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
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.
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.
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.’
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!’
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.’
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.’
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 brochure, floor plan and price list
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 brochure, floor plan and price list
‘Like words from heaven’: listed church rejoices at sound advice
A churchwarden in Gloucestershire has invented a new game – spot the loudspeakers.
‘When visitors come into our building I challenge them to see if they can see where we’ve located them,’ said Nigel Robbins of the Church of St John Baptist, Cirencester and former mayor of the town. ‘When they give up, I smile and say: “From heaven!”’
It follows a massive overhaul of the sound system by CRE National exhibitors Novum AV. St John Baptist is a Grade 1 listed building which includes architectural styles from the 12th century. Novum used special look-alike material for the loudspeakers – successfully camouflaging them from the impressive surroundings of what is one of the largest parish churches in England.
In fact, the company removed a dozen boxed speakers from the medieval limestone columns in the church and more than 300 metres of unsightly cabling before installing the tall, slim, speakers, designed to blend into the environment – each one colour-matched and positioned discretely. The speakers improve building architecture and aesthetics.
‘The specialist system we used means that sound waves are digitally steered direct to the congregation, focussing on the listening area and directing sound away from hard, reflective surfaces,’ said Tim Jacques, the head of Novum AV. ‘This avoids the problem of reverberation in large buildings – particularly with a lot of stonework. The high controlled coverage also means that the words spoken can be much more intelligible.’
By designing a system with a small number of specialised loudspeakers, the budget was directed towards buying high quality units. Providing extra speakers would have involved more installation labour and other materials.
‘We had been bedevilled by a sound system for the spoken voice which frequently let us down,’ said Nigel Robbins. ‘The new speakers perform magnificently, the human voice suffering no distortion through dispersion such as reverberation. The softest sound comes through clearly from over 70 yards away. Hard-of hearing people declare they no longer require the old loop system!’
The new speakers actually enhance the appearance of the atmospheric church, making it easier to lease the space to local organisations – both a community benefit and a commercial opportunity for the church.
• Novum will be on stand T12 at CRE National 2022
Photos: Hiding in plain sight: the new sound system at the Church of St John the Baptist, Cirencester
Our next exhibition
CRE Midlands 2023
8-9 November 2023
Cranmore Park, Birmingham
Calendar is window of opportunity to share Christmas story
A slap-up festive dinner is deemed by the general public as the best-loved tradition at Christmas, while attending a carol service or going to church on Christmas Day don’t even make the Top 20, according to recent surveys.*
‘It goes to show how getting an advent calendar, rated in 10th position, becomes an important opportunity to share the Christmas story,’ said David Marshall, founder of the Meaningful Chocolate Company. It is estimated more than 16 million advent calendars are sold in the UK each year. Well over half (61 per cent) of all UK adults buy one and four out of five contain chocolate.
‘Advert calendars stay around for the whole of the Christmas period,’ said David. ‘Back in 2013 I came up with the idea of a calendar which was Fairtrade, included a 24-page story book with a line of the Christmas story behind each window. For 24 days families could share and get to know the Christmas story. This new research shows that advent calendars are a great opportunity to do this.’
You can watch how the Real Advent Calendar is made on a short video here. Each calendar costs £4.50 and will be available on the KCLCT bookshop (stand W3) at CRE National (11-13 Oct 2022).
Britain’s favourite Christmas traditions
1. Christmas dinner
2. Giving and receiving presents
3. Putting the Christmas tree up
4. Eating with all the family on Christmas Day
5. Putting up Christmas decorations
6. Watching traditional Christmas films
7. Eating Turkey on Christmas Day
8. Listening to Christmas songs on the radio
9. Sending Christmas cards
10. Getting an advent calendar
11. Eating Turkey sandwiches on Boxing Day
12. Wearing Christmas jumpers
13. Going out for a Christmas meal with friends
14. Watching the monarch’s speech
15. Getting dressed up on Christmas Day
16. Hanging a wreath
17. Putting a mince pie and glass out for Santa, and carrots for Santa’s reindeer
18. Drinking Bucks Fizz on Christmas morning
19. Lounging around in your Christmas pyjamas
20. Going to a pantomime
* Survey carried out by 72 Point between 19/11/21 – 23/11/21 on behalf of Save the Children UK. Representative sample of 2,000 UK adults who celebrate Christmas.
** YouGov Results – Advent Calendars, Sample size: 2,024 UK adults, Fieldwork: 6th – 8Th November 2019
Our next exhibition
CRE Midlands 2023
8-9 November 2023
Cranmore Park, Birmingham
Why an ancient church went underground
An underfloor heating system fed by air source heat pumps will hugely reduce one ancient church’s carbon footprint per hour of use.
St Mary’s Church in Ely began a major building transformation and turned to longstanding CRE exhibitor Church Build UK for help and advice. That advice played a huge part in the £950k revamp of the 800-year-old, Grade 1 Listed building – to give it a wider local ministry and a long-term positive impact on the health of the building.
Priest in charge, Rev. Chris Hill, said: ‘We’re looking forward to returning to a renewed and transformed space which can be used by the church community – 16 hours a day, seven days a week. It will be wonderful.’
Nigel Walter, the visionary who set up Church Build and is founding director of Archangel Architects, said: ‘Knowing where to start in tackling our climate emergency is challenging. We are on hand to help with advice and guidance. We can suggest actions that nearly all churches can benefit from, even low occupancy places of worship used only on a Sunday. These actions are relatively easy, with relatively fast pay back.’
Church Build produce a checklist suitable for anyone considering a church build project and needing support and inspiration. Representatives will be at CRE National to offer advice. The Church Build UK Facebook group is open to anyone considering a church build project and looking for inspiration from others who have ‘been there and done that’.
‘Come and join the conversation,’ said Nigel. ‘Together we can make a difference!’
• Church Build are on stand I7 at CRE National 2022
Photo: St Mary’s, Ely
Our next exhibition
CRE Midlands 2023
8-9 November 2023
Cranmore Park, Birmingham
Recovery Version study Bible: enrich your personal and group study
A free copy of the Recovery Version New Testament study Bible will be available to all CRE attendees and their congregations – thanks to the Amana Trust and Bibles for Europe.
This unique publication contains more than 9,000 footnotes and 13,000 cross-references along with helpful outlines, charts, maps and historical information, providing an invaluable resource to enrich personal and group study.
Amana Trust is the only UK distributor and bookseller of the complete writings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, and they are the sponsor of the daily broadcasts of Life-study of the Bible with Witness Lee on Premier Christian Radio. They host a range of events to help believers grow in the Christian faith, and visitors to CRE are invited to browse a large selection of titles by Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, including well-known classics such as The Normal Christian Life and The Spiritual Man.
Other resources includeaudio books, CDs, Bibles, hymn books and children’s materials. There is a 10 per cent discount for attendees of CRE National 2022 on all books and Bibles.
‘We also pleased to be promoting the autumn series of Saturdays at Bower House,’ said the Amana Trust’s Baria Chapman. ‘These half-day events will run weekly until December and provide a wonderful opportunity for fellowship, ministry and mutual encouragement in the word of God. We invite you to join Bible students and other believers to watch original video messages on The Christian Life spoken by Witness Lee. These messages cover the deep significance and content of what the Christian life is and its practical applications. No cost is required for this event, and refreshments, lunch and shuttles are provided.’
• The Amana Trust are on stand T6 at CRE National 2022
Our next exhibition
CRE Midlands 2023
8-9 November 2023
Cranmore Park, Birmingham
Pew, what a scorcher! Heated cushions for chilly churches
As churches face soaring heating bills this winter, a pew cushion that automatically warms up when worshippers sit on it will be introduced for the first time at next week’s CRE National.
The cushion has proved popular in VIP seats at football stadiums, on boats and particularly in the catering industry where some customers prefer to sit outside in all weathers. Anthony Gerard of Sit & Heat has worked for more than 30 years working with designers, architects and catering organisations all over the world.
‘Our cushions have proved their worth in many outdoor settings and I believe churches will find them very useful in these days of rising energy prices,’ he said. ‘The cushion only gets warm when someone sits on it. The heated back and seat receive power via a battery, which has an effective sitting time of three hours. As soon as the seat is free again, the heating turns off after two minutes. Re-charging is easy, too.
‘Despite the fact that the heating is turned on long before the service, the central heating of a church building causes extremely high energy costs. In addition, the central heating of a church building can cause damage to the historic interior. With the Sit & Heat heating system, churchgoers are heated directly with no more unnecessary energy consumption!’
Catherine Ross, the Church of England’s Open and Sustainable Church Officer – a role which includes energy efficiency – said: ‘Using approaches such as heated seat cushions, which heat the people not the whole church space, can, in the right circumstances, be a great way to cut both the energy use and carbon footprint of a church.’
• Sit & Heat are on stand J4 at CRE National 2022
Our next exhibition
CRE Midlands 2023
8-9 November 2023
Cranmore Park, Birmingham
Access road brings Wall of Answered Prayer a few steps closer
Commencement of work on the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer – a huge monument to God’s care for his people – is moving nearer with the building of an access road to the site underway.
The 50-metre high arching structure will be on a strategic 10-acre site between the M6 and M42 Motorways at Coleshill Manor, and is expected to be seen by more than 500,000 people a day. Snug Architects’ design for the project beat more than 130 competitors from 28 countries.
‘Some large projects like this take time to come to fruition,’ said Snug’s Paul Bulkeley, ‘so it is satisfying when we see progress such as the access road being built.’ Each brick in the wall will indicate a particular answered prayer. There will also be a visitor centre, 24/7 prayer room, café, Christian bookstall and park area for personal reflection with a chaplain on hand to provide additional support.’
The project was the idea of Richard Gamble (pictured), who now directs the project.
‘We want it to be as imposing as the Angel of the North,’ said Richard, former chaplain to Leicester City Football Club. Once constructed, all profits raised from its ongoing operation will fund a million bricks worth of social housing to finance and build 100 houses for social action charities, council housing associations and international social housing charities.
Photo: Richard Gamble
Our next exhibition
CRE Midlands 2023
8-9 November 2023
Cranmore Park, Birmingham