CRE News

Bagging a better future

Promise Bags is an Indian business giving holistic freedom to women trapped in caste-based discrimination, poverty and hopelessness. 

‘Our mission is to offer freedom to Dalit (or Untouchable) women trapped in 3000 years of a caste system in which they have been treated with less dignity than an animal,’ said founder and CEO Elisha Cowtapalli. The company currently provides employment for 12 women in a safe, loving and caring environment. The women create beautiful and high-quality leather and jute bags, handcrafted with heart and passion, samples of which will be on sale at CRE National 2021.

‘We produce 100 per cent genuine leather bags,’ said Elisha. ‘Each and every small detail is taken care of. Our dream is to employ 100 women by 2025.’ He brought a selection of Promise Bags to CRE National 2017 – and sold out! He will show this year’s visitors a variety of products suitable for individual, family, church or business needs.

Forty per cent of profits from sales go towards a not-for-profit education project with Dalit children, started 13 years ago (see www.lightkids.org).

• Promise Bags are on stand A54 at CRE National 2021

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Your church building: make light of changing demands

One day its mother and toddler groups, next day a full-blown music concert – gone are the days when churches were open for simple services twice a week.

For more than 40 years one CRE exhibitor has juggled with radical changes in lighting and power as they give churches old and new a complete overhaul.

Anthony J Smith (Gloucester) Ltd have a long-established reputation for designing and installing bespoke lighting solutions for church buildings throughout the country and have a highly-committed installation team with vast experience in some challenging environments.

‘The changes in church use over the years have meant electrical work often needs to meet completely new demands,’ said company director Che Colley. ‘Gone are the days when most churches met only twice a week. Now the lighting has to cater for a week packed with activity – mother and toddler groups, social gatherings, even concerts and theatrical productions.’

The transformation of the lighting system within the nave and chapels at Pershore Abbey in Worcestershire (pictured) has been a major exercise in giving one of the country’s oldest abbeys a brighter future. Initial discussions for phase one of the project started in 2017 between the fabric committee and the design team at Anthony Smith. Following several lighting demonstrations and meetings with the Abbey architect, an initial specification for the faculty application was produced and submitted to Worcester DAC. 

As the abbey is a Grade 1 listed building, the proposals were presented to delegates from Historic England, the Church Buildings Council and the DAC before final specification was approved. A new energy efficient LED lighting system was installed with many of the light fittings custom painted to blend into the fabric of the building. The new system is controlled via a scene setting system which allows the abbey to change lighting at the touch of a button for various services and performances. The system also enables the fine architectural and liturgical features to be highlighted, allowing visitors to view the interior of the building in all its glory, including the unique ploughshare vaulting.

‘We were delighted when the Priest in Charge, Reverend Claire Lording, said it had been a privilege to work with us,’ said Anthony Smith’s Che Colley. ‘We now look forward to adding the final touches to this magnificent building.’

• Anthony J Smith are on stand C6 at CRE National 2021

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Welcome back to the new different

Dear friend of CRE

Perhaps your church is one of hundreds that hasn’t bemoaned the disruption caused by the pandemic but has taken the opportunity to harness new technology and reach countless thousands who would never darken your doors on a Sunday.

We may miss the ‘old normal’ but, being realistic, this ‘new different’ is the future.

Our ever-creative exhibitors are rising to the challenge, too. I invite you to look through an online version of the CRE National 2021 brochure. A hard copy has dropped through more than 30,000 letterboxes this week.

At Sandown Park (Oct 12-14) there’ll be a comprehensive range of new resources for you and your church – in financial management, fund-raising, new technology, social media, streaming, worship, creative arts, home groups, mission, youth and children’s work. Expert advice will be on hand in more than 50 seminars and special features.

Keen to come but Covid-cautious? Your safety is our major focus, so we’ve moved part of the exhibition from the main Surrey Hall to the Esher Hall below – allowing the creation of wider aisles. Other possible safety measures will depend on government stipulations at the time. 

When you’ve read through the brochure, be sure to forward the link to others who will also benefit from a day of discovery at CRE National 2021 – and buy your tickets today for as little as £3 (day-of-entry £8).

This year, more than any other, please support our loyal exhibitors by bringing at least one full car from your church!

In truth, after a difficult 18 months, there will be something wonderfully familiar and ‘old normal’ about bringing CRE back to Sandown Park. But we’re looking forward to showing how you and your church can become part of the ‘new different’, committed to the challenge of change.

And that’s what makes running this event so exciting and rewarding.

See you at Sandown Park in October!

Steve Goddard
On behalf of the CRE team

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Pop goes the pupil

The lockdown has proved a mixed blessing to the founders of a popular school resource.

Miz Porter, creator of iSingPOP, said: ‘The crisis has been really bad because children have not been allowed to sing in school but good because we have developed a whole new area of ministry using YouTube and visual resources.’ 

Founded 15 years ago, the organisation has been reaching 90,000 children a week thanks to a classroom worship programme. Resources are provided to help children and families engage in collective worship whether in school, church or at home. The vision for the project came when Miz, 48, was taking a band into schools to lead singing and discovered the children wanted to be the band. 

‘I realised they need to be involved in every aspect of the programme,’ she recalled. ‘That is the skill which our team of enthusiastic leaders have developed over the years.’

Classroom Worship from iSingPOP unites the whole school in collective worship, even if the children are in smaller bubbles or learning from home. The one-a-week, 20-minute session involves almost no advance preparation and can be lined up with Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Each session includes an animated Bible story, time to reflect on the theme, a prayer activity and a dance routine to learn and practice – and the Lord’s Prayer.

It is even possible for a school or church to put on a special concert after three days of learning some catchy, fun-filled pop songs – each one based on an important Christian value. The concert can be performed live in the local community or church with all the equipment provided. The school will also get a set of teaching videos so the children continue singing and learning.

iSingPOP is Innervation Trust’s (a UK based charity) primary and secondary school singing, performing and resourcing project. 

‘We work with church and community schools right across the country, however we have an official partnership with the Church of England,’ said Miz. As one youngster told them in an email after a school visit: ‘Hello I’m a fan. I’m a student and I learn from this so much I feel like I’m connecting to God and Jesus.’

iSingPOP will be in action at CRE National 2021 (3pm, Tue 12 Oct) and aim to ‘take years off your age’ at their interactive workshop!

iSingPOP are on stand U9 at CRE National 2021

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Sermon of the Year 2021: Hughes woos the pews

Catharine Hughes may enjoy winning at board games but she’s scooped top prize in a pursuit that is far from trivial.

Catharine, 50, is winner of Sermon of the Year 2021 – an online competition organised by Preach, the quarterly membership magazine published by the Leaders of Worship and Preachers Trust (LWPT).

‘I was very surprised to receive the trophy!’ said Catharine, a member Poynton Methodist Church in Cheshire. ‘Preaching has been something I’ve done for a number of years and it is always such a privilege to share God’s word. I’m very grateful to the judges. It’s unbelievable – and I just want to thank everybody who has helped me on my journey so far.’

Cross the Divide was the theme chosen for this year’s competition. Three finalists were selected from a host of entries from all Christian denominations. Preachers and would-be preachers were asked to submit a sermon of 1,500 words via the online form on the Preach website. The judges looked for how the Bible text was dealt with, how the biblical themes were handled, and how the structure, application and theme of the message were covered.

Ian Buchanan, chief executive of CRE exhibitor LWPT, commented: ‘We were especially impressed with the overall standard of entries received this year and very pleased that entries came from many different churches and people of all age groups.’

Catharine grew up in Yorkshire and became a Christian during a mission conducted by the late Rob Frost. She has a degree in maths and psychology and qualified as a chartered accountant. Her husband’s research took them and their two children to Lusaka, Zambia, which delayed her accreditation as a Methodist local preacher by four years but gave her plenty of practice – and stories for two books. She is now completing her second of three years’ part-time training for presbyterial ministry.

‘After being told I had won the award I was delighted, but also a bit anxious about preaching my next sermon to people who knew,’ she admitted. ‘But I fell from a horse and fractured my back and am now strapped up – so my next preach will be some time off!’

The other finalists were Philip Sudworth from Wigan and Katrina Clifford, from West Ewell, Surrey.         

Now in its sixth year the competition aims to promote the art of sermon writing and preaching and is open to all Christian denominations.

Ecumenical in outlook, Preach covers a topical theme in each edition to help preachers understand and explore current issues in a Christian context.

Photo: Sermon of the Year 2021 winner Catharine Hughes

LWPT are on stand A20 at CRE National 2021

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Seminar Guide – See the complete guide to seminars and special features at CRE National 2021

Welcome Back – See an online version of the CRE National 2021 ‘Welcome Back’ brochure

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‘The church doesn’t talk about porn, so I assumed I was a freak…’

With statistics showing that one in two male Christians views porn in secret, Mike Genung, founder of a ministry to people struggling with sex addiction, will be at CRE National 2021 to show how churches can engage with those hurting from porn and adultery.

Mike had given up church after being molested as a 14-year-old by a trusted female adult from his church. He became consumed by sex, drugs and alcohol. The sexual side included porn-fuelled masturbation, promiscuity, sex with prostitutes, an affair with a married mother and visits to strip clubs.

‘In spite of spending years in church, God showed me I’d never gone after him,’ he recalls. ‘I’d sought women, ministry success, money, Bible knowledge, and other things, but not the Lord himself.’

That vision changed his outlook, saved his marriage and led to a new motivation to help others. He started a support group for men in 2000 and in 2004 set up the Blazing Grace website.

Today Blazing Grace has grown into an international ministry offering counselling for individuals and couples. He has written seven books, speaks in churches and other organisations in the US and Europe and leads retreats and conferences. The Rogue Christian, his seventh book, will be available at CRE National.

‘Because the church doesn’t talk about sex or porn, I assumed I was a freak,’ he maintains. ‘Then I stumbled on surveys showing that 50 per cent of Christian men were viewing porn and wondered how so many Christians could be struggling with a sin so devastating that it destroys marriages – yet no one talks about it?’

Recent surveys show that two-thirds of Christian men view pornography – and those are just the honest ones. Christian women struggle with it, too. In fact, women are the fastest-growing segment when it comes to viewing pornography.

As well as speaking at CRE, Mike will lead a one-day seminar at Sure Hope Church in Old Colwyn, Conwy, North Wales on October 9. Anyone can attend. The contact came as 

as a result of a meeting between Mike and a visitor to CRE Midlands in March 2020. He would also welcome the opportunity to lead seminars in other churches – including London – when he is in the UK for CRE National 2021 (12-14 Oct). Interested church leaders can contact him at the Blazing Grace website.

Blazing Grace are on stand K5 at CRE National 2021

Mike Genung will speak on ‘How churches can engage with those hurting from porn and adultery’ (11am, Tue 12 Oct)

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Seminar Guide – See the complete guide to seminars and special features at CRE National 2021

Welcome Back – See an online version of the CRE National 2021 ‘Welcome Back’ brochure

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Dad’s Army’s tetchy vicar set for CRE debut

The oldest surviving member of BBC TV comedy Dad’s Army is celebrating his 90th Birthday at CRE National 2021. 

Frank Williams, cast as Walmington-on-Sea’s tetchy vicar, will guest on Cindy’s Sofa along with fellow sit-com star Sue Hodge (‘Allo ‘Allo) on Wed 13 Oct.

In real life Frank may not have turned round his collar but he has a strong Christian faith and a lifelong commitment to the church.

‘Although I have spent many years in various film and television roles, being part of Croft and Perry’s classic comedy is hard to beat,’ he said. ‘It’s always a great privilege to take our Dad’s Army event into churches, and the occasional Easter cruise organised by Christians in Entertainment director Chris Gidney. We’ve been doing this for around 20 years now and it pulls in people who wouldn’t normally go to church. The outside world discovers that Christians can laugh and have fun, as well!’

In fact, Frank has worked with many of the greats, including Tommy Cooper, Harry Worth, Dick Emery, The Two Ronnies and Morecambe and Wise. At CRE Frank will sign copies of his best-selling autobiography, Vicar to Dad’s Army – and thinks that Mr Mainwaring would be proud to see that even at 90, he is far from retiring! You can see his recent showreel here.

Frank’s appearance at CRE National is part of the Arts Centre Group’s 50th anniversary celebrations in association with Christians in Entertainment. For decades, the arts had been considered a poor choice for serious-minded Christians – until a small group of musicians, actors and broadcasters, including Nigel Goodwin, Sir Cliff Richard and Rev Cindy Kent MBE, formed the Arts Centre Group in 1971 with a simple aim: supporting artists to be ‘fully professional and fully Christian’.

Still going strong, Rev Cindy, CRE’s ‘queen of conversation’, will use the event to discuss the role of the arts in both Christian and mainstream circles with a special focus on encouraging the next generation of aspiring performers, broadcasters, authors and journalists.

Book your tickets to CRE National!

Seminar Guide – See the complete guide to seminars and special features at CRE National 2021

Welcome Back – See an online version of the CRE National 2021 ‘Welcome Back’ brochure

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Lion-sized guide is roaring success

A free magazine called Aslan is a lion-sized guide to getting the best from Christian books, CDs and DVDs.

So says David Wavre, owner of Aslan Christian Books, a family-owned company with more than 30 years’ experience in the book trade.

‘We’ve designed the magazine as a one-stop shop for all that’s new – and a reminder of those classic authors whose writings are still relevant,’ he explains. In its May-June edition, Aslan presents a host of new books, key titles, ones to watch and some Christian classics.

‘We pride ourselves on offering a fantastic range of Christian titles across denominations and interests,’ he maintains, ‘all at the best prices around.’

The company is moving to a new nearby warehouse in Wiltshire at the end of June, to add about 10,000 square feet to the current operation. The current 32-page edition of Aslan – sent to about 10,000 individuals and churches – also highlights material covering prayer, biographies, devotionals, bibles, diaries and lectionaries, daily bible reading notes, fiction, children’s material, music and film. It also contains four pages of bargain buys.

Aslan is bi-monthly from January to June and then monthly.

• Click here for further information.

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CRE: Organisations book in as confidence returns

It’s taken time for the confidence to return after lockdown but in the past two weeks several organisations have booked stands at CRE National (12-14 Oct 2021) – taking the total space sold to almost 80 per cent.

So reports Brett Pitchfork, CRE’s event director, who has plotted a new floorplan for the event, in case social distancing is still required in the autumn. Changes include wider aisles and the use of the Esher Hall at Sandown Park.

‘There has been a growing sense of anticipation and determination to do business in the “old way” – face to face,’ said Brett. ‘Zoom conversations only take us so far. Finding new customers and supporters is best done in a live environment and CRE National is shaping up to be an emotional homecoming for many exhibitors and visitors.’

Among the organisations taking stands at CRE National in the past two weeks are:

• Mellor and Mottram (heating suppliers)
• CCSM (Chinese Church Support Ministry)
• GIVT (unique cashless giving app for churches and individuals)
• SICO (specialist furniture suppliers)
• Single Friendly Church (equipping churches make single people feel fully welcome)
• USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel)
• ising Worship (Engaging God’s people in praise)
• isingPop (helping children and families engage in collective worship in school, church and home)

‘If you are considering taking a stand, please get in touch soon,’ said Brett. ‘Your choice of position becomes smaller as the weeks go by.’

To book your stand, please contact:

Carol Malpass
carol@creonline.co.uk
0161 250 2467

James Batterbee
james@creonline.co.uk
0161 250 2306

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Dynamic trio will ‘preach off’ for coveted title

A dynamic trio will take part in a ‘preach off’ before a panel of judges in June – to decide who will be named Preacher of the Year.

Organised by Preach Magazine, published by the Leaders of Worship and Preachers’ Trust (LWPT), the three chosen for the online final on June 24 are Katrina Clifford, from West Ewell, Surrey, Philip Sudworth, from Wigan and Catharine Hughes from Poynton, Cheshire.

They had been asked to produce a sermon in 1,500 words on the theme of ‘Cross the Divide’.

‘We were especially impressed with the standard of entries this year,’ said Ian Buchanan, chief executive of LWPT. ‘Entries came from many different churches and people of all age groups.’

• Katrina Clifford is a member of Trinity URC in Wimbledon and also attends All Saints West Ewell (Church of England). She is currently training to be a Synod-recognised lay preacher in the URC and is attached to New Malden URC as part of her training. 

• Philip Sudworth is a member of Standish Methodist Church and became a Methodist local preacher in the Wigan circuit in December 2017. Retired from the education service, he was voted Local Volunteer of the Year for the borough of Wigan in 2019.

• Catherine Hughes grew up in Yorkshire and became a Christian during a mission led by the late evangelist Rob Frost. A member of Poynton Methodist Church, she attends Mobberley Methodist Church and is training for Presbyterian ministry.

Set up to promote the art of sermon writing and preaching, Sermon of the Year is in its sixth year. It gives preachers from across the UK an opportunity to hone and demonstrate their skills and is open to all Christian denominations.

Judges at the online preach-off will be Antony Billington, senior pastor at the Beacon Church, Wigan, and theology adviser at the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, Dr Helen Morris, acting director of studies and lecturer in applied theology at Moorlands College and Tobi Olujinmi, an international public speaker, media producer and founder of W Talk. Click here for more information.

LWPT are exhibiting at CRE National 2021 (12-14 Oct, Sandown Park, Surrey)

Seminar Guide – See the complete guide to seminars and special features at CRE National 2021

Welcome Back – See an online version of the CRE National 2021 ‘Welcome Back’ brochure

Our next exhibitions