them fulfil their commitment to identify and root out systemic racism in the Church.
On his appointment, the Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell, said: ‘Lord Boateng is of Ghanaian and Scottish origin, and was the UK’s first black cabinet minister, when appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in May 2002.
‘After serving the House of Commons, he served as the British High Commissioner to South Africa from March 2005 to May 2009. He was introduced as a member of the House of Lords in 2010. We are grateful to Lord Boateng for taking up leadership of the commission.’
Lord Boateng said: ‘Racism is a gaping wound in the body of Christ’s church. Our mandate as a commission is not only to bind but to heal.’
Photo: Lord Boateng
Book your tickets to CRE National 2022 – and save up to £5
Corn again Tim to open CRE National 2022
Comedian Tim Vine will open CRE National 2022 – ‘as long as I have a red ribbon between two free standing poles and a large pair of scissors!’
Tim’s journey to national fame began in 1995 with his show The Tim Vine Fiasco which won him the Perrier Best Newcomer award at the Edinburgh Festival. In 1996 he returned with a sell-out show called The Tim Vine Shambles. In 1997 he became the first man to appear on Channel Five, following the Spice Girls and co-hosting This is Five with Julia Bradbury, the very first show on the station.
In 2000 he performed in the Royal Variety Show and from 2001 to 2002 appeared in two series of ITV’s The Sketch Show which won a BAFTA. In 2004 he broke the Guinness world record for the most jokes told in an hour (499). More TV appearances followed in the award-winning sitcom Not Going Out (BBC1), from 2006 to 2012. In 2010, Tim won the Dave television award for Best Joke at the Edinburgh Fringe, the only person to have won it twice.
In 2017 Tim Vine Travels Through Time was broadcast on Radio 2 with the world of Robin Hood recreated at Pinewood studios.
Other TV appearances include BBC’s Live at the Apollo, QI, and Celebrity Mastermind. He is a regular on Celebrity Squares (ITV) and Countdown’s Dictionary Corner (Channel 4) and has appeared in several pantomimes. He has also released two books The Tim Vine Joke Book (2010) and The Tim Vine Bumper Book of Silliness (2013).
He is also a Christian.
‘My mum and dad went to an Anglican church a stone’s throw from our house,’ he told Premier Christianity magazine. ‘In fact, I remember my first words, who threw that? Belief in God felt natural. I always enjoyed singing “Oh, how good is the Lord”, and all those great ones like “When the road is rough and steep, fix your eyes upon Jesus.”’
He made a personal decision about faith when he was ‘about 12, at one of those Pathfinder camps’ and, while it remains important to him to this day, he is a little bit suspect about people who appear to have all the answers – and jealous as well.
‘I saw someone on telly who said, “I never have any doubts about my faith.” You think to yourself, it would be lovely to be that cast-iron all the time because that must utterly transform the way you live your life.’
Tim will open CRE and then be interviewed by Steve Legg, editor of Sorted magazine.
• Sorted magazine are on stand Y3 at CRE National 2022
Book your tickets to CRE National 2022 – and save up to £5
Photo: Comedian Tim Vine, who will open CRE National 2022