Banging a gong for the countryside
The UK’s 15,000 rural churches will find valuable help at CRE Midlands – thanks to an organisation set up by the man behind the most famous gong in history.
J. Arthur Rank, legend of the British film industry and a devout member of the Methodist Church, set up the Rank Foundation following an illustrious career producing famous films like The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), Henry V (1944), A Matter of Life and Death (1946) and a series of comedies starring Norman Wisdom.
The Arthur Rank Centre, which has been situated at Stoneleigh Park for nearly 50 years and specialises in helping churches outside urban conurbations, will exhibit at CRE Midlands.
‘Visitors to our stand will discover a arrange of resources and training programmes,’ said Rev Claire Maxim, a Church of England rector who took on the role of chief executive 18 months ago. The centre is the base for national rural officers for URC, C of E and Methodist churches and acts as a network hub for rural officers and agricultural chaplains.
‘We will tell people from rural areas what we can do for their churches,’ explained Claire, ‘whether they have problems with buildings, worship or liturgy, for example. And, of course, we carry clout politically with advocacy on legislation from a Christian perspective.’
The organisation’s magazine, Country Way, is another important resource, containing articles of specific interest to rural churches. Developing the creative and entrepreneurial skills of rural church leaders is the focus of a leadership training programme – and a series of conferences are organised for anyone involved in rural mission and ministry.
Visitors to CRE Midlands will also discover how to make Rural Mission Sunday 2020 – Sunday 19 July – a special celebration of the life and work of rural churches.
• The Arthur Rank Centre are on stand P12 at CRE Midlands
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Photo: Hawkshead in the Lake District.
Search on for catwalking clergy at CRE Midlands
The search is on for contributors to Clergy on the Catwalk, a special presentation of clerical clothing at the upcoming Christian Resources Exhibition (NAEC, Stoneleigh Park, 4/5 Mar 2020).
A wide variety of formal and informal ecclesiastical clothing, for both genders, will be displayed by leading designers like Hayes and Finch, Collared clergywear and local designer Rev Naomi Nixon, new CEO of the Student Christian Movement. In her spare time, Naomi makes clerical tops and dresses to sell in Coventry’s St Clare’s at the Cathedral, a pioneer church community and shop, tucked between old and new cathedrals.
‘All Naomi’s items are high-quality cotton jersey, in beautiful prints and colours,’ said Rev Charlotte Gale (pictured above), who runs the shop. ‘We aim to provide well-made, comfortable and stylish clothes that fit “real” women and can be bought off the shelf – so no ordering and waiting.’
Clergy all over the UK have bought Naomi’s clericals but in the diocese of Coventry you are likely to see several women at a meeting of ministers wearing one of her tops or dresses. No men are supplied because ‘we can’t keep up with demand from women!’
Up to half a dozen clergy will be needed for the catwalk which takes place at 11am on Wed 4 March.
‘No modelling experience is required. All denominations, shapes, ages – and both genders – considered!’ explains CRE Midlands event director Brett Pitchfork. ‘Each participant will be given £50 as a thank you.’
Clergy wishing to take part in Clergy on the Catwalk should contact CRE on 0161 240 4500. Email here.
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Turning ‘scary’ evangelism on its head
A major video-based training course, designed to envision and equip Christians to share their faith naturally, will be available at CRE Midlands 2020.
The initiative goes back to 2007 when Tim Moyler (pictured) ran a version of a Living & Telling course developed first by David Wilson of Agapé UK.
‘I was hearing story after story of young people going to university and falling away from faith,’ said Tim. ‘I was passionate that this wouldn’t happen to my own kids and other young people in the church. I adapted the course for school leavers. It was just a small group but one of them is now in the leadership team of a church plant in Exeter, another leading a national movement amongst students in the UK.’
In the autumn of 2008, Tim, who lives in Woodbury in Devon, connected with Dave Pegg and together they ran Living & Telling in Exeter. Although pitched at primarily college and university students, it has always attracted people of all ages and is now aimed at churches and groups who are looking to equip Christians to become more confident in sharing their faith.
‘Discipleship is evident throughout the whole course,’ explains Tim. ‘Living & Telling can help people discover a whole new adventure and sense of fun. Instead of it being something scary and off-putting, we turn the whole thing on its head. Living & Telling can help people do that. It really does encourage as well as equip Christians to look at discipleship and sharing our amazing news in a fresh way.’
Tim will lead a seminar on Living & Telling at CRE Midlands (3pm, Wed 5 Mar).
‘The exhibition is where we will chat with the very people for whom we made the course,’ said Tim.
• Agapé UK are on stand B13 at CRE Midlands 2020
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Phishers of men: don’t become an easy target
Clever computer criminals want to take your money, your identity and even your church – that will be Dave Carlos’ stark warning to visitors at CRE Midlands 2020.
When it comes to cyber security, Dave has a lifetime of experience. An interest in home computers in the early 1980s resulted in his appointment as editor of Home Computing Weekly. The cover story on his first edition introduced readers to the way the early Prestel system had been hacked.
Eventually he started his own PR company, advising producers of computer games, before moving to CRE exhibitors Agape and Care for the Family. However, a request from a local group in Fleetwood determined his current role.
‘I devised a talk on computer security and presented it to a number of organisations,’ he recalled. ‘That same presentation has been revised substantially over the years and I can even provide a link to watch it online.’
Dave also works with Lancashire Police, giving presentations to groups, churches and companies.
‘I was accepted as a cyber volunteer and now also help to train new police officers!’ he explained. ‘Our work came to national attention when we were runners up in the prestigious Lord Ferrers Awards 2019 as Team of the Year for Volunteers in Policing.’
Dave’s CRE Midlands seminar – Cyber Security and Digital Safety in Your Church (date and time tbc) – will help church representatives and home computer users grasp basic safety measures when online.
‘There are so many devious criminals wanting to take over your computers, your money and even your identity, that it is a subject of crucial importance,’ he said. ‘Everyone using a computer and going online ought to be aware of the many pitfalls and how to protect themselves.’
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Half a million join Advent journey
An estimated 500,000 people are currently on an Advent journey with a Real Advent Calendar, according to Meaningful Chocolate pioneer David Marshall.
‘That number is made up of 150,000 children and other family members,’ said David, who founded the company 10 years ago. ‘Nearly 500 calendars have also been donated to a food bank scheme.’
It all began when the former communications director saw the wrapping on an egg that said ‘Easter is a season of chocolate and loveliness.’
‘I was shocked that a commercial company would make such a claim that was just not true,’ he recalls. ‘I couldn’t find anyone making an egg with any religious significance so I came up with the idea of a fair trade egg which told the original story.’
At first it was just a paragraph on the box. Now each egg comes with a 24-page activity booklet proclaiming the Easter story in full. The first egg was produced in time for Easter 2011. Supermarkets refused to sell it and major sales went through churches and church schools. Now more than a million eggs are produced and some supermarkets have begun to stock the product.
Six years ago David vision’s expanded to include Advent calendars – again using Fair Trade chocolate and proclaiming the real message of Christmas. The eggs and calendars are produced under Fair Trade regulations and the packaging contains no plastic and is fully recyclable. The company has donated more than £250,000 to charitable causes.
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Send a Cow: African-designed solutions for rural communities
A charity born because UK farmers were forced to slaughter healthy dairy cows, is now in its fourth decade of operation.
In 1988, many UK dairy farmers were outraged by strict EU milk quotas which forced them to throw away good quality milk and even slaughter their herds. At the same time, families in Uganda were recovering from the country’s brutal civil war which had destroyed farm land and livestock.
A small group of Christian dairy farmers from the west country decided to donate some of their own dairy cows to rural families in Uganda. Send a Cow was born.
The charity continued to send livestock from the UK to Uganda until 1996 when the BSE crisis took hold. Since then, all livestock has been sourced from within Africa.
The charity works in six countries and provides a proven package of support and training in farming, hygiene, business skills and gender equality. More than two thirds of the people supported are women.
‘Every day, families face poverty that is extreme, cruel and worst of all unnecessary,’ said Ann Hatton, Send a Cow’s church development manager.
‘But rural Africa is rich with opportunity and where there is land, there is hope.
We don’t impose solutions, instead we focus on helping people grow them from within. Our African-designed solutions are developed with and for rural communities.’
Through taking part in Send a Cow’s projects, families receive the skills and confidence they need to get the most from their land, so they can grow enough food, earn a living and go after their dreams.
‘The charity now does much more than provide cows,’ said Ann. ‘We work with rural communities to make the most of their most precious resource – the soil beneath their feet – and create lasting self-belief.’
• Send a Cow are on stand C24 at CRE Midlands 2020
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Answering questions about your church and social media
In a world where a fifth of 16 to 24-year-olds spend more than seven hours a day online, it’s time to reflect Jesus there.
So says Ben Elliott (pictured), head of innovation at CRE exhibitor CPO, who will lead a seminar at CRE Midlands (3pm, Wed 4 Mar) exploring ways to build your local church through social media.
‘Never before have we been exposed to such a sweeping change in such a short space of time,’ admits Ben. ’It’s easy to feel as though we’re on the back foot. We need to maximise all communication streams to share Jesus. A joined-up approach is required, linking print and digital.
‘If you’re facing burning questions about social media in your church and which networks you should be using, how often to post and what kind of content works best – come along and receive! You will leave knowing how to create a simple digital strategy.’
As well as his job at CPO, Ben is founder of the Church Comms Collective, a group which facilitates greater peer-to-peer support for church communicators across the UK. He is also a digital leader at his church, The Well, in Sheffield.
• CPO are on stand E1 at CRE Midlands 2020
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Fake theology: Worse than fake news?
Fake news is bad enough but is false theology even worse?
That will be the question posed by Rev Dr David Hilborn, principal of Moorlands College at CRE Midlands (12pm, Wed 4 Mar).
History is littered with people promoting extreme views that lead to tragedy. The Jonestown Massacre in 1978 and the Branch Davidian siege in Waco, Texas in 1993, are just two examples. Actor Taylor Kitsch (pictured) played the part of Waco leader David Koresh in a recent TV series.
Various ‘theologies’ have become popular and influential – most notably those concerning prosperity, nationalism and the end times.
‘The adage that a lie has travelled round the world before truth has got its boots on, has never been more true,’ said Steve Goddard, owner and MD of CRE. ‘We live in a world where extreme views can be propagated easily through new media channels. All of us need an informed theology, not just the preacher in the pulpit.’
The Study Zone at CRE Midlands will give visitors of all ages an opportunity to choose a theological learning opportunity suitable for their lifestyle – and David Hilborn will launch the initiative with a seminar addressing fake theologies.
He is principal of a college that equips people passionate about Jesus to impact church and world. Moorlands has been based in Christchurch, Dorset since 1970, but in the last decade has run teaching centres in Birmingham, Torquay and Gloucester, with a new centre in Belfast due to open in September. David was head of theology at the Evangelical Alliance for a decade and held various senior posts in theological education before leading Moorlands. He is the author or editor of eight books and numerous articles.
‘The Study Zone is an excellent idea, showcasing the high-quality training and education on offer at a range of UK theological colleges,’ he said. ‘I’m thrilled to be part of it.’
Colleges in the Study Zone include:
Capernwray Hall
London School of Theology
Cliff College
Oak Hill College
Moorlands College
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Good news! Good news! Read all about it!
It’s the colourful outreach tool that is bucking the trend towards digital media.
UK monthly newspaper Good News has sold almost one million copies every year for the past six years. Used by churches of all denominations, the colourful, breezy publication features stories about celebrities and ‘ordinary’ people – showing how the Christian faith transforms lives.
Run by a small team as a registered charity, Good News started from scratch in 2001 and now sells more than 77,000 copies every month, with the Christmas edition rising to more than 100,000.
‘We are not publicising these sales figures to crow about them but to let local congregations struggling to reach their communities know that other churches have found a way to do it,’ said editor Andrew Halloway. ‘Good News distribution is a tried and tested method.’
The team receive a regular flow of responses from readers who have made faith commitments and from churches who relate how Good News provides opportunities for meaningful conversations.
One user in Orpington, Kent, said: ‘Praise the Lord that you keep the paper interesting to non-church folk. I deliver it to a number of people who live nearby and out of 80 people I’ve asked so far, more than 70 per cent like to read it, and only 26 per cent say they don’t want it.’
Free sample copies will be available at CRE North.
• Good News are on stand P34 at CRE Midlands where free sample copies will be available
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Pump up your parish mag volume
For 20 years Anne Coomes (pictured) has provided editorial and graphics for church magazines of all denominations – and she will deliver a seminar at CRE Midlands helping editors make the most of their much-loved publications.
‘Church magazines still play a critical role in community life,’ said Anne, co-founder of Parish Pump. ‘They are a pro-active way to keep in touch with both church members and the community. Websites are good, of course, but how many people wake up and say to themselves: “I really must visit my local church website today!” However, if you deliver a magazine through their door, or hand one out in church, people WILL look through it – and if it is good, or relevant to their needs, you will keep their attention.
‘We know of at least one suicide that was prevented in this way. A magazine contained a Parish Pump article about depression, and it led to the person seeking help instead of over-dosing.’
Turning out a regular publication, against deadlines, can be a daunting task. Ironically, since computer software offered us generative text and spellcheckers, typographical errors (or typos) have actually increased in number.
‘Every editor can recall that awful moment when they realise their mistake and there’s nothing they can do about it,’ said Anne. ‘I once ran a headline that should have read: “Make flowers that look like satin.” But instead it said: “Make flowers that look like satan.” Not one of my more glorious moments!’
• Parish Pump are on stand P26 at CRE Midlands 2020
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