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ByDave Hall

Come as a group and reap the rewards

Come as a group and reap the rewards – that’s the message from organisers of next month’s CRE Midlands 23 (8-9 Nov).

From bishop to bell-ringer, vicar to verger, a day at CRE Midlands 23 (Cranmore Park, Solihull) will be one of rich discovery. You’ll meet 170 charities, missions and church suppliers displaying everything from clergy clothing to customised keyboards. A series of 50 talks and presentations will cover issues of practical concern like faith sharing and fund raising, holiday clubs and homelessness.

Rachel Jenkins, pastor at the Church at Junction 10 in Walsall, said: ‘As a staff team we are coming to the exhibition to look at the latest products and services available to us as a church. We will journey together and use it as part of working creatively, finding solutions for the context in which we minister.’

In the late 1970s Pastor John Price and his family followed a call to establish a worshipping community at Junction 10 of the M6, miraculously acquiring the site to build a church that reached out to the wider community. His successor Jon Bentley, built on this legacy, moving the church towards a foundational expression of church and mission. Following Jon Bentley’s tenure, a new eldership was appointed to lead the church.

Meanwhile Revd Jeremy Alcock, from St Martin in the Bull in Birmingham, has bought his own ticket and ordered six more for his congregation.

CRE event director Brett Pitchfork said: ‘It is impossible for one person to discover all our exhibitors and talks programme has to offer in one day. That’s why we encourage churches to bring a leadership team and focus on specific areas of responsibility. Best of all, your tickets are valid over both days.’

Entry to CRE Midlands is just £3 each for a group of three or more, if your tickets are bought in advance from here (£8 on the door).

Cartoon by Canon Taffy Davies

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands

ByDave Hall

Want children to tune into the Bible? Lego and let God

Churches looking for ways to get children to tune into the Christmas message would do well to check out Go Chatter Videos’ multi-media resources.

The Coventry-based company will be at CRE Midlands 23 with an 8ft by 4ft Lego set based on Bible narratives. They will also show a series of animated videos with Lego figures that bring to life well-known biblical stories.

Joshua Whitehouse and Joshua Manley, who joined the Go Chatter Videos team last year, are responsible for all the animations and editing.

The company are offering a complete Christmas Lego multimedia resource for children’s groups and services. The pack contains loads of ideas and resources for running a Christmas Lego multimedia group or family service and includes six animated Lego Christmas videos, games, talk notes, crafts and publicity resources.

With Hope Together, Go Chatter have also developed an augmented reality Lego Christmas story trail – a quest to find hidden videos that tell the Christmas message. A series of five videos, each activated by a QR code, feature Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men and Jesus. This augmented reality video search is soon to launch nationwide in the toy stores of The Entertainer.

Go Chatter’s Dan Rackham will talk about the project at CRE Midlands 23 (12pm, Wed 8 Nov, Talks Area 2) and the Go Chatter Videos team will be available to chat to visitors to the exhibition over both days.

• Go Chatter Videos are on stand B3 at CRE Midlands 23

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands

ByDave Hall

For kids in these times, the Bible that rhymes

The Rhyming Bible, by celebrated children’s author Bob Hartman, is now a musical – and excerpts from the stage production will be part of Saltmine Theatre Company’s contribution to CRE Midlands 23 (1pm, Wed 8 and Thu 9 Nov).

‘For all age and primary school children, the Rhyming Bible has been wonderfully received by schools and churches and we are delighted to highlight it at the exhibition,’ said Saltmine’s new co-artistic director Simon Rodda.  

The drama will run for about 40 minutes with extracts from Switch Up, one of Saltmine’s preventative education resources for secondary schools, highlighting the problems of gang culture and knife crime. Switch Up has been shown to Angelique Foster, Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

‘It was powerful, covering the risks and consequences of carrying a knife,’ she said. ‘Feedback from the students was emotional and the performance has obviously made them think hard about the issue.’  

A scene from The Liberator, Saltmine’s brand-new outreach resource for churches, will also be part of the programme. Based on the work of Rob Lacey, it sets the life of Jesus in a modern idiom.

The company have been performing all over the UK for the past 45 years, using drama to teach people and inspire them with faith, hope and love. The team will be available at CRE Midlands 23 to talk to visitors about possible appearances in churches or local theatres.

• Saltmine Theatre Co are on stand DS40 at CRE Midlands 23

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands

ByDave Hall

Church visitors puzzled by ‘magic’ of Makerfield

If there is one characteristic that describes us best it is our commitment to excellence in all we do.

So says Trevor Sidebotham, who started Makerfield 18 years ago and has more than 30 years’ experience in installing audio visual and security systems.

‘As a family firm we take pride in our track record, and our reputation as experts in our field, working nationwide in a variety of buildings and environments – churches, halls, cathedrals and educational establishments,’ he explains. ‘Being an independent company means no task is too great, no job too small. Our attention to detail ensures our clients really do receive a truly professional service.

‘We have a wealth of experience working in places of worship, and take pride in our excellent reputation of providing a reliable, professional AV service for any church building.’

From initial contact through to technical support, each stage is personally supervised by Trevor and Christian Prescott, director of installations, who also has more than 20 years’ experience in the field.

The minister of one church wrote to Trevor saying: ‘We want to record our deep appreciation for your excellent work, for the great equipment and for your friendly yet professional manner.’

Another church praised the sound system Makerfield had installed, writing: ‘We’ve had three services since it was installed. People are still commenting on what a huge difference it makes. Everyone is also very impressed with how well the equipment blends in with the church surroundings and most have had to play “spot the speakers” to actually work out where they are!’

And even dog owners appreciated it when Christian fitted a PA system for their show. The organisers said: “Thank you for giving up your valuable weekend to provide the PA system for our dog show. We are indebted to you and your dad for the kind loan of the PA system. The roving microphone was superb and everyone could hear us loud and clear.”

The variety of projects Makerfield work on demonstrate the company’s versatility and experience.

‘We realise that unexpected events may occur which alter the daily church routine, ‘said Christian. ‘Therefore, we provide a service which is as flexible as possible, to give clients the option of having work carried out at a time convenient to them. Our follow-up service ensures there is always someone on hand when needed.’

• Makerfield Systems will be on stand P13 at CRE Midlands 23

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands

ByDave Hall

Introducing the church guide that never sleeps

Not many churches have staff to give visitors a guided tour – but now there’s Info Point to do the work at any time.

Developed by Midlands-based company Wildfi Ltd, Info Point is a dedicated multimedia guide system for churches, museums and outdoor attractions. It delivers tours and interactive games, such jigsaws and word searches – to visitors’ own mobile devices.

Brothers-in-law Dan Boys and Joe Middleton launched Info Point in 2013. It requires no internet connectivity, has no impact on the church fabric (it simply plugs in) and can be placed on a convenient shelf or table. 

It can also display 3D models, which are great for showcasing artefacts that might not be visible, such as church bells or items donated to museums.

‘Only those coming to church will be able to access Info Point content,’ said Dan Boys. ‘Therefore, it rewards people for visiting. Fewer visitors carry cash and donations are suffering because of this. Info Point offers a text-giving facility, making it easy for people to donate as a response to their enjoyment of the improved visitor experience.’

During the past 12 months, Wildfi has developed a solar-powered Info Point product that can be utilised where no power is available, such as churchyards (above). The plug and play system, complete with battery and solar panels, is often paired with a visitor information panel containing instructions on how to connect. Info Point Solar has already proved successful on nature reserves and other green spaces.

Perhaps most importantly, Wildfi now offer a funding support package.

‘We know most churches don’t have spare cash lying around to purchase an Info Point, even though all the ones we speak to would love one,’ explained Dan. ‘So we now have in-house experts who will apply for funds on behalf of the church leadership with a current 100 per cent success rate in accessing funding.’

Dan and colleagues will be at CRE Midlands in Solihull to demonstrate the system and show how it enhances the experience of church visitors – and encourages donations.

• WildFi Ltd are on stand C13 at CRE Midlands 23

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands

ByDave Hall

The Church Organiser launched by the Church of England

Administration in Anglican churches got a whole lot easier this month, thanks to a new online system launched by the Church of England in partnership with iKnow Church.

The Church Organiser features a range of tools to help with booking rooms, managing live events and ticketing.

‘It is particularly useful for churches with rooms that are constantly in use and many different buildings can be covered from one centre,’ said Chris Gibson, senior church liaison officer at iKnow Church, a complete administration and donations platform for churches. ‘It takes online bookings and payments and optional extras can be added such as catering, heating and electronics.’

Room availability is shown and a donation facility can be added. A Ticketing section can cover both free and paid events, collecting important information. An optional charge can be made for attendance.

Alongside these important tools, the Life Events Diary helps churches manage weddings, baptisms, funerals or banns of marriage. With automated reminders, online enquiry forms and digital production of the marriage registration document, the diary covers all bases.

There is also A Church Near You Integration section which contains Life Events Diary contact forms. The booking of rooms can be made directly within the A Church Near You profile – giving a seamless experience to visitors.

And it comes free of charge, thanks to funding by the Archbishops’ Council using a grant from the Church Commissioners.

Registering your Church of England church can be done here.

Church Organiser representatives will be at CRE Midlands 23 where visitors can see and try out the software for themselves. It will also be presented as part of the talks programme (4pm, Wed 8 Nov, Talks Area 1).

‘We are thrilled to launch this tool to assist Anglican churches and look forward to showing visitors at Cranmore Park,’ said Chris.

• The Church Organiser will be on the Church Edit and iKnow Church stand A9 at CRE Midlands 23

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands

ByDave Hall

Goodbye collection plate, hello CollecTin

Churches which no longer pass the collection plate around during a service are discovering a special unit that encourages people to support their work.

The CollecTin More allows people to use a contactless credit card, mobile phone or smart watch to make a donation to church funds.

‘Many churches opted not to pass the offering plate when services resumed after the pandemic and have continued with the same policy,’ explained Chris Allwood, co-founder of CollecTin, first-time exhibitors at CRE Midlands 23. ‘The CollecTin More allows people to make a donation easily – without embarrassment. It is also useful in larger churches and cathedrals, which remain open for long periods, providing a means of raising funds from tourists, for example, who may be carrying less cash.’

Churches can identify up to six amounts which can be programmed into the system. Donors can select how much they wish to give, or opt for the ‘choose your own amount’ button.

‘It is a simple system which more than 1,000 churches have already started to use with great success,’ said Chris, who, with co-founder Guy Robinson were the first to build and trial a mobile contactless donation unit in 2015. They formed the CollectTin company in 2018 with the latest system made available three years ago. Now used by many large charities, including OXFAM and Cancer Research UK, it can be seen on the CollecTin stand at CRE Midlands 23.

• CollectTin will be on stand DS35 at CRE Midlands 23

Book your ticket for CRE Midlands 2023 here from as little as £3

Organisations looking to book a stand should contact James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk) or Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk)

Click to view the latest floorplan and price list for available stands