Be seen and heard – to be understood
At a time when a lot of local church leaders are dependent on smart phones and state-of-the-art computers, why do so many still preach from a microphone-free, raised pulpit? It’s a situation that troubles David Sharpe, of CRE exhibitor SES Technical.
‘New technology enables first-time visitors to a church, at a wedding perhaps, to enjoy the experience more if they hear the message through a clear sound system, sing hymns from a screen and see the finer points of the sermon reinforced on a Powerpoint display,’ he maintains. ‘Even churches with a limited budget can take steps to ensure that everything that happens is seen, heard and understood.’
SES understand the pitfalls of working in historic churches, listed buildings, new build or even churches making renovations – especially when that means making the screen and speakers ‘disappear’ into the fabric of the building, to protect the beauty and aesthetic charm of a church.
‘We want to retain the visibility of the stained-glass windows, or elegant carvings,’ says Dave, ‘but also enhance the experience of worship and communication of the gospel message. We are happy to evaluate the needs and requirements of any church, design a system which provides the maximum quality of sound and vision – with a minimum of disturbance to the building or the congregation.’
The company also trains volunteer helpers so ‘you are never left in the lurch with no-one on the sound-desk or controlling the screen!’
SES are part of Novum AV, a company which has worked effectively with major businesses such as Nivea, Elastoplast and Australian Christian company Hillsong conferences in the UK. They have also provided expertise and equipment at major events at the NEC, Birmingham and Echo Arena, Liverpool.
‘The pyrotechnics used in some of our productions would be out of place in a church!’ admits Dave. ‘However, we are just as happy to install a simple sound system or provide a screen with a facility to show hymns, missionary photographs or video sequences which can increase people’s interest.’
Anyone leaving their visiting card at the SES stand (S55) at CRE 2018 will be put into a draw at the close of the event with two winners each being given a high-quality, reconditioned microphone with a full 12-month warranty.
• SES are on stand S55 at CRE 2018
Click here for a list of more than 200 exhibitors at CRE 2018
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Bringing the Bible to life… including waterlogged apostles
Cheering when a ship gets wrecked is not generally encouraged in school – but Year 3 pupils could be forgiven on this occasion. Open the Book’s Nefyn team, in Gwynedd, Wales, acted out the story of Paul’s shipwreck at their school in June.
‘It seemed quite complicated to stage at first, but proved to be a huge success, with a clear message as children echoed Paul’s response to danger – trust God,’ said Barbara Custance, leader of the team.
The production was helped by the group’s chief prop support person whose vessel made its maiden voyage in the school hall.
‘Mike is skilled at creating visually effective props that can be dismantled and packed into portable units,’ explains Barbara. ‘It also helped having the story and materials in Welsh which was appreciated by the children and staff at the school.’
Open the Book’s Nefyn team is one of hundreds across England and Wales which regularly help 700,000 hear Bible stories in a dramatic way. Using props and costumes to recreate Bible stories during assemblies, some 14,800 volunteers from thousands of local churches are currently reaching 2,600 primary schools. Many children are hearing Bible stories for the first time.
Part of Bible Society, Open the Book’s long-term aim is to bring the Bible to life to all 4.5 million pupils in 18,280 schools across England and Wales.
‘CRE provides a great platform to spread Bible storytelling into new parts of the country,’ says Julie Jefferies, the organisation’s development and training manager. ‘We meet storytellers, find out local news, and receive helpful feedback.’
‘It is also the ideal place for people to discover how they can set up a local group,’ says Val Ralston, Open the Book’s promotion and training officer.
• Open the Book are on stand S43 at CRE 2018
Click here for a list of more than 200 exhibitors at CRE 2018
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Maintain your building, improve your mission
Tackle those essential maintenance tasks sooner rather than later and you reduce your longer term costs significantly.
That’s the message from CRE 2018 exhibitor the National Churches Trust, who believe a well-maintained place of worship is an important tool for mission and outreach.
‘No matter how important it is to them, congregations frequently find it difficult to look after their building cost-effectively and in particular how to fund any major works,’ says the trust’s Cicely Barnett. ‘At its most extreme this can lead to closure or demolition and the possible end of the local church itself.’
As of this month (Sep 2018), the trust’s new free, web-based maintenance service, MaintenanceBooker, is available across England and Wales following a pilot project in Yorkshire in 2017.
Cicely has been working with project manager Janet Edmond, alongside several denominations across the UK. They are available on Stand S100 at CRE 2018.
‘There has been a lot of support for MaintenanceBooker as a way to help faith volunteers and staff find qualified contractors more easily,’ she explains. ‘MaintenanceBooker can help groups of churches, too and this can significantly lower maintenance costs.’
‘Maintaining your church building is the bedrock of keeping it open,’ believes Becky Clark, director of churches and cathedrals at the Church of England. ‘Simple tasks like keeping gutters and drains clear, identifying problems with trees and properly maintaining them and ensuring stonework is well looked after, will help prevent unexpected large repair bills.’
Churches and chapels of all denominations can use the MaintenanceBooker service to request online quotes for essential maintenance services from qualified contractors before going on to book the job.
Grants have been made available by The Pilgrim Trust and the National Churches Trust to help congregations to get started. They are easy to apply for through the MaintenanceBooker website and applicants will also receive a quick decision on their application. You can find out more about MaintenanceBooker at CRE 2018 and by watching an introductory video here.
* The National Churches Trust are on stand S100 at CRE 2018
Click here for a list of more than 200 exhibitors at CRE 2018
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Fifty years on: the Christingle candle burns ever brighter
Hundreds of churches, schools and more than 30 cathedrals are stocking up on oranges – to celebrate 50 years of Christingle.
The Children’s Society’s John Pensom, known as ‘Mr Christingle’, is credited with adapting the Moravian tradition and introducing it to the Church of England as a way of raising money for the society’s work with vulnerable children and young people.
‘We’d love people to come to our stand at CRE (FC32) to hear more about our plans for the 50th anniversary,’ says the Children’s Society’s Tracey Messenger. ‘We will have free resources available to make your Christingle celebrations this year the best ever! And if you’re quick, you may also receive one of our special bags of dolly mixtures!’
The first Christingle service took place at Lincoln Cathedral in December 1968. Only 300 people were expected but as many as 1500 turned up. Since then, Christingle has become a well-loved Christmas tradition, with more than 6,000 held in the UK last year. Many find it to be one of the most popular services of the year, attracting children and families who don’t normally attend church.
‘Christingle season begins at Advent and continues through until Candlemas,’ explains Tracey. ‘We’ve teamed up with tutors and ordinands at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, who have produced a suite of all-age seasonal resources, with prayers and all-age talks for Christingle services suitable for use on Advent Sunday, Christmas Eve, Epiphany and Candlemas.’
For children’s groups, there is a Messy Church Christingle session from Lucy Moore, and a Diddy Disciples resource for under 7s developed by Revd Dr Sharon Moughtin-Mumby. A new song, ‘Light a Candle’, has been composed exclusively for the anniversary by Louise Drewett, a young composer currently studying at the Royal Academy of Music. The words have been written by British poet Clare Shaw.
‘Whether you are a school choir, amateur singing group, professional, cathedral or church choir, or just love singing, ‘Light a Candle’ is the perfect way to raise your voice in celebration,’ says Tracey.
Download ‘Light a Candle’ here.
• The Children’s Society are on stand FC32 at CRE 2018
Click here for a list of more than 200 exhibitors at CRE 2018
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Add years to your life – go to church!
Going to church regularly can help ease stress and add years to your life, a new study shows.
‘Attending church is actually good for your health, particularly people between 40 and 65,’ explains Prof Marino Bruce, a social and behavioural scientist who led the study. ‘Middle-aged adults reduce their risk of dying by 55 per cent. Those who do not attend church at all are twice as likely to die prematurely than those who attended church at some point in the past year.’
The survey findings show that churches – which includes temples, mosques and other faith establishments in the attendance category – are ‘encouraging individuals to participate in something,’ said Prof Bruce, a Baptist minister and research associate professor of medicine, health and society at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee.
His findings provide a backdrop for three seminars at CRE 2018 where experts will speak about encouraging elderly people and involving them in the work of the local church.
• Louise Morse, from Pilgrims’ Friend Society, will look at ways to help church leaders empower and enable older people to discover the role God has planned for them (11am, Tue 16 Oct). More here
• Peter Meadows and Dave Fenton, from AfterWorkNet, will point out the opportunities retired people have to serve the church and others without overburdening themselves (3pm, Tue 16 Oct). More here
• Alex Burn from BRF will outline the latest move from Messy Church –Messy Vintage: The Gift of Years. She will explain how churches can not only help those living with dementia and their carers but show why ministry among older people really matters and makes a difference (2pm, Wed 17 Oct). More here
Click here for a list of more than 200 exhibitors at CRE 2018
Click the button below to pre-register for CRE 2018 for as little as £3
New Christmas resource gives ringside seat to marginalised people
Outsiders get a ringside seat for the Christmas story in Lifewords’ brand new Advent resource.
OUTSIDE/IN, available at CRE 2018, is a beautifully illustrated FREE booklet telling the Christmas story from the perspective of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds and sages. Produced in partnership with Biblica, Livability and Torch Trust, OUTSIDE/IN welcomes everyone into the story.
‘We are challenging churches proactively to consider people marginalised in their own communities,’ explains Matt Currey, Lifewords’ UK development manager. ‘It also provides specific ways to extend access to the Bible for people who are non-hearing or visually impaired, or who have a lower reading age.’
Fellow CRE exhibitor CPO (stand S81) are providing customisable posters, invites and other supporting resources. Biblica’s NIrV translation is used as the text – a version of the Bible accessible to people with reading ages from 7+. Torch Trust (stand B5) have created braille, super-large print and audio CD versions of the story. A new downloadable animation for churches to stream or share is available on social media. The animation tells the OUTSIDE/IN story, with BSL signing included, so the story is accessible to the deaf community.
‘After a record-breaking year of Christmas distribution in 2017, we want to equip local churches to share the Christmas story this year as effectively and accessibly as possible,’ says Matt Currey.
• Lifewords are on stand S40 at CRE 2018
Click here for a list of more than 200 exhibitors at CRE 2018
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Worship resource that’s easy for Sunday morning
The ultimate legal source of words and sheet music for worship – that’s how CCLI describes its popular SongSelect website.
SongSelect features official song resources for more than 100,000 worship songs and hymns. Available to any church which holds a Church Copyright Licence (CCL) for the projection/reproduction of song words, SongSelect subscriptions start from just £34 a year. All subscriptions are church-based and allow unlimited access for as many people as required within the church’s music and projection/multimedia teams.
‘We’ve made many improvements in response to customer feedback,’ said CCLI’s Rich Burrough. ‘As well as lyrics and transposable lead and chord sheets, the site now includes thousands of transposable multi-part vocal sheets. We’ve also added many resources to help churches discover and learn new and popular songs.’
SongSelect is fully responsive for mobiles devices and integrates with a growing number of leading song planning and projection software packages, including OnSong, MediaShout and ProPresenter.
‘This makes song planning and delivery much easier, whether you’re preparing in advance or responding in the moment,’ added Rich. ‘You can find out more at CRE, and even try it before you buy it!’
• CCLI are on stand S8 at CRE 2018
Click here for a list of more than 200 exhibitors at CRE 2018
Click the button below to pre-register for CRE 2018 for as little as £3
Church planting: Sittingbourne sows and Stewardship tends
Church planting can be a costly business – but a new support team can help people over those first financial hurdles.
In the past 12 months, 25 new churches have been launched using Stewardship’s services, including Sittingbourne in Kent. Another 92 plants are currently in discussion with the organisation.
‘Our pioneering guide informs church planters,’ explains Stewardship’s John Keskeys. ‘It also highlights numerous pitfalls that many new church leaders are unaware of. We provide free one-to-one consultations with them and their teams.’
Visitors to Stand S38 at CRE 2018 will be given a pack of cards to help identify practical things that may be relevant to them, whether they are involved with a church plant or not.
‘We help more than 2,000 churches and Christian charities each year but still 80 per cent of the people we meet do not realise the full extent of what we do,’ says John. ‘We are committed to growing healthy and sustainable churches, so the world can encounter Jesus through the generosity of his church.’
Stewardship, which has been around since 1906, supports every part of church life. In particular, the organisation makes financial giving easier and enables churches to make the best possible use of Gift Aid legislation. It also offers help to that unsung local hero – the church treasurer! Areas covered include church payroll, accounts, annual audits and property management.
Gordon Watson was sent by Cornerstone City Church to launch Hope Church in Sittingbourne (pictured).
‘Stewardship have been wonderfully helpful as we have gone about establishing a pioneering work,’ he recounts. ‘We’ve opened a Stewardship account which has enabled us to receive Gift Aided donations from a wide pool of friends and family via social media who weren’t already supporting us financially.
‘We’re confident that as the work grows Stewardship will provide us with the tools to ensure we are financially sound and managing growth well. It’s a genuine blessing to be in partnership with them!’
• Stewardship are on stand S38 at CRE 2018
Click here for a list of more than 200 exhibitors at CRE 2018
Click the button below to pre-register for CRE 2018 for as little as £3
Christian venues: Hiring a room is now just a click away
A new project that enables organisations to find and hire quality Christian venues will be introduced at CRE 2018.
‘All places of worship and allied venues can have a free listing on the website, detailing basic information,’ says Nick Gazard, of freshSPRING, the organisation behind the initiative.
People search the website for suitable venues – helping churches listed generate more income. While some websites currently identify venues in particular areas, they do not tend to deal with the possibilities of renting a room for a special occasion, business meeting or family get-together.
‘Even if they have space available, they rarely identify essential items, such as the size of the room and the number of tables available,’ says Nick. ‘Often, there isn’t even a photograph to view.’
The new website offers an easy-to-follow search system and identifies what is available, at what price.
Christian Venues is a project of non-profit freshSPRING Design, in partnership with local churches and Tortilla Hosting.
Graphic designers by profession, the company makes websites for charities, churches and small businesses as a non-profit and recently revamped Your Catholic Legacy.
‘We started up when I realised many churches were creating websites at large cost and with very little help,’ says Nick. ‘We offered advice on design, graphics and marketing – including specialist courses. We try to create an ongoing relationship, to continue to the next level.’
• freshSPRING Design are on stand S35 at CRE 2018
Click here for a list of more than 200 exhibitors at CRE 2018
Click the button below to pre-register for CRE 2018 for as little as £3
From pew potatoes to daring disciples
Our commission is to make disciples, not pew potatoes – and Discipleship Wednesday at CRE 2018 will help us understand the difference.
Three seminars, taking different approaches to the same subject, are scheduled for Wednesday 17 October.
11am: How to make disciples who make disciples – Rev Brian Richardson, of Siloam Christian Ministries, talks about how Evangelism Explosion trains church members to effectively share their faith in everyday life.
12pm: Dare to disciple and see your church grow – Rev Cris Rogers, of All Hallows Church, Tower Hamlets, says our commission is to make disciples, not church attenders. How do we do it?
3pm: Holy Habits – Rev Andrew Roberts of BRF introduces the methodology behind a new and effective missional discipleship resource.
‘It is vital we help churches activate a thriving discipleship culture,’ says Rev Cris Rogers, Rector of All Hallows in Bow, East London.
‘Some of us struggle with the term “discipleship” and use “spiritual formation”. I will look at the differences between the evangelical understanding of discipleship and the more Catholic understanding of spiritual formation. Neither deliver biblical discipleship on their own but when the two merge we get a biblical picture of Jesus’ understanding of discipleship and formation.’
In Rev Brian Richardson’s seminar (11am) you will discover how Evangelism Explosion training, developed over the past 50 years, equips church members to make disciples.
‘I would like people to talk away with one key phrase in their mind,’ says Brian. ‘The key to discipleship is on the job training.’
Rev Andrew Roberts will introduce Holy Habits (3pm), a new resource to help churches engage more intentionally with discipleship. Based around 10 habits, the course is an easy-to-use, intergenerational approach to discipleship, and can be taken at the user’s own pace, though Andrew estimates the full course takes about two years.
‘And I’ll be offering some practical suggestions and ideas to introduce the initiative in your church,’ he explains.
Click here for a list of more than 200 exhibitors at CRE 2018
Click the button below to pre-register for CRE 2018 for as little as £3