Porn: now there’s hope beyond the harm
Mike Genung was at CRE Midlands last year when he heard his name being called.
‘As no-one knows me in the UK, I ignored it at first,’ he recalled. ‘But a woman asked me if I was the person giving a talk on porn addiction.’ Mike nodded. ‘I’ll bring my husband then,’ she said.
At the end of his talk the couple approached Mike. In tears, they thanked him.
‘Porn addiction had caused pain and wrecked their marriage for years,’ he recounted. ‘Now they had hope.’
Mike started Blazing Grace more than 20 years ago in the USA, to help people who struggle with porn addiction, sex addiction and adultery. The charity offers counselling by Zoom and in person for men and women. Mike, who speaks in churches and other venues, has written nine books and gets many requests for help from men and women in the UK.
‘I’ve been exhibiting at CRE for five years,’ said Mike. ‘I’ve also spoken in churches and led counselling sessions in the UK for individuals and couples. At every show, I hear repeatedly that there are no other Christian ministries in the UK that offer help in the sexual arena like Blazing Grace.’
On the morning of the first day of Mike’s first CRE, no one came to his stand.
‘It was as if we had spiritual leprosy!’ he said. ‘I prayed against the spiritual battle with the CRE prayer team, a wonderful couple. The dam broke and people started approaching us.’
According to Mike, the UK is the second largest consumer of porn in the world, second only to the US. Surveys show that upwards of 70 per cent of UK Christian men view porn.
‘I see the UK as a mission field that is ripe for ministering to the sexually broken,’ said Mike.
Mike told CRE News that an opportunity has surfaced to create a video series on recovery from sexual sin for men, wives and young people that would be promoted to the 70,000-plus UK churches. It will cost around £8,000.
‘We have also been praying for an office to offer counselling,’ he said. ‘This could be as simple as a room at a church.’
You can find out more about Mike’s talk at CRE 24 (12.30pm, Thu 10 Oct) here.
• Blazing Grace are on stand B27 at CRE 24
CRE 2024
Tickets for CRE 2024 are available now!
Looking to exhibit? Only two stands now available. For more information contact James Batterbee on 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk). Click here for a brochure, floor plan and price list.
A grief resolved: find new hope on the bereavement journey
The culture is changing around grief and bereavement and people are seeking support.
So says CRE 24 speaker Rev Nicky Grey, who lost her husband and mother within six weeks of each other. She found the materials in The Bereavement Journey, supported by CRE exhibitor AtaLoss, helpful in processing her own grief – and began helping the charity. She has delivered the programme in prison, where it helps women process traumatic and unresolved loss and has become the organisation’s head of church engagement.
‘Our website currently has the greatest number of people referred to it from mental health services, because grieving people don’t know where else to turn or because unresolved grief has been identified as the root cause,’ she explained. ‘CRE 24 will provide another opportunity to show how we provide support for Christians in Milton Keynes, the wider region and around the UK.’
The Bereavement Journey, a programme offered by churches and other organisations for their communities, is rapidly spreading since its relaunch last year and is already run in more than 350 locations across the UK.
There are about 600,000 deaths in the UK each year, leaving more than six million people significantly bereaved.
‘We’re beginning to realise the affect that unprocessed loss can have,’ she said. ‘Unresolved grief is behind many of society’s problems.’
For more information about Nicky’s talk at CRE 24 (2pm Thu 10 Oct) click here.
• AtaLoss are on stand P43 at CRE 24
CRE 2024
Tickets for CRE 2024 are available now!
Looking to exhibit? Only two stands now available. For more information contact James Batterbee on 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk). Click here for a brochure, floor plan and price list.
ZAC the musical: from the composer who’s never sold us short
A composer whose music has become part and parcel of church life will next week launch ZAC, his 25th musical (7.30pm, Sat 28 Sep, Bromsgrove Baptist Church).
He will follow it up with a talk at CRE 24 (2pm, Thu 10 Oct) on how musicals can be used in mission and evangelism.
Originally a teacher, Roger Jones is director of Birmingham-based Christian Music Ministries (CMM) and began writing when he composed Jerusalem Joy, a performance around Jesus’ ride on a donkey into Jerusalem. He has become internationally known with his works performed all over the world.
‘The new production will follow the Bible story of Zacchaeus as he transforms from a diminutive, cheating tax collector to a follower of Jesus,’ (pictured above) he explains.
With him at CRE 24 will be Devon Brown, for many years one of CMM’s soloists, He has sung for them in Canada, India and Israel. Roger will also be involved in a teaching workshop,Praise of future past (Wed 9 Oct, 12.30pm) and with Devon will lead the workshop Psalms, hymns and songs (Wed 9 Oct 2.30pm).
On Thursday, again with Devon, he will join Lou and Nathan Fellingham and Lucy Grimble for a session on sung worship and song writing (11am).
This year marks 40 years since Roger left his financially secure teaching job to concentrate on a less secure creative ministry. In 2018 he was awarded the Mary Jones Prize by Bible Society for his musical Greater than Gold (1983) and its contribution to keeping the story of Welsh girl Mary Jones and her Bible alive, worldwide.
In 2019 Roger was recipient of the Thomas Cranmer Award for Worship, presented to him by Archbishop Justin Welby.
• For more information on the worship strand at CRE 24 go to page 17 of the exhibition handbook.
CRE 2024
Tickets for CRE 2024 are available now!
Looking to exhibit? Only two stands now available. For more information contact James Batterbee on 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk). Click here for a brochure, floor plan and price list.