How can churches face the future with Covid still hovering on the horizon?
Des Stewart, co-founder of Good to Give, will look to the future in a special seminar at CRE National (3pm, Wed 13 Oct).
‘In 2020 the way we do church changed forever,’ he said. ‘Although many churches continue to re-open their doors for face-to-face services, for some online church is here to stay. What does that mean for the way leaders and members allow the church to move forward? We know it takes faith to do God’s work but it also requires practical wisdom – and that’s what we will be looking at in this seminar.’
Des thinks there are five pillars for building the hybrid church and they can be used to grow a church on and offline. The seminar will give local church leaders and members an opportunity to consider how to create a different future for their church.
‘It’s always been our mission at Good to Give to help churches grow, improve and operate more efficiently, helping them extend their influence in their communities and increase their ability to do good,’ said Des. ‘Many churches have resources that are under-utilised – such as premises, enthusiastic members and trustees with specific skill sets.’
With 25 years’ experience working in the private and public sectors, and having co-founded Good to Give in 2000, Des has spent two decades working exclusively with third sector faith-based organisations.
• Good to Give are on stand U6 at CRE National 2021
CRE National 2021
12-14 October 2021
Sandown Park, Surrey
CRE South West 2022
23-24 February 2022
Westpoint, Exeter
Click here for the CRE National 2021 handbook
Your new 64-page products and services guide to CRE National 2021. Nothing beats reading it!
Aldersbrook Baptist Church (pictured) in Wanstead, East London, had problems with a renovation project.
Meanwhile Chelmsford Diocesan Board of Finance wanted to sell part of the garden at Dedham vicarage and expand the graveyard.
Both knew where to go: Rapleys Charities Consultancy, a new exhibitor at CRE National 2021.
The company has provided several recent quinquennial survey reports for churches of varying ages and design to identify possible problems and point out realistic ways to repair or improve the property. At the same time issues have been identified which could have huge cost implications.
As Graham Smith, Charities Consultancy partner, said: ‘We provide a comprehensive range of services for the charity, ecclesiastical and non-profit sectors in respect of all aspects of land and property matters throughout the UK. Our experienced professional teams provide authoritative insights from our market specialists. We can provide bespoke single service delivery or comprehensive advice on multi-disciplinary instructions.’
With more than 30 years’ experience working for non-profit organisations, the firm is expertly placed to provide ecclesiastical advice across the full spectrum of property-related issues, involving:
Rapleys experts understand the needs of charities and non-profit organisations and the complexities of this sector.
‘We tailor our support and advice to meet the individual requirements of each client,’ said Graham, enabling them to concentrate on what they do best. We are delighted to be getting back into church buildings after Covid, but it also reminds us of the unfinished jobs and the ongoing plans in how to use the buildings. After what has been a tough 18 months, now is the moment for picking up where churches left off and seems ideally suitable to starting something fresh.
‘Both I and Adam Harvey, fellow Charities Consultancy partner, look forward to the opportunity of supporting the future of your ecclesiastical needs at CRE National 2021.’
• Rapleys Charities Consultancy are on stand H9 at CRE National 2021
CRE National 2021
12-14 October 2021
Sandown Park, Surrey
CRE South West 2022
23-24 February 2022
Westpoint, Exeter
Click here for the CRE National 2021 handbook
Your new 64-page products and services guide to CRE National 2021. Nothing beats reading it!
As more and more donations are made by card, churches can be at a disadvantage – but one company has changed all that, without the need for obtrusive terminals.
David Lynch, co-owner of CRE National exhibitor Givt, said: ‘We want to see a world in which people enjoy giving a lot. That’s why we’re on a mission to make it effortless and fun so you can make an impact whenever, wherever.
‘Our unique solution allows everyone to make a difference with just their smartphone. Working with more than 400 churches and 5000 users, we are seeing churches and their members rediscover the joy of giving.’
River Church, Maidenhead have been impressed by Givt.
‘Signing up with Givt as a church was much easier than we expected,’ said senior leader Ceri Davies. ‘We’re a family of churches with a slightly unusual structure but Givt were able to accommodate that easily and it has been a straightforward and quick process to begin using the application.
‘It was reassuring to have someone at the end of a phone or a Zoom call to answer my questions and encourage me! Givt have thought of everything, and the promotional materials, text, web and media tools are excellent. It was really easy to incorporate them into our publicity and media. We’ve already had a good number of people signing up who are all really impressed by how easy it is to use.’
The Givt system is a secure and trouble-free way to donate, simply by using a smartphone.
‘Just as with cash, you donate anonymously and decide how much you would like to donate,’ said David Lynch. ‘If you make a mistake you can always nullify your donation.’
• Givt are on stand A12 at CRE National 2021
CRE National 2021
12-14 October 2021
Sandown Park, Surrey
CRE South West 2022
23-24 February 2022
Westpoint, Exeter
Click here for the CRE National 2021 handbook
Your new 64-page products and services guide to CRE National 2021. Nothing beats reading it!
The economic and social consequences of the global pandemic have been profound, creating a new set of challenges.
So says Philip Winch, principal architect for long-established CPL Architects, exhibitors at CRE National 2021.
‘As churches consider the stewardship of their land and building, new challenges and opportunities are arising within the emerging socio-economic landscape, which will require a strategic and often transformative approach,’ Philip told CRE News.
He pointed to Emmanuel, a Methodist-URC Local Ecumenical Partnership Church in Eastbourne, which called on CPL to design a church to achieve their mission objectives and dispose of three sites in the process.
‘Their approach of “expecting great things… and attempting great things for God” can be seen in this transformative project, currently under construction,’ said Philip. ‘The project provides a modern and flexible building, which will be suitable for both worship and community use and will enable the church to fulfil its mission well into the 21st century.
‘The contemporary, energy-efficient design includes a modern double-height worship space with passive ventilation, flexible hall, commercial kitchen and offices at first floor level, with a welcoming entrance foyer, community café and parking at ground floor level and nursery facilities, meetings rooms and roof gardens at second floor level.’
The new building will be partly funded by the sale of three other sites, which are being redeveloped sympathetically to provide much needed housing in the town for local people. The congregation is raising the balance through a series of imaginative fund-raising initiatives and from generous donors.
‘If, like them, you are “expecting and attempting great things”, and would like to review how your church buildings and property can better deliver your vision and mission objectives, contact us at CRE National 2021,’ said Philip.
• CPL Architects are on stand U15 at CRE National 2021
CRE National 2021
12-14 October 2021
Sandown Park, Surrey
CRE South West 2022
23-24 February 2022
Westpoint, Exeter
Click here for the CRE National 2021 handbook
Your new 64-page products and services guide to CRE National 2021. Nothing beats reading it!
With an impressive track record heating imposing Victorian structures and small country churches, a family-run business is set to make its debut at CRE National 2021.
Druggitt and Harding have taken over long-established church heating specialist Christopher Dunphy Ecclesiastical. Warren Taylor, the company’s managing director, is now looking forward to his first visit to CRE – and bringing the latest technology to churches large and small.
‘It is going to be good to see what happens and how well we are received,’ he said.
Warren has worked for Druggitt and Harding since joining as a third-year apprentice.
‘I followed my father into the business and the same company,’ he said. ‘Druggitt and Harding is a nationwide company dedicated to the design and installation of heating, electrical and lighting systems and building works in churches and historic buildings, so I come with a wealth of knowledge in the commercial plumbing and heating sector in designing, building and delivering projects.’
The company will still trade under Christopher Dunphy Ecclesiastical.
‘We bring expertise in adapting to modern technologies,’ said Warren. ‘When it comes to heating and lighting systems, we can install something entirely new or adapt an existing one.’
The product he is finding most popular is a control system that enables the heating to be operated anywhere with a wi-fi signal – useful in churches where someone can turn the heating on and off and adjust the heating levels remotely.
‘It is an intelligent controller, meaning it could also save on your energy bills,’ he added.
‘We can also design and install new lighting which will give the correct lux levels and energy saving LED lighting which can offer savings on energy costs. Decarbonising heat is vital to meet net-zero emissions, so we offer help and advice on any “green” options available today.’
Because Christopher Dunphy Ecclesiastical is now part of a bigger group, the company can offer other services, from building works to the installation of new toilet systems.
Christopher Dunphy will also be at CRE National 2021, with ChurchEcoMiser – a new, all-electric heating system designed for smaller churches.
• Christopher Dunphy Ecclesiastical Heating are on stand J4 and ChurchEcoMiser are on stand J1 at CRE National 2021
CRE National 2021
12-14 October 2021
Sandown Park, Surrey
CRE South West 2022
23-24 February 2022
Westpoint, Exeter
Click here for the CRE National 2021 handbook
Your new 64-page products and services guide to CRE National 2021. Nothing beats reading it!
Thousands of churches, often heroically, continued their ministry of worship and preaching during lockdown – by taking their services online.
In a matter of months, new skills were learned, sometimes under extreme pressure. One year on, the idea of local churches live streaming their activities on a permanent basis is here to stay. But where to from here? CRE National 2021 will offer visitors the opportunity to hear and learn from a range of experts who spend their professional lives helping people buy the right technology and develop the skills required. Click here to see the exhibition seminar programme.
Of course, as is the case with any live event, things have sometimes gone hilariously wrong. To celebrate these moments CRE teamed up with online comedy magazine Ship of Fools in a search for the funniest online church gaffes. The four finalists are below.
Scroll down to enjoy these moments of unintended comedy and vote for your favourite in our online Streaming with Laughter poll. The results will be published before CRE National 2021 – where you can find out how to avoid similar calamities!
Vicar on fire – Revd Stephen Beach, Vicar of St Budeaux in Plymouth gets into a spot of bother during an online worship experience.
Cat and cassock – The Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, the Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, discovers his inner cat during a Bible reading.
Drummer v foliage – The worship drummer of First Church of the Nazarene in Marietta, Georgia, does spiritual warfare with errant foliage.
Blues Brothers worship – Revd Vaughan Roberts leads livestream worship at St Mary’s in Warwick with the comedy filters turned on.
Vote for the funniest online church fail below. Click on the image of your choice, and then click the Vote button. Thanks for taking part!
Book your tickets to CRE National! – and save up to £5
Seminar Guide – See the complete guide to seminars and special features at CRE National 2021
Welcome Back – See an online version of the CRE National 2021 ‘Welcome Back’ brochure
CRE National 2021
12-14 October 2021
Sandown Park, Surrey
CRE South West 2022
23-24 February 2022
Westpoint, Exeter
Click here for the CRE National 2021 handbook
Your new 64-page products and services guide to CRE National 2021. Nothing beats reading it!
A Liverpool company is helping churches administer communion in a way that helps prevent the spread of Covid-19.
The elements are delivered in a small pre-filled communion cup containing a double seal. Peeling off the first seal reveals an altar wafer. A second seal reveals non-alcoholic grape juice.
Suhail, director of Miracle Meal in the UK, is already dealing with regular orders.
‘Churches have found our product useful during the pandemic,’ he said. ‘Many delivered the communion elements individually to members in advance, to be used during services broadcast online. Some ordered their own packages so they could take part in similar services.’
Once churches were able to meet in public again, with members suitably seated according to safety regulations, Miracle Meal supplies, which come in packs of 21, 100, 250, or 500, or 1,000, proved advantageous once more.
‘The double-sealed containers mean it is simple to provide more with no wastage,’ explained Suhail. ‘And nothing needs washing up and cleansing afterwards.’
The vision for Miracle Meal belongs to Dominic and Alidia Symes in South Africa. The couple were on holiday in Singapore when they learnt that Dominic’s father had been diagnosed with cancer. Turning to God for support, the church in which they were worshipping used the communion service as an integral part of prayer for healing. It proved such a blessing that on their return to South Africa the couple spent two years researching how to encourage more to take communion. Miracle Meal finally came to fruition with companies set up in South Africa, America, Canada and the UK.
‘Our heart is to supply the communion cup to every Christian on this planet at a fair price,’ explained Dominic. ‘God has given our team the strength, courage and wisdom to take this product global. Please never stop praying for our team and remember Psalm 34:8: “Taste and see that the lord is good.’”
Book your tickets to CRE National! – and save up to £5
Seminar Guide – See the complete guide to seminars and special features at CRE National 2021
Welcome Back – See an online version of the CRE National 2021 ‘Welcome Back’ brochure
CRE National 2021
12-14 October 2021
Sandown Park, Surrey
CRE South West 2022
23-24 February 2022
Westpoint, Exeter
Click here for the CRE National 2021 handbook
Your new 64-page products and services guide to CRE National 2021. Nothing beats reading it!
Christopher Dunphy is pleased to announce that the company he founded and has managed for more than 30 years has been taken over by a commercial heating company.
An ever present at CRE since 1988, Chris has installed more than 1000 church heating systems throughout the UK during that time. But now he will be at the exhibition in a new guise with ChurchEcoMiser (Surrey Hall J1) – a new, all-electric heating system designed for smaller churches.
‘It will be great to get back to Sandown Park and something approaching the new normal,’ he said. ‘CRE is a great place to visit for anyone committed to seeing their local church grow and thrive.’
Christopher Dunphy Ecclesiastical will now be run by Druggitt and Harding, who will exhibit under Christopher Dunphy Ecclesiastical at this year’s exhibition.
Warren Taylor, the company’s new managing director, who will be on the Christopher Dunphy Ecclesiastical stand throughout the exhibition, said: ‘I am really looking forward to the exhibition. We have taken over a company with a wealth of experience in the church heating market and we hope to complement and strengthen it with our commercial experience.’
• ChurchEcoMiser are on stand J1 and Christopher Dunphy Ecclesiastical Heating are on stand J4 at CRE National 2021
Book your tickets to CRE National! – and save up to £5
Seminar Guide – See the complete guide to seminars and special features at CRE National 2021
Welcome Back – See an online version of the CRE National 2021 ‘Welcome Back’ brochure
CRE National 2021
12-14 October 2021
Sandown Park, Surrey
CRE South West 2022
23-24 February 2022
Westpoint, Exeter
Click here for the CRE National 2021 handbook
Your new 64-page products and services guide to CRE National 2021. Nothing beats reading it!
One of the oldest non-conformist churches in Britain has been the subject of a planning application – and a newly-penned poem!
Tewksbury Baptist recently received the go ahead for a major extension and alterations, to become more proactive in the local community. Church leader Shane Roche expressed his delight in a poem which highlights the history of the church which first opened in the early 1600s. It includes the verses:
What if we had rooms that locals could use,
Where community groups crossed and shared passions and views
Where choirs could sing and children could dance,
And the disabled and impaired were given a chance
What if the poor were cared for, respected
Given self-worth, no longer dejected
What if we had coffee and food that was homely
And we invited the isolated, vulnerable and lonely
EMJ Architects, with 22 years’ experience helping churches and charities in similar situations, worked with the fellowship’s leaders to produce the plans which will create what the verses call for. A new 200-seat worship space is specified, with access through a large, open-plan entrance.
The existing worship area will be transformed into a new activity hall, commercial kitchen and servery. New toilet facilities are also planned. On a new floor, a children’s church room will be created, along with meeting and function rooms.
The church sits on a corner plot, between Station Road and Chance Street and the design extends the existing church towards the site boundary in both directions with a new circular tower feature on the corner forming a stairwell to the first floor.
‘Because the church is built on land historically associated with the railway, the glazed curtain wall of the entrance will feature the etched image of a steam locomotive to illustrate the history of the site,’ said architect Ben Bonadel. ‘It will also further ground the redeveloped church in the community it serves.
‘The development will meet the needs of the church family and the wider community. The proximity of the extended church to the public realm is intended to better connect the church with the surrounding community. Large areas of glazing create a warm and bright internal environment and speak of transparency, openness and a sense of being welcome.’
The sustainability and energy efficiency of the building are key considerations. The development will feature a significant photovoltaic (solar) roof panel array, along with the capacity for air source heating, to produce energy even on a cloudy day, reduce the carbon footprint and trim energy bills. The building will benefit from a mixed mode natural and mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery. Specific regard has been given to the management of potential disease transmission associated with recirculated air.
• EMJ Architects are on stand D11 at CRE National 2021
Book your tickets to CRE National! – and save up to £5
Seminar Guide – See the complete guide to seminars and special features at CRE National 2021
Welcome Back – See an online version of the CRE National 2021 ‘Welcome Back’ brochure
CRE National 2021
12-14 October 2021
Sandown Park, Surrey
CRE South West 2022
23-24 February 2022
Westpoint, Exeter
Click here for the CRE National 2021 handbook
Your new 64-page products and services guide to CRE National 2021. Nothing beats reading it!
When we come into contact with other faith communities it is not always easy to know what to say – but one organisation is there to help.
For almost 160 years Interserve has been reaching people in Asia and the Arab world. Its aim? To encourage Christians to engage well with people from different backgrounds and belief systems.
‘Through our Associate Church Programme, we support local churches as they work through the challenges and practicalities of presence and gospel engagement among people of other faiths and cultures,’ said Kevin Wren, Interserve’s head of development. ‘If anyone works with people from Asia and the Arab World, we can help.’
The organisation provides access to networking, guidance, consultancy, support and examples of good practice from which to develop effective and long-term, cross-cultural relationships.
‘We want to see lives transformed through an encounter with Jesus Christ,’ said Kevin. ‘We do this alongside the local church in ways that reflect the whole of life – work, rest and play. We look forward to talking to CRE visitors, to show them how we can use our experience and passion to serve them as they engage with people who may not share their convictions.’
• Interserve are on stand A42 at CRE National 2021
Book your tickets to CRE National! – and save up to £5
Seminar Guide – See the complete guide to seminars and special features at CRE National 2021
Welcome Back – See an online version of the CRE National 2021 ‘Welcome Back’ brochure
CRE National 2021
12-14 October 2021
Sandown Park, Surrey
CRE South West 2022
23-24 February 2022
Westpoint, Exeter
Click here for the CRE National 2021 handbook
Your new 64-page products and services guide to CRE National 2021. Nothing beats reading it!
Christian Resources Exhibition
1 and 2 Ellison’s Cottages
Crank Road
St Helens
Merseyside
WA11 7RQ
Christian Resources Exhibition is a limited company Reg No. 02549188