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The day Helen asked for a house – and was offered two

Helen Syrop read a news article about homelessness and wanted to do something in Bradford.

She rang CRE National 2022 exhibitor Green Pastures and asked if they could buy a house to help her. She was asked: ‘What if we buy you two?’ 

‘Housing the homeless is an extremely rewarding job,’ said Helen. ‘It’s very beautiful to work and walk with people through the ups and downs of their lives.

Vaslef (above), for example, had no home and was sleeping in a Bradford park. He had one set of clothes and no jacket and decided to end his life. However, through the partnership of Green Pastures and Hope Housing, he was given a home and support. He calls Helen ‘an angel.’ 

‘It’s me every day, a very big thank you – thank you God!’ said Vaslef.

Solicitor Richard Norridge believes truly ethical investments are very hard to come by – but the one set up by Green Pastures is the best he has come across.

The fund was set up 11 years ago and now works with more than 75 churches and Christian charities to provide homes and support for 1,100 people who had been homeless.

The Green Pastures Community Benefit Society Limited (CBS) is an Exempt Charity registered with the Financial Conduct Authority. Through this vehicle, the CBS issues loan stock to investors.

Subscriptions for loan stock inject cash into the CBS which uses the money to purchase and build property, often in conjunction with other sources of finance. Investors select an interest rate in the range of 0 to 4 per cent p.a. for investments of 1 to 4 years, or in the range of 0 to 5 per cent p.a. for terms of five years and over.

For every £15,000 invested, one person is housed and supported. By selecting less than the maximum return, more homeless people are helped. 

Green Pastures began when Pastor Pete Cunningham found people sleeping under the Southport pier. He felt challenged by the Lord to put his hand in his own pocket and cashed in his small pension. Church member Vicki Woodley re-mortgaged and together they put a deposit on two flats to house two people. Green Pastures was born. 

The vision grew greater than they ever imagined.  Twenty years later, the same passion to release churches to eradicate local homelessness burns brightly.

Green Pastures are on stand Y1 at CRE National 2022

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Climate change: let’s lead not lag

A charity set up in 2004 to provide a Christian response to the climate crisis will give a Christian perspective for change at CRE National 2022.

Dr Darrell D. Hannah, chair of the board and rector of All Saints, Ascot Heath, will speak on the urgent need for action (2.30pm, Tue 11 Oct). An American, Dr Hannah moved to the UK in 1992 to take a doctorate at Cambridge in Christian Origins and has remained in the country ever since. In his view, responding to the climate crisis is a missional activity.

Ruth Jarman, who co-founded Operation Noah because she saw the need for a Christian voice speaking truth into the climate crisis, said: ‘There are clear biblical reasons to make creation care a Christian imperative. Young people especially are calling for the church to act. We should be leading on this. We are the ones who believe in a loving creator and we are currently heading towards an unhabitable planet!’

Operation Noah representatives will identify some of the things Christians can do and explain how they can help get the message across to friends and church members. Earlier this year the charity was shortlisted for the David & Goliath Award as part of the National Campaigner Awards presented by the Sheila McKechnie Foundation – a recognition of Operation Noah’s small size but big impact in taking on a giant issue! 

‘We work with churches of all denominations to address the climate crisis, particularly through our Bright Now campaign, which encourages churches to divest from fossil fuels and invest in climate solutions like renewable energy,’ added Ruth.

The Bright Now campaign is also starting to work with churches on large-scale, nature-based solutions, from increasing tree cover to other environmentally sensitive ways of managing church land.

• Operation Noah are on stand S6 at CRE National 2022

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Queen Elizabeth: as we mourn, let’s minister

When the death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced the Rev Cassius Francis immediately thought of his grandmother.

‘She would have been glued to the news and I would have dared anyone to speak or interrupt the coverage while she was watching!’ said Cassius, a church trainer and resource provider with Loss and HOPE, exhibitors at CRE National 2022. ‘It is difficult to dispute the global recognition of and respect for our Queen. The country will feel her death more deeply because, for most of our lives, when everything else has changed, the Queen has been a constant.

‘The lasting image I have of her is sitting alone in the church for her husband’s funeral. I can’t imagine, after being married to someone for over 70 years, how that must have felt. That image symbolised the pain and loss of so very many people during the pandemic. Our prayers are with King Charles III, the royal family and anyone affected by her passing, that they may know God’s peace, presence and comfort at this difficult time.’

With about 600,000 people dying in the UK each year, impacting partners, children, parents, other relations, friends or colleagues, Loss and HOPE, a project of charity AtaLoss, is a valuable coalition of organisations who feel passionately about churches of all denominations being equipped to support the bereaved.

‘We are asking churches to direct bereaved people in prayer stations and services to the signposting website – AtaLoss.org – to find help,’ said Cassius, who is also a minister with the Wesleyan Holiness Church. ‘Churches can also plan to offer The Bereavement Journey® to their communities over coming weeks. As we mourn, let’s use this opportunity to learn how to support each other for the health of our nation.’

Cassius is speaking on ‘Bereavement support – mental ill-health prevention and effective emerging mission’ at CRE National 2022 (2pm, Wed 12 Oct).

• Loss and HOPE are on stand E8 at CRE National 2022

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‘Blunder-free’ Bible to be unveiled at CRE

Since the first one more than 630 years ago there have been about 150 English translations of the Bible – but a scholar, poet and grammar expert will be at CRE National 2022 to tell us about the ‘thousand blunders’ repeatedly left uncorrected in all of them.

Christopher Sparkes spent 20 years painstakingly going back to the original Greek and Hebrew and has taken a different approach to translation, using what he calls ‘deep grammar, transcendent logic, internal harmony and diamond-mining research’ to unpick the locks and discover the meanings of Greek and Hebrew words and phrases ‘wrongly translated in every single English version.’

The result is the Keys to the Kingdom Holy Bible, available at CRE National 2022. Chris will also speak about the need for the new version (2pm, Tue 11 Oct). The bible is published by Filament Publishing, a company set up in 1999 by Chris Day who spent a decade with global publisher Encyclopaedia Britannica.

‘My vision was to create a new publishing house that was more author-centric and more flexible to their needs to build a business around their book,’ he said.

The new Bible is, according to Filament, ‘the first pure translation into English of the actual words of the Apostles – not influenced by creeds, traditions or the preconceptions of the translators.’

Sparkes was born in Birmingham in 1951 and lives in Petersfield, Hampshire. After lecturing in higher and further education, he is now a freelance educator. Since 1997, he has been looking into English translations and said: ‘I was stunned when I began looking at Hebrew and Greek words of the Old and New Testaments and comparing them with English Bibles. Some of the English words and phrases did not match the original grammatical forms. Nor did they match the internal themes. Furthermore, the rogue English was consistently backing certain themes of church traditions.’

• Filament Publishing and the Keys to the Kingdom Holy Bible are on stand S2 at CRE National 2022

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The Holy Spirit: helping you live life to the max

Pandemics rage, bills soar, stress goes off the charts – but pastor and bestselling author Max Lucado (above) believes help is here.

‘Now more than ever, we’re all weary from the loads we carry and the challenges we face,’ said Max. ‘We have questions we cannot answer and problems we cannot solve. We’d hoped that life would be an invigorating adventure or an inspiring journey. We never expected to grow so tired so quickly. But we can find fresh strength and purpose in the power of the Holy Spirit.’

The Bible makes more than 100 references to the Holy Spirit, claims Max, and Jesus says more about the third person of the trinity than he does about the church, marriage, finances and the future. But do we really know the Spirit? In his new book Help Is Here (Thomas Nelson), Max will give you the tools and encouragement you need to:

• Learn who the Spirit is and how the Spirit can help
• Become joyful, enthusiastic, and empowered as you draw closer to God
• Confidently take on any difficulty with the power of the Spirit
• Discover your unique gifts and purpose to further God’s kingdom

‘Our Good Shepherd doesn’t just feed us, he leads us,’ said Max. ‘He does more than correct us; he directs us. God keeps us on track and best of all, he’s commissioned the Holy Spirit to guide us down the winding roads of life, wherever they may lead us.

‘No more walking this path alone. No more carrying weight you were not intended to bear. It’s time for you to enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit and experience the vigorous life he offers. You can rest easy knowing that help is here.’

Book your tickets to CRE National 2022 for as little as £3 (£8 on the door)

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From leafy Esher to war-torn Kiev: David’s unexpected journey

David Giles (above) came to last year’s CRE National as a valued volunteer – but months later, as a direct result, found himself in a war zone!

David joined the CRE team in Esher, assisting communications chief David Hall following a lengthy spell working in a similar capacity for the Salvation Army. Taking the decision to go freelance in October 2021, he recognised the importance of connectedness across Christian organisations.

‘I was fully committed to serving on the CRE team,’ he recounted, ‘but also recognised the value of meeting so many people in such diverse sectors at a major national gathering.’

One of the many interactive exhibits David encountered was OSCAR’s popular jobs board.

‘I noticed numerous opportunities to serve with Samaritan’s Purse through their DART programme [Disaster Assistance Response Team],’ he explained. ‘This immediately captured my attention as the role requirements aligned closely with my career trajectory.’

He was interviewed and accepted onto the roster earlier this year. In-depth training in humanitarian and emergency response protocols followed and he was asked to join the DART programme for six weeks in Kyiv this summer.

The Samaritan’s Purse response in Ukraine is the organisation’s biggest ever, with hundreds of team members serving together from countries as far flung as Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US. A large number of Ukrainian Christians have also augmented the team, providing essential local knowledge and linguistic expertise. The response has included everything from medical treatment at an emergency field hospital to provision of clean water and essential food supplies.

‘My role has primarily focused on food logistics,’ explained David. ‘From a series of warehouses strategically located around the country, we’ve been able to provide for more than 3.5 million people, primarily in parts of Ukraine closest to the front lines where the need is greatest. It’s not at all glamorous! My days have been long, largely spent grappling with spreadsheets and booking complex truck movements. But there have been lighter moments, such as being able to drive ambulances in convoy to and from warm storage.’

Equipped with body armour and under strict security provisions, David visited the provincial cities of Vinnytsia and Dnipro – to support Samaritan’s Purse local warehouse teams and meet some beneficiaries.

‘I talked to a church leader whose congregation had instantaneously grown from 120 on a Sunday morning to around 1,200 because of the war,’ he recounted. ‘As a church growth strategy, that’s not to be recommended! But it’s indicative of the opportunities presented to the Ukrainian church, even as the missiles rain down.

‘CRE’s “Nothing beats being there” motto was certainly true in Kyiv. While UK coverage of the conflict has largely been truthful and accurate, experiencing the juxtaposition of air raid sirens and impromptu barricades alongside street musicians and elegant pavement cafes, has helped me understand the Ukrainian context more deeply. Locals were proud, welcoming and immensely grateful for the ministry being undertaken in Jesus’ name.’

David will be part of the CRE National 2022 team again next month.

‘You might come to CRE looking for a particular resource but God might have other ideas!’ he grinned. ‘Don’t ignore that still, small voice. It may be the start of a unique adventure!’

• Find out more about the Samaritan’s Purse DART programme here

Book your tickets to CRE National 2022 for as little as £3 (£8 on the door)

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Take the Trew path to effective fundraising

A new year’s resolution in 1999 changed the course of Linda Trew’s life – and helped St Mary’s in Bloxham, Oxfordshire, begin a £1.5m project to develop church facilities.

Linda’s millennium resolution, with a subsequent fund-raising trek across the Andes to Machu Picchu, ultimately encouraged her to do more to help churches raise funds for necessary improvements. She is now an experienced fundraiser for CRE exhibitors Action Planning, a specialist consultancy for charities and other not-for-profit organisations. When it came to the challenge of advising St Mary’s, a Grade I listed church, she put together a plan for fundraising involving four phases – private, grant, congregational and public.

Despite the intervention of Covid-19 and rising costs, about £230,000 has already been raised with the possibility this total could rise to £300,000. A new heating system is already fully functional and money is in place to upgrade the AV equipment.

‘We’ve had a really good relationship with Linda and are pleased with what she’s done and the way she has done it,’ said Ian Myson, project co-lead at the church. ‘She’s been a valuable member of our team: helpful, proactive and happy to go the extra mile and do discretionary stuff that she wasn’t obliged to do. We weren’t in a position to raise anything from trusts without her. Her experience and expertise in which grant bodies to go for, which to prioritise and the sort of approach needed to succeed, was invaluable.’

Action Planning offer expert help to all churches with a comprehensive range of services, including governance, planning, fundraising, marketing, recruitment and training. Representatives of the company will talk on ‘Fundraising for capital projects for churches’ at 11am each day at CRE National 2022.

• Action Planning are on stand V8 at CRE National 2022

Main picture: Action Planning’s Linda Trew at CRE

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Thank goodness for Theo! Bath Abbey opt for award-winning chair

When the officials of Bath Abbey, known for its medieval heritage and beautiful gothic architecture, wanted to change traditional pews for chairs, they looked for a stackable yet practical replacement.

‘Taking out the pews enabled us to open up the abbey’s nave and side aisles and make it possible for people of different physical abilities to sit where they wanted to,’ said Bath Abbey’s Rev Edward Mason. ‘Stackable chairs mean the nave can be used for a wide variety of traditional and contemporary worship.’

The abbey approached Trinity Church Furniture, a company supplying ecclesiastical furniture for more than 40 years.

‘Our Theo chair is ideal for most church situations,’ said Trinity’s Mike Seward. ‘Too many churches discover too late that their chairs are too heavy and cumbersome or use up too much space.’ Designed by Simon Pengelly, the Theo is durable and lightweight. At just 4.25 kg and stacking at up to 30 chairs high, it is the ideal solution for many ecclesiastical contexts. Bath Abbey also decided to take the linking option which ensures perfect symmetry, row upon row.

The international design award, Reddot 2014, described the Theo as having an ‘elegant design that illustrates its own manufacturing method and is marked by a sophisticated flexing mechanism.’

• Trinity Church Furniture will be on stand O4 at CRE National 2022

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One-time jailer set free to be creative

When doctors told an injured, one-time jailer she would never work again, God had other ideas.

Lesley Hollingworth was in her mid-30s when she was given the live-changing medical message – and she believes God’s reply was ‘How about some art?’ It was to be six months before she could stand up but during that time she thought through how to go about her new mission in life.

Many of the products that came from her changed circumstances will be available on her stand at CRE National. From the cards she originally painted – which still sell well – to her latest products in resin and wood, the extent of her recovery and vision will be there for all to see.

‘I have a workshop and studio at my home in Chesterfield and started the business inventing and making products,’ she said. ‘They contain my story, my heart and God’s amazing powerful word in full colour for all to see.’

From the first sale of cards at Cliff College, the variety of products has soared – despite Lesley’s full-time job looking after children in care.

‘These days I concentrate on things that will be useful to people because many simply haven’t money to spend on extras,’ she said.

One item CRE National visitors might like, as a Christmas present for their clergy friends, is a cushion or t-shirt bearing the words: ‘I’m not sleeping, I’m downloading a sermon.’

• Lesley Hollingworth Design are on stand Q4 at CRE National 2022

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Hats off to Angela for her messages of hope

During lockdown Angela Weatherly decided to switch from selling books and bibles to babywear – with a message.

‘I wanted to create a brand which carried a message of hope, not just the usual cheeky monkey angle,’ she explained. IBelieve Baby Apparel was born and already her range of babygrows and t-shirts have found a welcome home in many families.

‘They are the kind of outfits I wish had been available when my own children were little,’ she said. ‘Too many are inappropriate.’

Her messages include ‘Straight outta heaven’ and ‘Jesus walks with me’.

‘I want my clothes to say something positive about the child,’ said Angela who began selling ladies’ fashion items from a market stall, then had a high street shop selling gifts and cards for 20 years.

She aims to increase the range of products over the next few years – and one of her hats has already been requested by adults!

• IBelieve Baby Apparel are on stand S9 at CRE National 2022

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