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‘Like words from heaven’: listed church rejoices at sound advice

A churchwarden in Gloucestershire has invented a new game – spot the loudspeakers.

‘When visitors come into our building I challenge them to see if they can see where we’ve located them,’ said Nigel Robbins of the Church of St John Baptist, Cirencester and former mayor of the town. ‘When they give up, I smile and say: “From heaven!”’

It follows a massive overhaul of the sound system by CRE National exhibitors Novum AV. St John Baptist is a Grade 1 listed building which includes architectural styles from the 12th century. Novum used special look-alike material for the loudspeakers – successfully camouflaging them from the impressive surroundings of what is one of the largest parish churches in England.

In fact, the company removed a dozen boxed speakers from the medieval limestone columns in the church and more than 300 metres of unsightly cabling before installing the tall, slim, speakers, designed to blend into the environment – each one colour-matched and positioned discretely. The speakers improve building architecture and aesthetics.

‘The specialist system we used means that sound waves are digitally steered direct to the congregation, focussing on the listening area and directing sound away from hard, reflective surfaces,’ said Tim Jacques, the head of Novum AV. ‘This avoids the problem of reverberation in large buildings – particularly with a lot of stonework. The high controlled coverage also means that the words spoken can be much more intelligible.’

By designing a system with a small number of specialised loudspeakers, the budget was directed towards buying high quality units. Providing extra speakers would have involved more installation labour and other materials.

‘We had been bedevilled by a sound system for the spoken voice which frequently let us down,’ said Nigel Robbins. ‘The new speakers perform magnificently, the human voice suffering no distortion through dispersion such as reverberation. The softest sound comes through clearly from over 70 yards away. Hard-of hearing people declare they no longer require the old loop system!’

The new speakers actually enhance the appearance of the atmospheric church, making it easier to lease the space to local organisations – both a community benefit and a commercial opportunity for the church.

• Novum will be on stand T12 at CRE National 2022

Photos: Hiding in plain sight: the new sound system at the Church of St John the Baptist, Cirencester

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Why an ancient church went underground

An underfloor heating system fed by air source heat pumps will hugely reduce one ancient church’s carbon footprint per hour of use.

St Mary’s Church in Ely began a major building transformation and turned to longstanding CRE exhibitor Church Build UK for help and advice. That advice played a huge part in the £950k revamp of the 800-year-old, Grade 1 Listed building – to give it a wider local ministry and a long-term positive impact on the health of the building.

Priest in charge, Rev. Chris Hill, said: ‘We’re looking forward to returning to a renewed and transformed space which can be used by the church community – 16 hours a day, seven days a week. It will be wonderful.’

Nigel Walter, the visionary who set up Church Build and is founding director of Archangel Architects, said: ‘Knowing where to start in tackling our climate emergency is challenging. We are on hand to help with advice and guidance. We can suggest actions that nearly all churches can benefit from, even low occupancy places of worship used only on a Sunday. These actions are relatively easy, with relatively fast pay back.’

Church Build produce a checklist suitable for anyone considering a church build project and needing support and inspiration. Representatives will be at CRE National to offer advice. The Church Build UK Facebook group is open to anyone considering a church build project and looking for inspiration from others who have ‘been there and done that’.

‘Come and join the conversation,’ said Nigel. ‘Together we can make a difference!’

• Church Build are on stand I7 at CRE National 2022

Photo: St Mary’s, Ely

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Rosehill: so patient while we pondered

We were grateful you were patient while we pondered over the pews!

That was what the administrator at Elmwood Church, Salford, told Rosehill Furnishings after church members deliberated on design and colour.

‘Big thanks to Rosehill for keeping in touch and sending out samples while we made up our minds,’ he said. ‘Our pews were dated and we wanted to update the seating to make it more contemporary. We love our new chairs!’

For more than 30 years Rosehill have supplied products for all kinds of situations. Churches swapping pews for stylish, modern multi-purpose chairs have found they give greater flexibility – with the same area utilised in a variety of ways. Their lightweight seats are also available in various wipe-clean finishes.

But it isn’t just replacing pews where Rosehill have been able to make church spaces more appealing.

‘We have a wide selection of stacking chairs for community halls, meeting rooms and dining areas,’ explained director Elliot Brierley. ‘For the entrance hall or a quiet area where informal seating is preferred, we can supply sofas and lounge chairs to suit all budgets.’

The company also has a range of children’s chairs, suitable for all age groups, trolleys or cupboards and lockers for storage. Their acoustic screens help separate different spaces and allow privacy. These are made to order in a wide range of fabric types and colours, to fit in with the decor. Then there are their tables, including folding options which can be moved and stored on trolleys. For areas where the tables are left out, the pedestal tables in their ranges include a huge choice of shapes, sizes and colours.

All Rosehill’s products are contract quality, fire retardant and tested to British or European standards, making them suitable for public and commercial buildings.

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From Detroit to Ukraine: casting bread on the waters

From a daily thought recorded at a radio station in Detroit to a worldwide provider of Bible notes, Our Daily Bread Ministries has made great inroads over the past 80 years.

‘We have always been committed to making the word of God understandable and accessible to everyone, and this is still our spiritual foundation,’ said Steve Mitchell (pictured), chief executive officer of the ministry based in Carnforth, Lancashire.

Today more than 600 people in 35 countries create resources distributed to more than 150 countries around the world in 58 languages.

‘Our UK office was established in 1987 due to the increasing demand in Europe for English language-based Our Daily Bread bible reading notes and Discovery Series booklets,’ said Steve. ‘We’ll introduce CRE visitors to our notes and a selection of our other literature – all free to pick up at our stand or you can order them to be sent to you.

‘For those churches helping Ukrainian refugees at this very difficult time we’ll have a limited supply of Our Daily Bread resources in the Ukrainian language to help them as they face life in a new country.’

Yana, director of Our Daily Bread Ministries’ Ukraine, was forced to close the office in Kiev and flee her home along with millions of others.

‘It’s not a situation we can solve,’ she said. ‘People are so worried and stressed. We need the Lord to lead us.’

• Our Daily Bread are on stand F3 at CRE National 2022

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‘Miserly’ Chris is the wizard of warm

Soaring energy prices are set to hit churches everywhere – but Chris Dunphy (pictured), founder and MD of ChurchEcoMiser, believes he can help.

‘Electricity is at the forefront of renewable energy and, as a company, we have moved away from dependence on fossil fuels to specialise only in all-electric heating systems,’ said Chris who has spent 45 years heating churches the length and breadth of Britain. ‘Our system looks and operates in a similar way to a traditional radiator system but without the need for a boiler or obtrusive pipework. With a range of sizes and colours available, radiators can be discreetly sited almost anywhere.’

Chris visits churches personally to provide a bespoke option, exclusively prepared to their requirements. The system was devised for what Chris thought would be the ideal system for remote country churches where gas was either unavailable or expensive to install – ‘but it proved a popular option for all churches.’

Over the years he has designed and installed more than 1,000 heating systems in churches and church buildings and, because many are Victorian or medieval buildings, protecting the fabric has always been as important as heating the congregation. He will be at CRE National 2022 to chat about your church heating system and make a date to visit the premises.

He does not have any connection or affiliation to any other heating company – so if it is a genuine ChurchEcoMiser system you are interested in, or it is Chris that you wish to meet, make contact with Chris personally.

• ChurchEcoMiser are on stand J1 at CRE National 2022

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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

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

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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

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

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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

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

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