Page 8 - November-December Together

TOGETHER NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2021
The Big Church Read Life Bookshop,
TRADE NEWS initiative continues to grow Weston-Super-Mare,

celebrates ten years.
The Big Church Read is now taking place in well over 3,000 different places across the UK. A
mixture of church groups and individuals are joining in every term, for an opportunity to meet with
new friends and old to journey through a Christian book together. We offer bespoke video input
from the author, a reading plan and discussion questions completely free via our website. Our bookshop opened in August 2011 with a
small selection of new titles, Bibles and greeting
cards together with second-hand books. Ten years
From our research, we know that twenty-five per cent of people who have taken part do not
normally read Christian books. So, as one participant said to us, the Big Church Read really is on we now have a fully stocked shop with Bibles,
Christian books, cards, gifts, pictures, DVDs, CDs
a ‘great idea for raising the profile of Christian books and getting some group participation.’ As
retailers, you can make sure your local churches know about the Big Church Read, and perhaps and daily reading notes. For us the most important
thing was to have an open door in the centre of
encourage them to take part. All people need is a copy of the book, and we would love them to
buy those books from your shops. Publishers will help you offer competitive prices for use with town and a Bible in the window for people
passing by to read on their way to work, school
The Big Church Read in your area.
or shopping, and that’s where we started. God’s
We’re now one year old and still in our word on the street. We read the Bible and pray
infancy, but growing all the time, and in each daily at the shop from opening time for half an
edition of Together magazine next year, we’ll hour and have had many people join with us.
share the latest news and the upcoming
featured books. We will run one national These ten years have not been without challenges,
Big Church Read each term, but there are with the last eighteen months being particularly
currently over twenty ‘Big Church Reads’ difficult with lockdown restrictions. We continue
already on the website to use ‘off the shelf’ to celebrate it all for there is nothing that Jesus
at any time, with another five coming online would not do for us or forgive us for and there is
soon. In January, we’ll feature bestselling nothing that He will not work together for good
author Andrew Ollerton’s book The Bible: A according to His promise. (Romans 8: 28). Father,
Story that Makes Sense of Life. Andrew is we thank you for these ten crazy, amazing years!
a brilliant Bible communicator, so why not Andrew and Lydia Williams.
get your local churches signed up now?
We want to get more Christian books into
more hands and encourage a culture of
reading and sharing these books within our
churches. We’d love you to join us for the
journey. For more information visit www.
thebigchurchread.co.uk.

ISBN 9781529327007/Hodder & Stoughton/
Andrew Ollerton/PB/252 pp/£11.99 Andrew and Lydia Williams

Hope Centre, Macclesfield, re-opens after refurbishment

The Hope Centre held its official opening • 10,200 cooked meals delivered to the We now have a totally refurbished café and
on 13 August, attended by local MP David neediest in the community new kitchen, and as a team we believe that
Rutley and the Mayor of Macclesfield as • 800 calls responded to using our telephone God now wants us to do ‘A NEW THING’ in our
well as forty-five guests representing local listening service community as we continue to demonstrate
community services, council, East Cheshire In celebrating our 10th Anniversary, we God’s love and care to those in need and focus
and friends of the centre. on the strengthening of the relationships within
also look back and see how during that
In welcoming all the guests Bob Boland, period over seventy individuals have the Christian community.
chairman of the Hope Centre, briefly outlined received encouragement by being trained as The Mayor of Macclesfield, David Edwards,
the many achievements of the team during volunteers by the management team, and then cut the ribbon and declared the Hope
the lockdown period. have then achieved employment. Centre open. A wonderful tea then followed
for all our guests and the cake was cut by
Diana Bayley who owns the building and has
been involved in the Christian witness and
outreach of the premises for over forty years.

‘See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs
up; do you not perceive it! I am making a way
in the desert and streams in the wasteland.’
(Isaiah 43:19.)
Bob Boland, Chair of the Hope Centre
The Hope Centre opening The Hope Centre cake
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