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Creator of Prayerdle puzzle set for CRE presentation

It started out as a whim but now Prayerdle, based on the hugely popular Wordle daily puzzle, is attracting nearly 2000 daily challengers.

Clare Bryden (pictured), the Exeter-based website developer who created it, will demonstrate how it works at CRE South West on Wed 23 Feb. She admits the puzzle was an experiment to see how many related five-letter words she could find related to the devotional life.

‘But it has developed its own character,’ she told CRE News. ‘I realised it could have elements of Lectio Divina, a traditional monastic practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer.’

Those taking part in Prayerdle’s daily challenge must solve the five-letter word of the day and Clare hopes it will become a bridge into prayer, with those taking part reflecting on the word during the day. Sometimes the answer will be a Greek, Hebrew, or Latin word and its meaning will need to be looked up. In her own daily life, as a member of the Exeter Cathedral community, she tries to maintain a routine of prayer, study and retreat. In fact, in her early 20s she contemplated becoming a nun, but instead returned to energy-environment consultancy and followed that with nine years in the Met Office in Exeter. 

With a love for both singing (she is in several first-rate chamber choirs) and art (accidentally becoming an artist in the medium of knitted chemistry) she runs Websites Ahoy! and has regular comment articles and book reviews in newspapers and magazines reflecting her various interests.

Main image: Prayerdle creator Clare Bryden (photo by markburley.co.uk)

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Eggs with ‘too much Easter’ for supermarket shelves

Including the Easter story in their eggs has cost Meaningful Chocolate a place on the UK’s supermarket shelves.

‘The investment required in designing and printing the booklet that comes with every egg has meant that, alongside our commitment to using Fairtrade chocolate, we simply could not compete with the likes of Cadbury for shelf space in the big supermarkets,’ said David Marshall, chief executive officer and founder of the Meaningful Chocolate Co. ‘We hope you will go the extra mile and buy your Real Easter Eggs from the KCLC Trust stand at CRE South West, or directly from us.’

This year’s 24-page story and activity book is beautifully illustrated by Martina Peluso with the first Easter described from the final week of the life of Jesus including the events of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. There are fun activities, too, and a competition with a prize worth £200.

‘For Easter 2022, there are seven eggs available – all with new content. The original, dark, special edition and new white eggs are plastic free,’ said David. ‘And none of our chocolate has palm oil as an ingredient.’ 

There are four ways of supporting Meaningful Chocolate Co – by becoming a champion and collecting orders from church, family and friends; buying a case to share with friends, family or a school; sending single eggs direct through the post or sponsoring an egg, case or pallet to be sent to a food bank.

• You can buy your Real Easter Eggs at the KCLCT bookshop (stand B1) at CRE South West and view the full range here

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Holy Socks head south to pedal new line

An Anglican priest and long-distance cyclist took a pair of Ezekiel’s Wheels socks out for a test ride recently.

‘They are so comfortable and express my love for cycling,’ said Fr Mick Elfred (pictured) who recently retired after ministry at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Tadworth, in Surrey. ‘Over the years I have led groups of young people on cycling challenges for various charities. We’ve completed Land’s End to John o’ Groats three times.’

He runs a popular blog on cycling called Ezekiel’s Wheels– so receiving the socks, made by CRE South West exhibitor Holy Socks, was well timed.

‘They might well provoke a conversation with other curious cyclists and give the wearer an opportunity to share the Gospel,’ he said. ‘I have no hesitation in recommending them to other cyclists.’

Margaret Wylie, from Newton Stewart in Scotland, launched Holy Socks more than 20 years ago. 

‘We won’t be cycling down to south-west England but we will bring our Holy Socks,’ she said. ‘More than 42 per cent of British people now own a bicycle and with the heightened interest in both cycling and cycle pilgrimages, we thought it was time we had a proper cycle sock! Both pairs feature the verses from Ezekiel 10.13: “The whirling wheels” and Matthew 24 9-13: “endure to the end.” These are appropriate, whatever the ability of the cyclist.

‘We’re looking forward to rolling them out at Exeter and hope they’ll soon be whirling along the lanes of Devon and beyond. Holy Socks were born partly out of a desire to have a quiet, non-threatening way of opening a conversation about the Christian faith. I hope the cycling socks do as good a job as our other lines have done over the years.’

• Holy Socks are on stand F3 at CRE South West

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Imagination, conversation, teamwork pave way for creative solution

Ever wondered where all those screens and sanitisation stations appeared from when Covid-19 first struck?

For many churches, CRE exhibitor Creative Solutions were on hand, creating a host of new products manufactured on site in Axminster – with rapid turnaround times.

Helping organisations put on bigger, better and brighter displays has been their mission for more than 20 years. The company was founded by a team with a combined 40+ years’ experience in exhibitions, display and the print sector.

‘In 2020 we joined the fold of all businesses, completely disrupted by the events and lockdowns of Covid-19,’ said Ben Whittington, director of Creative Solutions. The company responded by creating large standalone see-through screensfor church leaders to stand behind to deliver their message, freestanding hand sanitisation stations for entryways, printed anti-viral fabric products for displays, posters, QR codes, pavement signs and banner stands. 

‘Combining creativity and the need for protection systems, we chose to help combat Covid by merging individuality and organisations’ branding with custom safety solutions,’ explained Ben. ‘The need for cleanliness was the top priority, but this did not mean the solution needed to be clinical. It had to offer protection and blend into clients’ spaces seamlessly. We spoke with our clients to find out what they wanted. We also scoured the industry to source the best materials available. It sparked imagination, conversation, teamwork – and helped forge longstanding relationships, as organisations now look forward in 2022.’ 

The firm is now creating self-sanitising fabric for displays, ‘Coala Cover Safe’ – a film for anti-bacterial protection that can be applied to almost any high-contact surface like doors and tables, and custom printed social distancing screens for communal areas, bathrooms, offices and busy areas.

‘We are glad to have been able to assist both new and returning clients and combat Covid by creating products to help places stay accessible and safe,’ said Ben.

• Creative Solutions are on stand P32 at CRE South West

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Arguing for special creation? Sibley’s the best

Science has revealed incredible complexity in biological systems that is far better explained by intelligent design and special creation.

That will be Andrew Sibley’s message to visitors on the Creation Ministries International stand at CRE South West. He will tell those confused about the science/religion debate that there are untestable foundational beliefs inherent in naturalism, and that ‘it is rational and good to ground our faith, and work in science, in God’s Word.’

Andrew, who lives in Seaton, East Devon, close to the coast and countryside,worked as a meteorologist with the UK Met Office for 38 years before taking early retirement in 2021. This allowed him more time to engage in creation ministry with CMI and share the gospel as a church elder. 

He has published a number of papers in the field of meteorology, gained Chartered Meteorologist accreditation, and recently served on the board of the Weather journal, including as an associate editor. He has a B.Sc. (Hons.) in the natural sciences from the Open University and also gained an M. Phil in theology from Exeter University (UK). He is the author of a number of books, including Restoring the Ethics of Creationand Cracking the Darwin Code: exploring the non-scientific foundations of deep-time and evolution.

‘I want to defend and promote the Christian message against the predominance of naturalism and belief in molecule-to-man evolution in society,’ said Andrew. Already a frequent contributor to CMI’s publications, he joined CMI-UK/Europe as an associate speaker and writer in February 2021, then became a staff member in August 2021.

• Creation Ministries International are on stand D31 at CRE South West

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Singing the praises of a Wren church modernised

History courses through its brickwork – making modernisation technically difficult and aesthetically challenging.

That was how B+H found St James’s Church, Piccadilly. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren, prime minister William Pitt the Elder was baptised at its font. The central London church is not just used for services, however. It hosts lunchtime and evening recitals and the decision was taken to share these with larger audiences by filming and streaming. 

Longstanding CRE exhibitor B+H were asked to provide equipment which offered good sound and image quality. It also had to be simple to operate. Andy Felix, project manager at B&H, knew the historic church posed severe problems with cabling and stained-glass windows posing particular problems.

‘Wiring has to be discrete in old buildings,’ he explained. ‘We hid cable under floorboards and followed the architectural lines of the building, minimising visual impact. Wood effect trunking was used to hide cables to the first floor.

‘The stained-glass windows also needed to be taken into account when specifying which cameras to use. There were quite good natural light levels in the building but this could fluctuate and we needed equipment which could cope. The cameras and equipment we installed can start and stop streaming at the touch of a button. Once set up via a PC, they are incredibly simple to operate by the church staff.’

B+H Sound Services was formed in 1978 by Brian Hillson. Nearly 50 years on it remains focused on providing sound, light and AV solutions to the live event industry and has a long history of helping churches get their message across with sensitive use of sound and vision equipment. More recently the company has helped churches with live streaming.

In 2015 the business was acquired by SFL Group enabling it to support a growing number of clients with a team which has risen from two people in a small garage to over 60 skilled operators in two key locations – Peterborough and Reading. The team will be delighted to meet visitors to CRE South West and advise on improving church streaming or sound and vision problems.

• B+H are on stand C20 at CRE South West

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Simon’s cool hand will bring Luke to life

Help us produce a bible comic!

That will be the challenge for visitors at CRE South West. Simon Amadeus Pillario (pictured) had the vision for bible comics some years ago and will be on his stand to chat about his latest production, the Gospel of Matthew. He will also give people an opportunity to help crowdfund production of the Gospel of Luke which he hopes to produce in November.

‘I became a Christian in my early 20s after reading the bible,’ explained Simon. ‘But I noticed aspects which seemed to be overlooked by many publications. I decided it would be good to produce comics using the actual bible text. As a child I loved to draw and felt God was telling me to do it.’

So he launched his own company – Word for Word Bible Comics. Based in Bristol, the 39-year-old artist has a degree in graphic design and has been creating comics for more than 20 years. He has a wife and two sons, aged eight and ten – just short of the 12 years-and-over his comics are designed for. He has already produced a range of comics covering Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Esther, Jonah, Mark and Matthew.

His Kickstarters crowdfunding campaign runs from February 4 to March 6, to raise £15,000 in just 31 days to fund the Gospel of Luke! Those joining could take advantage of unique offers such as owning the original cover art, collectors’ editions and other ‘goodies’. 

At CRE, Simon will also have advance copies of the NIV edition of the Gospel of Mark Word for Word Bible Comic and its Spanish counterpart El Evangelio de Marcos: Verso a Verso Bíblica-Cómic: Traducción NVI, which will be on sale in shops from March. 

‘This is our third edition utilising the NIV and NVI, all launched since September last year. We are really excited to have moved into a second language and we are keen to keep expanding the number of languages,’ he said.

Brought up in Bude, Cornwall, Simon lived in Exeter for a number of years before settling in Bristol.

• Word for Word Comics are on stand F25 at CRE South West

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SAT-7: a new narrative for the Middle East

Faith strengthened, love shown, and joy brought – not to a few, but millions.

It isn’t the usual story we hear coming out of the Middle East but SAT-7 UK, who bring life-changing faith and joy to the people of the region through TV and digital media,will be at CRE South West to share how God is changing things.  

‘We’ll invite your church to help write a new chapter, not just for the people of the Middle East and North Africa but for the people of your church, too,’ said Martin Thomas, SAT-7’s director of external engagement.

As a SAT-7 church partneryou choose a people group to support – for example, Arabic children or isolated believers in Iran. You then commit to giving and raising funds for your chosen people group over the following three years. SAT-7 helps connect you with producers and presenters in the region, through live events and pre-recorded programmes. The organisation also helps you and your church community pray for your people group and the SAT-7 team on the ground.

‘We hope that through this partnership, churches willwitness transformed lives, captured through inspiring stories, presentations and resources for the whole church, small groups and young people,’ said Martin. ‘And in the longer term, we hope our partners will be able to visit one of our studios across the region.’

SAT-7 also offers a way you can support a media project – a one-year commitment where you help to raise funds for a flagship media project, focused on impacting a specific people group across the region.

If you’d like to arrange a specific time to meet SAT-7 at CRE South West, contact Julia Jolley at jjolley@sat7uk.org.

‘We’re really looking forward to being able to speak with people face to face again,’ said Julia.

• SAT-7 are on stand B33 in Mission on the Map at CRE South West

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I will make you Fisher BEM

An award-winning musician will bring his gospel choir to CRE South West (Westpoint, Exeter, Feb 23-24).

John Fisher BEM, and the acclaimed IDMC Gospel Choir, will help open the exhibition, give two performances each day and launch John’s new series of children’s books Music Town.

John, 55, has been in the music business for many years. He is the son of the late Bishop Cecil Fisher, of the New Testament Church of God, also a musician and preacher. At different times John has been a drummer, keyboard player, song writer, music producer, event organiser, production manager, radio DJ, TV presenter, choir leader – and vocal tutor!

The IDMC Gospel Choir was formed 29 years ago and performed at the wedding of Luciano Pavorotti in 2003 and in Trafalgar Square when London won the 2012 Olympic bid. He started We Sing, U Sing which serves 35 schools in five London boroughs, enabling more than 3,000 children to gain confidence in performing. Married to Maulin for 22 years, they have two sons, Andre and Dayna, both musicians. John is now a grandfather.

Working with children led him to writing books under the title Music Town, in which musical notes are characters living together, learning to overcome problems thanks to music and songs. On their stand at CRE South West, John and his team will make available the children’s books, IGMC Gospel Choir music – and talk about their work with the choir and in schools.

‘We want to help others take advantage of the wonderful way music can change lives,’ said John. ‘We will give advice, answer questions and offer to give workshops if it will encourage the setting up of a new means to help youngsters with music.’

John was recognised for his work with schools in London and communities across the UK when the Queen awarded him the British Empire Medal in 2021. John, whose mother died in 2019 and father passed away in 2020, proudly wore his father’s chained timepiece and cuff links.

‘My Mum’s spirit was with me,’ he recalled. ‘I cried when I got back to my seat and gave thanks to God for the example they left with me.’

• IDMC Gospel Choir are on stand B12 at CRE South West. Click hereto see when they will perform at CRE SW

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Hope in a hand out

How about a newspaper that has nothing but good news? 

It was an opening gambit used by that evangelists Andy Godfrey, Robin McEwen (pictured left) and Colin Johnson as they handed out copies of the Good News newspaper in the markets of Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard.

‘Every time we give away dozens of copies and it’s incredibly well-received,’ said Andy. ‘Market traders regularly ask for a copy and one shop worker says they have Good News in their staff room.’ Specifically designed for non-Christians, the paper is packed with stories of how Jesus is changing lives today, plus quotes about faith from celebrities and sports stars. It also has space on the back for church contact details and costs just 15p per copy plus p&p.

Andy Godfrey will speak at CRE South West on ‘Making evangelism easy – honestly!’ (11am, Wed 23 Feb). Copies of the paper will be available on the Good News stand at CRE South West.

• Good News Evangelistic Newspapers will be on stand D34 at CRE South West

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