Rock of cages: SU introduce creative sports outreach
A circular cage will be in use at CRE North – not to restrain over-enthusiastic visitors but to demonstrate just how easy it is to use a sports setting for outreach.
‘It’s just one of the resources we are introducing to churches at Event City,’ said Richard Witham, national sports mission leader for Scripture Union. The cage can be used to enable two teams of two to play football, cricket or hockey in short matches – drawing a crowd and the opportunity to connect with the local community.
And with the cricket world cup coming to England later in the year, SU are promoting Sticks for Stumps – a whole raft of related resources aimed at helping churches create occasions to present the Christian message.
‘From cricket on the beach to a school assembly, the material is there to be used,’ said one-time rugby player Richard, who knows how sport can bring together groups of any age. ‘It isn’t difficult to create a faith-sharing opportunity when sport is involved. The resources we have are tried and tested for churches, schools and community groups. They are also great for Messy Church – or Sweaty Church – when all ages can share a sporting activity but also pause for prayer or a short talk.’
Scripture Union will be involved in a seminar at CRE North, Your church and sports ministry, (4pm Wed 13 March) when a number of Christian organisations, involved in various sporting ministries, will present a range of opportunities now available.
• Scripture Union on are stand A 36 at CRE North
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Bean bags, biscuits and books, books, books
Bean bags, biscuits and books, books, books are one man’s vision for the perfect ‘quiet spot’ in every church.
Dave Gatward, managing director of Kevin Mayhew Publishing, said: ‘I want to start a revolution in which churches choose a place where everyone, whatever their age, reads together, where an 89-year-old sits down and enjoys a book with a child of three.’
The company imprint, Palm Tree, is to launch new books in an ever-expanding range for children with the first in the series available at CRE North next week. The first ones include Bible Birds and Beasties, What Happens when You Die, Grandpa? and Dedication Prayers, along with The Classic Children’s Bible.
‘We will publish new books in the series at least twice a year in an ever-expanding range,’ continued Dave, who wants churches to start a children’s library ‘filled with amazing books that they will want to read again and again, and thus learn more about just how much God loves them. Books are the best gifts – they never run out of batteries.’
He also aims to see churches hold prize-givings, celebrating children’s achievements by the presentation of books ‘they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.’
Palm Tree plan to release a book with the Christmas story in September, and Dave hopes others in the range will be used to mark dedications and Christenings.
‘Don’t let the family walk away with nothing,’ he said. ‘Give them a book. Write in it some lovely things from the church and keep in touch. Visitors to our stand at CRE North will be able to get a special pre-order offer complete with samples of the first set of titles. This has me tingling with excitement. I have absolute faith in the transformative power Palm Tree books will have in churches and families.
‘These are books chosen with care and love. I want churches to fall in love with them and to be desperate to find out what’s coming next. And I want children to have books to love, books to be read to and from, books at church and books at home.’
• Kevin Mayhew are on stand C29 at CRE North
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Feed the Hungry: Book your place to lend a helping hand
It’s simple, communal and creates a high nutrition resource to feed some of the poorest children in the world.
And now you can find out how it all works by booking your place to join a Hand to Hand food packing demonstration at CRE North next week (13/14 Mar).
The activity entails a team of 10 CRE visitors filling bags with dried rice, soya and lentils along with a sachet of micronutrients. These bags are then weighed, sealed, labelled and boxed. Each pack contains six meals (one each for six children) and every box of food helps feed a family of six for a month.
‘Food packing is very simple and creates an end-resource sent by Feed The Hungry UK to some of the poorest children in the world,’ explained Gwyn Williams, the charity’s operations director. ‘It’s also a great way to involve your local community in a worthwhile activity.’
There will be several opportunities to join a Hand to Hand food packing team at CRE North. It will require one hour of your time and you will join a team of nine others.
Wed 13 Mar
11am to 12pm
2pm to 3pm
6pm to 7pm
Thur 14 Mar
11am to 12pm
1pm to 2pm
Stuart Bell, leader of the Ground Level Network and Senior Pastor of Alive Church, Lincoln, said: ‘I am delighted to commend Hand to Hand food packing to churches as it enables people to come together to pack food in a fun and enjoyable way, but also think about how it can be used as an opportunity to connect with their local community.’
• Feed The Hungry – Hand to Hand are on stand P63 at CRE North
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Conserving history, safeguarding the future
Conserving the history of a church is a key to safeguarding its future.
So says Jenny Banks of CRE North exhibitor Fine Art Restoration. She should know. Unique conservation projects take her Carlisle-based company all over the country – from the Scottish Highlands to the Isle of Wight.
‘It is fascinating to visit churches, country estates and historic properties,’ said Jenny, who recently worked on a project for Stratfield Saye, the elegant estate of the Duke of Wellington. She was asked to assess an oil painting depicting a hatchment in the church on the estate grounds. Hatchments traditionally represent the heraldic achievements of a person once deceased, and are displayed in their home, church or family chapel. Fine Art Restoration’s trained art handlers collected the artwork, bringing the necessary equipment to navigate its challenging position at the top of a staircase over the church vestibule.
Above: The hatchments before after conservation work.
‘The conservation work was substantial and involved removing varnish, repairing tears and relining the canvas,’ explained Jenny. ‘We also filled losses, matched pigment for retouching and restored the artwork’s deep reds and shining golds to their original grandeur. We also replaced the stretcher bars, restored the frame and re-varnished the painting to provide a lasting protective finish.’
The managers of Stratfield Saye were delighted with the results.
‘It was a privilege to be invited back to assess a further two artworks displayed in the church as part of our ongoing conservation commitment,’ says Jenny. ‘Artworks displayed in churches are more exposed to environmental and incidental damage, being situated in older historic buildings and also being busy places of worship. Our team of experienced conservators assess artworks, furniture and specialist items within churches and create condition and conservation reports – vital for the long-term maintenance of treasured church contents.
‘Carefully conserving the history of a church is a key to successfully safeguarding its future.’
• Fine Art Restoration are on stand P16 at CRE North
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Introducing the colouring book that doubles as a tract
It may be a simple colouring book but it can mean a great deal to a displaced person.
For what makes these products unique is that each one has the Scriptures in English, plus another language – for example Arabic, Farsi, Swahili and Somali.
‘It’s an unusual way of reaching refugees and immigrants but these are colouring books with a difference!’ said Jamie Pritchett, founder of The Good News Colouring Book Ministry, based in Merritt Island, Florida. ‘Each book is really a tract, using only the Scriptures to tell the story of Jesus – his miraculous birth, life, death and resurrection.’
Jamie believes there is nothing quite like arriving in a new country and seeing something written in your own language.
‘People immediately gravitate toward something that they can read easily,’ explained Jamie. ‘Being dual-language, the book helps them learn their target language and also tells the story of Jesus. And it can be downloaded, free of charge, from the internet.’
The ministry is in its 21st year and new languages are added as they become available, or as they are requested.
‘We are excited to have a stand at CRE North,’ said Linda Riddell, artist and illustrator of the books. ‘We hope many churches and individuals will find out how to use these simple tracts to share the gospel with people all over Britain.’
• The Good News Colouring Book are on Stand P13 at CRE North
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Now first contact needn’t be the last
First contact with families approaching your church for a wedding, baptism or funeral need not be the last – thanks to new online software that helps you develop lasting relationships with parishioners.
The Life Events Diary, a free resource for Church of England churches and developed in partnership with CRE North exhibitor iKnow Church, streamlines administration for classic rites of passage. It will be launched during a seminar at CRE North (2pm, Wed 13 Mar).
‘Every family that approaches a church for a wedding, banns reading, a baptism or a funeral begins a journey with that church,’ explained iKnow Church’s Kyle Cottington. ‘For the family, it can be a time of big emotions and questions. You will want to care for them and make their service the best it can be. Behind that are a huge list of tasks, not just to plan the services but to keep in touch with the families afterwards and encourage them to stay connected. That’s what Life Events Diary is all about.’
Life Events Diary:
• Records legal and personal data of families safely and securely
• Reduces duplication of data-collection and data-entry
• Prints out key information about a service in relevant formats
• Customises, records, and tracks service fees
• Never forgets a significant date for pastoral care, or an opportunity for follow-up after a service, with email reminders
• Shares data, tasks and messages with others in the church to help you direct, delegate and coordinate, wherever you are
• Live Events Diary is available on the iKnow Church stand A34 at CRE North
• Tom Pearson (Church of England) and Kyle Cottington (iKnow Church) will speak on Just Ask: Introducing C of E Live Events (2pm, Wed 13 Mar)
> Who’s exhibiting at CRE North 2019?
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It’s now or never: Time we got in tune with the Elvis generation
UK churches are failing to reach the generation brought up on Elvis, according to Church Army captain Chris Harrington.
In his Grove booklet Reaching the Saga Generation, Chris highlights that, when churches reach out to older people, the focus is almost always on those born before the last world war. They do so by running everything from a regular drop-in coffee morning, to visiting those in nursing homes.
‘All good stuff,’ suggests Peter Meadows of CRE North exhibitor Afterworknet, ‘but it doesn’t touch those of a very different generation who are also no longer working full time – those brought up on Elvis rather than Doris Day, who jived not quick-stepped. They wore denim and still do and by no means regard themselves as “old.”’
Chris believes they are distinctly different from their older counterparts.
• They were the first ‘teenagers’ and have lived through the free-thinking era of the new pop-culture
• They do not trust governments, multinationals, institutions or authority figures
• They dislike being patronised, dictated to or treated condescendingly
• They demand honesty, consistency, reliability, quality, value for money and good service.
What’s more, this segment of our society represents a huge sector of the population.
In the main, churches lack plans and programmes to help those of this generation get ready for new adventures and seize new opportunities for service in retirement.
‘That being the case, those of us who are heading for retirement – or are already there – need to take personal responsibility,’ concludes Peter, Afterworknet’s programme director. ‘Life after work is not a rehearsal but the real thing. We’ll only get to do it once. Afterworknet will help you do it properly.’
• Afterworknet are on stand B16a at CRE North
• Church Army are on stand C2 at CRE North
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A website to be proud of: Church Edit does you credit
Now churches can have a website to envy – with unlimited pages, podcasting, daily bible reading plans and seamless integration with UCB Radio and TV.
It’s all thanks to Church Edit, the UK’s largest Christian software company that has exhibited at almost every CRE for the past 13 years. And the company has chosen CRE North to launch its all new Global Office – a powerful tool that updates more than 1,000 church websites across the UK.
‘Global Office has been updated in function along with a fresh design to make it really easy for churches to manage their websites by adding unlimited web pages, upload images and media files,’ explained Church Edit’s managing director Kyle Cottington. ‘There are many features developed just for churches such as podcasting, a calendar, daily bible reading plans and integration with UCB. Church Edit is ideal for churches and ministries of all sizes, from small local churches to diocesan headquarters.’
With different design options to suit churches of all budgets, Church Edit also comes with unlimited free technical support plus on-demand tutorials within a dedicated support site.
‘This is the biggest update we have ever done,’ said Kyle. ‘The feedback has been fantastic and we are looking forward to showing people at Event City. And you can benefit from our one-year free offer as well as get 25 per cent off website design.’
• Church Edit are on stand A34 at CRE North
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Phishers of men: Don’t let your church become an easy target
Clever computer criminals want to take over your money, your identity – even your church.
That will be Dave Carlos’ stark warning to CRE visitors at both Event City (March 13/14) and Sandown Park (15-17 Oct).
When it comes to cyber security, Dave has a lifetime of experience. An interest in home computers in the early 1980s resulted in his appointment as editor of Home Computing Weekly. The cover story on first edition under his management introduced readers to the way in which the early Prestel system had been hacked.
Eventually he started his own PR company, advising producers of computer games, before moving to Christian charity Agape and then CRE North exhibitor Care for the Family. However, a request from a local group in Fleetwood determined his current role.
‘I devised a talk on computer security and presented it to a number of organisations,’ he recalled. ‘That same presentation has been revised substantially over the years and I can even provide a link to watch it online.’
Dave also works with Lancashire Police after responding to an advert asking for a group of cyber volunteers to give presentations to groups, churches and companies – ‘I was accepted as a cyber volunteer and now also help to train new police officers.’
At 66, with about 40 years’ experience of using computers, his CRE North seminar – Cyber Security and Digital Safety in Your Church (11am, Wed 13 Mar) – helps church representatives and home computer users grasp some of the basic safety measures when online.
‘There are so many clever criminals wanting to take over your computers, your money, and even your identity, that it is a subject of growing importance,’ he said. ‘Everyone using a computer and going online ought to be aware of the many pitfalls.’
• Dave Carlos will talk on Cyber Security and Digital Safety in Your Church (CRE North, 11am, Wed 13 Mar)
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ByCRE
‘The meeting will be gin with prayer’
Voting has begun to find the nation’s favourite parish magazine and service sheet typo.
Every week, in churches throughout the country, typographical errors sneak under the righteous radar. A word may be spelled correctly but, critically, it’s the wrong word. For hard-pressed editors, the consequences can be horrifying. For the rest of us, hilarious.
‘Just one letter may be missing – but it’s enough to send parishioners rocking in the pews,’ explains Anne Coomes of Parish Pump, a website providing editorial and graphic resources to thousands of church magazine editors.
Local publications are a special focus at the upcoming Christian Resources Exhibition (Event City, Manchester, 13/14 March) and the event’s organisers are celebrating the unsung work of parish magazine editors by asking the general public to name their favourite blooper.
Ten genuine contributions have been collected by readers of Ship of Fools, the magazine of Christian unrest, and Church Service Sheet Typos, a Facebook page which has gained some 4800 members since its creation just over a year ago. Voting will continue until 12 noon on Fri 1 March, when the Top 10 will be revealed in order of popularity.
‘Most editors will see the funny side,’ explains CRE managing director Steve Goddard. ‘Since computer software offered us generative text and spellcheckers, the number of typos has actually increased. It is dangerous to become too dependent on technology.’
For 20 years Anne Coomes has resourced church magazine editors of all mainline denominations. She will deliver a seminar at CRE North (5pm, Wed 13 Mar), showing editors how to make the most of their much-loved publications.
‘Church magazines still play a critical role in community life,’ said Anne, from Macclesfield. ‘However, every editor can recall that awful moment when they’ve made a mistake and there’s nothing they can do about it. I once ran a headline that should have read: “Make flowers that look like satin.” Instead it said: “Make flowers that look like satan.” Not one of my more glorious moments!’
Back in Manchester for the first time in five years, CRE North, often dubbed the ‘ideal church show’, is a unique showcase where innovative products and services for churches – from pulpits to puppets, sound systems to software – will be displayed by some 150 organisations. More than 30 seminars and presentations will cover areas like cyber security and safeguarding.
The Bishop of Manchester, The Rt Revd David Walker, has welcomed the exhibition’s return to the north.
‘Manchester is world famous as a place where the best is showcased and creative ideas and technologies are quickly adopted,’ he said. ‘I’m delighted CRE is returning and that so many organisations will bring skills, services, ideas and resources to the north west.’
‘CRE is an event that brings together churches from many different traditions and persuasions,’ said the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu. ‘It is an ideal place for positive discussion and agenda setting.’
Credit: Cartoons by Rev Taffy Davies
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