Bean bags, biscuits and books, books, books
Bean bags, biscuits and books, books, books are one man’s vision for the perfect ‘quiet spot’ in every church.
Dave Gatward, managing director of Kevin Mayhew Publishing, said: ‘I want to start a revolution in which churches choose a place where everyone, whatever their age, reads together, where an 89-year-old sits down and enjoys a book with a child of three.’
The company imprint, Palm Tree, is to launch new books in an ever-expanding range for children with the first in the series available at CRE North next week. The first ones include Bible Birds and Beasties, What Happens when You Die, Grandpa? and Dedication Prayers, along with The Classic Children’s Bible.
‘We will publish new books in the series at least twice a year in an ever-expanding range,’ continued Dave, who wants churches to start a children’s library ‘filled with amazing books that they will want to read again and again, and thus learn more about just how much God loves them. Books are the best gifts – they never run out of batteries.’
He also aims to see churches hold prize-givings, celebrating children’s achievements by the presentation of books ‘they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.’
Palm Tree plan to release a book with the Christmas story in September, and Dave hopes others in the range will be used to mark dedications and Christenings.
‘Don’t let the family walk away with nothing,’ he said. ‘Give them a book. Write in it some lovely things from the church and keep in touch. Visitors to our stand at CRE North will be able to get a special pre-order offer complete with samples of the first set of titles. This has me tingling with excitement. I have absolute faith in the transformative power Palm Tree books will have in churches and families.
‘These are books chosen with care and love. I want churches to fall in love with them and to be desperate to find out what’s coming next. And I want children to have books to love, books to be read to and from, books at church and books at home.’
• Kevin Mayhew are on stand C29 at CRE North
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Feed the Hungry: Book your place to lend a helping hand
It’s simple, communal and creates a high nutrition resource to feed some of the poorest children in the world.
And now you can find out how it all works by booking your place to join a Hand to Hand food packing demonstration at CRE North next week (13/14 Mar).
The activity entails a team of 10 CRE visitors filling bags with dried rice, soya and lentils along with a sachet of micronutrients. These bags are then weighed, sealed, labelled and boxed. Each pack contains six meals (one each for six children) and every box of food helps feed a family of six for a month.
‘Food packing is very simple and creates an end-resource sent by Feed The Hungry UK to some of the poorest children in the world,’ explained Gwyn Williams, the charity’s operations director. ‘It’s also a great way to involve your local community in a worthwhile activity.’
There will be several opportunities to join a Hand to Hand food packing team at CRE North. It will require one hour of your time and you will join a team of nine others.
Wed 13 Mar
11am to 12pm
2pm to 3pm
6pm to 7pm
Thur 14 Mar
11am to 12pm
1pm to 2pm
Stuart Bell, leader of the Ground Level Network and Senior Pastor of Alive Church, Lincoln, said: ‘I am delighted to commend Hand to Hand food packing to churches as it enables people to come together to pack food in a fun and enjoyable way, but also think about how it can be used as an opportunity to connect with their local community.’
• Feed The Hungry – Hand to Hand are on stand P63 at CRE North
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Conserving history, safeguarding the future
Conserving the history of a church is a key to safeguarding its future.
So says Jenny Banks of CRE North exhibitor Fine Art Restoration. She should know. Unique conservation projects take her Carlisle-based company all over the country – from the Scottish Highlands to the Isle of Wight.
‘It is fascinating to visit churches, country estates and historic properties,’ said Jenny, who recently worked on a project for Stratfield Saye, the elegant estate of the Duke of Wellington. She was asked to assess an oil painting depicting a hatchment in the church on the estate grounds. Hatchments traditionally represent the heraldic achievements of a person once deceased, and are displayed in their home, church or family chapel. Fine Art Restoration’s trained art handlers collected the artwork, bringing the necessary equipment to navigate its challenging position at the top of a staircase over the church vestibule.
Above: The hatchments before after conservation work.
‘The conservation work was substantial and involved removing varnish, repairing tears and relining the canvas,’ explained Jenny. ‘We also filled losses, matched pigment for retouching and restored the artwork’s deep reds and shining golds to their original grandeur. We also replaced the stretcher bars, restored the frame and re-varnished the painting to provide a lasting protective finish.’
The managers of Stratfield Saye were delighted with the results.
‘It was a privilege to be invited back to assess a further two artworks displayed in the church as part of our ongoing conservation commitment,’ says Jenny. ‘Artworks displayed in churches are more exposed to environmental and incidental damage, being situated in older historic buildings and also being busy places of worship. Our team of experienced conservators assess artworks, furniture and specialist items within churches and create condition and conservation reports – vital for the long-term maintenance of treasured church contents.
‘Carefully conserving the history of a church is a key to successfully safeguarding its future.’
• Fine Art Restoration are on stand P16 at CRE North
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Big screen events to quiz nights: Christians In Sport target huge mission field
From the retired golfer to a young sailor, churches should find out who plays sport in their congregations – and help them reach out to fellow sports people.
‘More than ten million people play competitive sport each week across the UK and that is a huge mission field,’ said Margy Dry, events co-ordinator for CRE North exhibitor Christians in Sport. ‘We exist to reach the world of sport for Christ and help Christians reach those in their local area with the good news. People who are keen on sport can be missionaries in the gym, on the running track – wherever they are.’
The organisation helps equip Christian sportspeople to share the gospel with teammates.
‘We seek to partner with and encourage churches,’ explained Margy. ‘Our priority is to see sportspeople maturing in Christ in their local church and being supported to shine for him in their local sports clubs and teams.’
Training sessions help members live out and share the gospel and there’s advice on hosting quizzes, tournaments and big-screen events to invite teammates to.
‘Our staff can also provide full support and speakers are available upon request for both training and guest events,’ said Margy, adding ‘We realise that no two churches are the same, but we would love to help you think through what sports mission might look like in your context. Chat to our representative at CRE North for advice and information.’
• Christians In Sport are on stand A36 at CRE North
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A swing and a prayer: Help faith last into adulthood
Only half of the children growing up in Christian homes keep their faith as adults – but a new initiative aims to change all that.
‘It isn’t always easy for parents to nurture faith in their offspring, so the Kitchen Table Project chips in with considerable help and understanding,’ explains project manager Becky Benharder. ‘It brings together a growing movement of mums, dads and carers who want to inspire a faith that lasts in their children.’
The Care for the Family stand at CRE North (C39) will have helpful literature and resources, including Raising Faith, a new book by Andy Frost, director of Share Jesus International and Katherine Hill, UK director for Care for the Family. It is packed with practical tips and stories to encourage sharing faith at home.
Church leaders can also find ways to set up groups of parents nurturing faith in their homes. These include sermon outlines to encourage congregations to work together to see their children grow up in the faith.
‘You will find a starting point with our Inspire Session – a 90-minute small group discussion that helps parents start talking about how important it is to introduce their children to God,’ says Becky. ‘The session comes with a leader’s guide, a pack of discussion cards and a short 10-minute video to help start the conversation.
‘One church has bought copies of the book to give to every parent in the congregation. That is how serious they felt about the subject.’
• Care for the Family are on stand C39 at CRE North
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Wall of prayer: CRE responds to Archbishop’s call
A wall of prayer is CRE’s response to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s call for five days of prayer as we approach Brexit.
Visitors to CRE North will be invited to post their prayers on the wall (stand P66) following Bridging the Brexit Divide, a plenary led by Andy Flannagan of Christians in Politics (12pm, Wed 13 Mar), the day after Prime Minister Teresa May brings her latest Brexit Agreement with Brussels before Parliament. On the first day of CRE North, MPs may also be asked to vote on whether or not to leave the EU without a deal.
‘It is very easy to feel paralysed by both the complexity and toxicity of the issues surrounding Brexit,’ said Andy. ‘We may feel as if we are sliding towards chaos but we follow a God who since the dawn of time has brought order from chaos. It shouldn’t scare us. If you think we are in chaotic times, try living in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar!’
Order emerges from chaos through restored relationships, believes Andy.
‘The cross sits at the centre of history because it makes possible the reconciliation between us and God and between us and those who may not feel like “us” anymore,’ he said. ‘There is currently a real danger of a cultural divide becoming a chasm. We need to build relationships across divides.’
Being on our knees won’t just change the Brexit situation, it will change us – ‘and that might give us just a chance to be peacemakers and bridge-builders.’
Those taking part in Bridging the Brexit Divide include Cllr Tanya Burch from Salford, Methodist minister Rev Ian Rutherford from Manchester and Irish singer and former MEP for Connacht-Ulster, Dana.
The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, has welcomed the initiative at Event City.
‘CRE is an event that brings together churches from many different traditions and persuasions,’ he said. ‘It is an ideal place for positive discussion and agenda setting. My prayer is that we all find wisdom, courage, integrity and compassion for our political leaders and MPs, for reconciliation and a fresh and uniting vision for everyone.’
• Bridging the Brexit Divide is a plenary led by Andy Flannagan of Christians in Politics (12pm, Wed 13 Mar)
• The Brexit Prayer Wall will be on the CRE Prayer Team stand P66
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‘But deliver us from email’ – Typo voted nation’s church favourite
It may be a glaring error that slipped under the righteous radar, but it’s left many wondering whether it was divinely inspired. A typo ‘got past the eagle eye’ of Archdeacon Colin Williams, officiating at a wedding at St Laurence C of E in Ludlow, Shropshire, in 2014.
The service sheet should have read ‘Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil’. Instead, it read ‘… deliver us from email’.
‘The bride and groom came up with a draft for the service which seemed good but, in one instance, wasn’t,’ said Colin, currently Archdeacon of the Anglican Diocese in Europe. ‘The sheet had been printed before I spotted the error, so before we came to the Lord’s Prayer, I suggested people recite it in the way they remembered it from school! It didn’t seem to worry the young couple, anyway.’
Now it’s been voted the nation’s favourite parish magazine and service sheet typo by readers of Ship of Fools, the long-established magazine of Christian unrest, Facebook group Church Service Sheet Typos and visitors to the CRE website.
Archdeacon Colin (pictured above), currently based in Frankfurt, Germany, thinks the typo has touched a nerve. ‘The truth is we are beset by electronic communications,’ he said. ‘There’s no escape. Smart phones buzz in our pockets every five minutes.’ He retires at the end of this month – ‘and finally, this could be my five minutes of fame!’
Local publications are a special focus at the exhibition and the event’s organisers are celebrating the unsung work of parish magazine and service sheet editors through the vote which featured ten genuine contributions collected over the years.
‘… But deliver us from email’ garnered 21 per cent of the vote. In second and third place, with 18 and 14 per cent respectively, were:
For 20 years, Anne Coomes of Parish Pump has resourced church magazine editors of all mainline denominations. She will deliver a seminar at CRE North (5pm, Wed 13 Mar), showing editors how to make the most of their much-loved publications.
‘Church magazines still play a critical role in community life,’ said Anne, from Macclesfield. ‘However, every editor can recall that awful moment when they’ve made a mistake and there’s nothing they can do about it. I once ran a headline that should have read: “Make flowers that look like satin.” Instead it said: “Make flowers that look like satan.” Not one of my more glorious moments!’
CRE managing director Steve Goddard said: ‘Since computer software offered us generative text and spellcheckers, the number of typos has actually increased. It is dangerous to become too dependent on technology, though I have to say that many concur with the sentiment expressed by the winning typo.’
See all 10 typos voted for in the poll.
Cartoon by Taffy Davies
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Sports outreach: How to get the ball rolling in your church
Several organisations will be at CRE North to explain how churches can use sport to expand their ministry. They are:
• Christians in Sport – a worldwide operation in 163 towns and cities
• Sports Chaplaincy UK – who encourage Christians to become chaplains for professional and amateur clubs in a variety of sports and keep-fit organisations
• Ambassadors Football – with 30 years’ experience helping churches bring hope in Christ to communities through our national game
They will share stand A36 at CRE North (and combine to run Your Church and Sports Ministry (4pm, Wed Mar 13), a seminar which will also include input from Scripture Union.
‘This is the ideal opportunity for anyone to find out how they can be involved with one or all of the organisations, to extend local church ministry,’ explained Warren Evans, chief executive of Sports Chaplaincy UK, who is chairing the seminar.
Now operative for 25 years, Sports Chaplaincy UK have chaplains in place at professional and amateur clubs involving football, rugby league and union, cricket, athletics and horse racing – as well as gyms and keep-fit clubs. It has also provided chaplains for major international sports such as the Olympics and Commonwealth Games, world championships in both rugby codes, amateur boxing and athletics.
Christians in Sport was formed in the 1980s and thousands of sporting Christians – including many top professionals – are supported by the organisation in a highly competitive world. Many members also provide valued support at the world’s top sporting occasions – from Wimbledon to the Olympics.
Ambassadors Football serves more than 300 churches creating evangelistic opportunities through church teams, competitions or challenge matches.
Scripture Union are reaching young people and children in schools, churches and community sports. They’ll be demonstrating how they do it at Event City as well as suggesting special community events churches can get involved in during the Ashes cricket series, taking place in the country during the summer.
All the organisations run training days when participants can meet other sporting enthusiasts and learn how to use sport in ministry.
One-time chaplain to Manchester City Football Club, the Rt Revd Tony Porter, Anglican Bishop of Sherwood, said: ‘As the Archbishops’ Sport Ambassador I am thrilled to see these marvellous organisations working alongside each other. When sport and faith come together it creates new opportunities for mission and to tell people about the love of Jesus.’
• Christians in Sport, Sports Chaplaincy UK and Ambassadors Football are on stand A36 at CRE North
• Your Church and Sports Ministry (4pm, Wed Mar 13)
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Beef and blessing: celebrating milk and human kindness
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.
Motivated to help, 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. It was a massive step of faith, supported in prayer.
On 4 July 1988, 32 cows were flown from Gatwick Airport to Entebbe, Uganda and given to struggling families living in the Mityana region. With nutritious milk to drink and sell and manure to nourish the soil and boost crop yields, the families and the cows thrived. 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, the charity has sourced all livestock from within Africa. Comprehensive training in animal husbandry and welfare is also provided, ensuring the animals are well cared for and productive.
Send a Cow works in six countries in Africa 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. Working with families for up to five years, the organisation helps people to grow their own food, earn an income and lift themselves out of poverty permanently. Two million people across Africa have been supported by the international development charity since it began.
‘The charity now does much more than provide cows and works with rural communities to make the most of their most precious resource – the soil beneath their feet,’ says Send a Cow’s Ann Hatton.
• Send a Cow are on stand A30 at CRE North
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Introducing the colouring book that doubles as a tract
It may be a simple colouring book but it can mean a great deal to a displaced person.
For what makes these products unique is that each one has the Scriptures in English, plus another language – for example Arabic, Farsi, Swahili and Somali.
‘It’s an unusual way of reaching refugees and immigrants but these are colouring books with a difference!’ said Jamie Pritchett, founder of The Good News Colouring Book Ministry, based in Merritt Island, Florida. ‘Each book is really a tract, using only the Scriptures to tell the story of Jesus – his miraculous birth, life, death and resurrection.’
Jamie believes there is nothing quite like arriving in a new country and seeing something written in your own language.
‘People immediately gravitate toward something that they can read easily,’ explained Jamie. ‘Being dual-language, the book helps them learn their target language and also tells the story of Jesus. And it can be downloaded, free of charge, from the internet.’
The ministry is in its 21st year and new languages are added as they become available, or as they are requested.
‘We are excited to have a stand at CRE North,’ said Linda Riddell, artist and illustrator of the books. ‘We hope many churches and individuals will find out how to use these simple tracts to share the gospel with people all over Britain.’
• The Good News Colouring Book are on Stand P13 at CRE North
> Who’s exhibiting at CRE North 2019?
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