CRE News

Many Abbey returns: centre re-opens to inspire and restore

Daffodils bloom, lambing begins and the estate comes alive again – for the pandemic-weary Lee Abbey will become a place for renewal and refreshment this Spring.

‘Our doors will open to welcome you, to rest and be restored,’ said Gordon Crowther, the abbey’s warden. ‘We want you to be freshly inspired by encountering this place, the community and the wonders of God.’

Under the government’s programme of lockdown relaxation in April, Tea Cottage will open for tasty cream teas and self-catering units will open to allow visitors to enjoy the area even before residential programmes are possible. 

School visits and outdoor activities at the Beacon Centre will follow and in July the main house will open, to provide opportunity for holidays, group stays, retreats and conferences.  

‘This season has challenged us to simplify,’ added Gordon. ‘Worldwide, we are waking up to the urgent need to live within the means of the planet – to live simply. Our rhythm of life and daily programme will reflect this but we still feel called to offer the same generous hospitality that shares God’s welcome. After the challenges of the past year, we recognise, more than ever, the need to learn to live in community with people from different backgrounds; to live with and learn from each other, the way of Jesus Christ.’

A recent guest (who came between lockdowns) said: ‘…a loving, peaceful, support between members of the community is palpable, in stark contrast to the stress and anxiety that governs much of my own workplace.’

‘So,’ says Gordon, ‘trusting in God, we are preparing to reopen Lee Abbey. We invite you to partner with us, help to build community and be part of the adventure of learning to live with one another and with God. Our hope is that many people will encounter God, have their lives, communities and environments transformed.’

• Lee Abbey are exhibiting at CRE National (12-14 October 2021, Sandown Park, Surrey) and CRE South West (23-24 Feb 2022, Westpoint, Exeter)

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Another bright idea for Easter from CPO

Poets, rap artists, sculptors, animators, designers, to name just a few, have joined forces to bring Easter to the world in a fresh way.

My Neon Life is a video launched over the holiday weekend for churches to use in their Easter Sunday services.

‘In Greek, neon means “new”’, explained Stew Smith, chief creative officer at Christian Publishing & Outreach (CPO). ‘It’s also our vision for Easter 2021. As we approach the easing of lockdown restrictions, we want to flood the UK with hope, reconciliation and gratitude – to magnify the message of new life found in the Easter story.’

CPO joined up with the team at Digital Church Toolkit to plan a campaign across print, online and in churches. They started by sharing stories of hope on social media, then launched a competition for UK Christians to create art which expresses the meaning of Easter in their own lives.

‘We engaged with poets, rap artists, sculptors, animators, spoken-word artists, writers, dancers, designers, videographers – anyone creative,’ said Stew. ‘Finally, we partnered with a Christian creative collective based in Bath, called Orphan No More.’

Together with Orphan No More, CPO have produced a video which communicates the story of Easter in an original way, highlighting the hope we can all find in the Gospel. Launched over Easter weekend, the video is available for download and can be included as part of churches’ Easter Sunday services.

‘We believe there has never been a better time to creatively capture the imagination of our nation with the Gospel,’ said Stew.

• Click below to see and download the video:

My Neon Life – on YouTube
My Neon Life – downloadable version

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John the Baptist: penny drops for Michael

Popular author and CRE speaker Michael Penny could not resist the invitation from the trustees of The Open Bible Trust to write a book about John the Baptist.

It follows previous books on Peter, Paul, John and James (the brother of Jesus) written by the 77-year-old.

‘John is an intriguing character,’ he explained. ‘I was surprised when I analysed the New Testament that it doesn’t start with the Angel Gabriel visiting Mary and telling her she is to be the mother of God. Instead we read of Gabriel telling Zechariah that in their old age he and his wife are to have a son who was to go before the Lord. I suddenly realised how influential John was. It was an exciting study which I believe can be helpful to others.’

Michael was influential in launching The Open Bible Trust in 1984, taking on the role of administrator and editor. Moving to America to pastor a church there for nine years he returned to continue his role with the trust. In recent years he has accepted invitations to speak in many countries. He is also chief chaplain for Active Learning, offering help to chaplains and students in up to 19 colleges.

The new book, John the Baptist: His Life, Teaching and Impact, is available for £7.50 from The Open Bible Trust.

You can also watch a new seminar, Learning from Missionaries before Paul, presented by Michael on CRE TV.

The Open Bible Trust is a non-denominational charity which encourages people to read the Bible and to put its teaching into practice.

The Open Bible Trust are on stand S91 at CRE National (12-14 October 2021, Sandown Park, Surrey)

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Goodbye bricks, hello clicks

The burgeoning presence of church online is considered in depth in a brand-new series of seminars on CRE TV.

Presented by hands-on professionals from Tamworth-based Novum AV, a company which helped many churches get online as the pandemic progressed, key questions about streaming are covered – for services, prayer meetings and study times.

The experts don’t just give their opinions, but bring in representatives from the many churches, missions and organisations they have helped over the past 12 months.

‘They describe how going online has not only helped them continue their teaching and pastoral care but also assisted them in reaching outsiders who would not otherwise attend church,’ explained CRE event director Brett Pitchfork. ‘We are delighted to share their observations and advice on CRE TV.’ 

When Covid-19 struck, one church that had met in a school began streaming their services –to find they were not only helping their usual membership but attracting many other people.

The first five presentations identify problems and solutions, from the number of cameras needed, to whether the service is to be broadcast on Zoom, YouTube or Facebook. There are also discussions on audio and lighting issues. 

The final episode – The Future of Bricks with New-Found Clicks – is a lengthy interview between Novum founder Tim Jacques and a number of church and mission leaders who have streamed church services with success and are now considering what it will mean for the future.

The videos available on CRE TV are:

• Oops Our Church Grew 4-fold Overnight A seven-minute introduction to live streaming.
• Streams of Living Water:  Zoom, YouTube, or Facebook? How to choose which platform is right for your church, lasting 19 minutes.
• Can You Zoom in a Bit: how many cameras, and where should I place them? Seven minutes of top tips to ensure cameras are selected and positioned for engaging online worship.
• You Need to Unmute Yourself! Ten minutes to make sure your live stream audio is fit for purpose.
• Lights, Camera… I’m sorry, did you say lighting? How to get the best images on to your live stream, lasting ten minutes.
• The Future of Bricks with the New-Found Clicks How do we continue to engage with our new online congregations? This lasts 1 hour 12 minutes but offers many practical thoughts.

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New ways to invite people into the joy of Easter

As the world slowly emerges from the coronavirus pandemic, Christian charity Lifewords are offering a range of four Easter resources – free for churches, organisations and individuals. 

Using the Bible’s own words to journey through the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection, they are designed to invite people into the new hope and joy that Easter holds. 

Available in print, digital and downloadable formats, the resources can be used by individuals, groups and in family contexts.

‘People chat about them on Zoom with friends, put them in food parcels and give them away,’ said Elizabeth King, supporter engagement lead at Lifewords. ‘Teachers can take students through the Easter story and churches can use them in services and for outreach. Each highlights part of the Bible narrative and together they tell the whole story.’ 

The Easter Journey – This 20-page booklet takes us from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. A vibrant and colourful resource, it brings scriptures to life with bold illustrations and graphics. A series of eight animations for The Easter Journey can be viewed online.

Day Three: Believe the Women – Through compelling contemporary illustrations, Day Three: Believe the Women is a 28-page booklet that tells the story from the perspective of the women that were with Jesus through his journey, and to whom the glorious news of his rising was given. New for 2021 is a series of animations to view and share, and a longer version that churches and individuals can also download and use.

One Friday – One Friday is an illustrated, 32-page booklet with powerful watercolour paintings by artist Jenny Hawke. It captures the moments leading to the crucifixion through the 14 Stations of the Cross. Produced as part of the One Friday campaign, hundreds of churches have now reached and engaged their communities in new and creative ways through this resource. 

Witness: Easter Voices – This credit-card sized, 12-page concertina-style resource expands to reveal nine quotes – ideal for giving away to anyone hearing the good news. Through the voices of those that were present, Witness: Easter Voices gives a short introduction to the events leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Click here to order any of these free booklets (available in packs of 10).

Lifewords was founded 133 years ago as Scripture Gift Mission and provides over a million printed resources to people in some 45 languages and 70-90 countries every year, and digital resources to more than 200.

Lifewords are on stand S40 at CRE National (12-14 October 2021, Sandown Park, Surrey)

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‘Miserly’ Chris is the wizard of warm

A new, all-electric heating system has proved to be a winner with urban as well as rural churches.

ChurchEcoMiser was originally designed for country churches where gas was either unavailable or expensive and oil the only alternative. Now the system is winning plaudits from a wide range of ecclesiastical properties and those buying electricity through a ‘green’ supplier find it is also carbon neutral – allowing some churches to install solar panels which had previously been refused.

Designed by Chris Dunphy, who launched Christopher Dunphy Ecclesiastical Ltd 40 years ago, the system has no boiler, no flue and no noxious gasses.

‘Many of the 1000-plus churches that I have dealt with over the years are Victorian or medieval where protecting the fabric of the building is as important as heating the people, so it can be a challenging but very rewarding task,’ he said. ‘This system is virtually maintenance free, compatible with solar panels, silent in operation and warms the fabric and congregation.’

ChurchEcoMiser and Christopher Dunphy Ecclesiastical Ltd are on stand S7 at CRE National (12-14 October 2021, Sandown Park, Surrey)

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Your journey ends with Searchlight

Puzzling over service ideas for Mothers’ Day and Easter?

Searchlight Theatre have a package that not only saves you time but also provides a dramatic boost to your presentations.

It includes three short, cleverly-crafted sketches from the Searchlight team – each dramatically and humorously developing a different aspect of the Easter story. There is also a 20-minute message, All Stations to Easter, from CRE National 2021 speaker Jeff Lucas. Look out, too, for some bonus material for Mothers’ Day. You’ll find a 20-minute talk by Jeff and a moving song on video from Searchlight, visually accompanied by a performance from members of the cast.

Jeff, an international author, speaker and broadcaster with 26 best-selling books to his name, gives a clear message for each occasion. 

‘This is a resource for churches that have struggled to provide fresh, accessible material for online services over the past 12 months,’ said Searchlight’s David Robinson. ‘We hope it will provide a real boost.’

The complete package is available for £49. Click here for more details

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Insure your house and bless your church

Every time someone takes out a fresh home insurance policy, Ecclesiastical donates £130 to the church of the customer’s choice.

More than 2000 churches have already benefitted – one of them being St Marks & All Saints Churches in West Parley, in the diocese of Salisbury. With Covid-19 playing a part, treasurer Derek Warner is expecting a shortfall of between £15,000 and £18,000 for the year. Ecclesiastical Insurance’s recent Trust130 donation of £650 went into general funds – a welcome addition.

‘We have had no congregations, so no collections,’ said Derek. ‘But even more importantly, we have lost all our income from church hall lettings and survived by eating into our capital. The Trust130 money is absolutely vital – we’re very grateful to Ecclesiastical.’

Trust130 was launched in 2017, to celebrate the 130^th anniversary of the founding of the company and, to date, the company has given more than £430,000 to 2,283 churches around the UK. There is no limit on the number of donations which can be made.

Ecclesiastical are on stand S149 at CRE National (12-14 October 2021, Sandown Park, Surrey)

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Rejoice in your second choice

Much-loved Bible teacher and author Jeff Lucas will open CRE National (Oct 12-14 2021, Sandown Park, Surrey) and introduce visitors to the biblical story of Daniel and friends, deported and forced into a form of lockdown.

You can see his video inviting you to the exhibition here.

‘There are so many lessons we can learn from the experiences of Daniel,’ said Jeff. ‘In fact, much of the Bible is written from lockdown, whether it’s Daniel, Joseph, Esther or the apostle Paul. Their stories show us how to thrive rather than just survive.’

His new book Singing in Babylon (David C Cook) is subtitled ‘finding purpose in life’s second choices.’

‘With CRE South West moved, for a second time, to Feb 23/24 2022, we are right on board with the message!’ said CRE owner and MD Steve Goddard. ‘However, more than 70 per cent of the floor space has already been sold for CRE National 2021 at Sandown Park and we look forward to celebrating the first steps on the long road back to normality.

‘While the internet has been a lifeline over the past 12 months, people still want to meet the person behind the product – because face to face beats mouse to mouse, every time.’

The Association of Event Organisers has worked closely with the Government to suggest timely best practice in light of Covid-19. With this in mind, new measures at CRE may include foot pedal-activated hand sanitisers, decontaminating spray, protective screens at visitor registration, messaging reminders, one-way systems and socially-distanced seminar rooms, toilets and breakout areas.

‘Who would have thought all this would be necessary 12 months ago?’ said Goddard. ‘But we are grateful to friends who have prayed for and joined us on an unexpected journey. Our prayer is that, as we look back, we will see how a greater good has come from these extraordinary days – and that being prepared to make the best of second choices made all the difference.’

DC Cook are on stand FC8 at CRE National (12-14 October 2021, Sandown Park, Surrey)

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CRE South West at Westpoint, Exeter: new dates 23-24 Feb 2022

With a ban on large public gatherings in place for the foreseeable future, the organisers of CRE South West have postponed the exhibition until early next year (23-24 Feb 2022).

‘With the impressive roll out of the vaccination programme, things are certainly looking more hopeful for us all,’ said exhibition owner Steve Goddard. ‘However, we think it will be a while yet before large-scale indoor events will be sanctioned. With this in mind, we thought it best to make an early decision to postpone CRE South West until 2022, to ensure the event has the best possible chance of being successful.’

Finding purpose in life’s second choices is the timely theme of a new book by Jeff Lucas (pictured), a much-loved Bible teacher and author, who will open CRE National (12-14 Oct 2021, Sandown Park, Surrey). Jeff will introduce visitors to the biblical story of Daniel and friends, deported and forced into a form of lockdown. 

‘There are so many lessons we can learn from their experiences,’ said Jeff. ‘In fact, much of the Bible is written from lockdown, whether it’s Daniel and his friends, Joseph, Esther or the apostle Paul. Their stories show us how to thrive rather than just survive.’ See a short introductory video from Jeff here.

‘With more than 70 per cent of the floor space already sold at Sandown Park, we look forward to an event where, together, we celebrate the first steps on the long road back to normality,’ said Goddard. ‘While the internet has been a lifeline over the past 12 months, people still want to meet the person behind the product – because face to face beats mouse to mouse. Every time. In fact, nothing beats trying it on, tasting it, sitting on it, hearing it, discussing it and comparing it. Nothing beats CRE!’

The Association of Exhibition Organisers has worked closely with the Government to suggest timely best practice in light of Covid-19. With this in mind, new measures at CRE may include foot pedal-activated hand sanitisers, decontaminating spray, protective screens at visitor registration, messaging reminders, one-way systems and socially-distanced seminar rooms, toilets and breakout areas.

‘Who would have thought all this would be necessary 12 months ago?’ said Goddard. ‘But we are grateful to friends who have prayed for and joined us on an unexpected journey. Our prayer is that, as we look back, we will see how a greater good has come from these extraordinary days – and that being prepared to make the best of second choices made all the difference.’

Our next exhibitions