The atmosphere at CRE/CBC #CBC09 #CRE09

Phelim McIntyre writes:

As some of you may be aware the Christian Resources Exhibition and the Christian Booksellers Convention were under the same roof. I had the joy of bumping into Dave Walker (of Cartoon Church), Clem from Christian Marketplace and many publishers and booksellers. So what was it like from an SPCK/SSG viewpoint? Putting aside that for many the combination of the two events was a failure there was a HUGE sense of relief. I have never been hugged or shaken by the hand by so many people.

The news of the industrial tribunials being sorted, marching orders at Durham and the Charity Commission acting is, as one person put it “the light at the end of a very long tunnel”. Yes there are more battles going on, some of which I can’t mention because silence is the better part of discretion – but I can say that the dam is about to break.

As someone who, with Dave W, Dave K, Matt W, Phil Groom, Singleblog and others (you know who you are) has been at the forefront of speaking with the press (I was one of the naughty people who sent documents to the papers when I was at SPCK), networking ex-staff, blogging and so on I have been asked was it worth it? The answer is yes. Justice must be done. So to all of you who have not been told this but have been campaigning – consider yourselves shaken by the hand and hugged.

Some one did suggest that we organise a firing squad for the Brewers Grimm but changed their mind as a firing squad would be too quick. So someone suggested that as they see us as heretics we treat them as heretics and burn them at the stake. I see some Brewer effegies this coming Novemeber.

The Church Times has reported the news here http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/75134. This is a subscriber only page this week but will probably be readable next week. Christian Marketplace will also have something soon.

Just a final word from someone at CRE/CBC. “Don’t give up until they (the Brewers) are finished”. As I said, more is happening which we hope to be able to blog soon.

Free Food, Free Drinks, Free Books…

and I guess I ought to mention free admission, courtesy of Speaking Volumes, sponsors and organisers of the UK Christian Book Awards. I’m referring to my day at CRE, the Christian Resources Exhibition: catching up with people, collecting catalogues, meeting publishers and authors… all in all, a day of serious networking and a lot of fun along the way. If you’re one of the many people whose paths I crossed on Wednesday and you don’t get a mention, please don’t take it as a slight: it was simply one of those days where it’s impossible to talk about everyone and everything. My thanks, however, to everyone who conspired to make it a very worthwhile visit.

I arrived just in time for the Award Presentations, being given by Adrian and Bridget Plass. Adrian and Bridget entertained us with a sketch about Anglicans and Free Churches attempting to work together and eventually discovering that the one thing they had in common was — but I’m not going to say because that would ruin it if ever you get to see them in action. Typically spot-on Plass humour that takes the lid off the  Church and its pretensions to leave you amused and squirming uncomfortably at the same time as you recognise some of your own follies…

And the winners, pictured here along with Paula Renouf (in the blue dress), who ably co-ordinated the whole event, and various others from the Speaking Volumes Board, are:

• General: Philip Yancey, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference (9780340909089, Hodder & Stoughton)
• Biography: Richard Taylor, To Catch a Thief (9781903725573, New Wine Press)
• Children’s/Youth: Jonathan Brant, YP’s Guide To Knowing God (9781853454073, CWR)

Sharp-eyed readers may wonder about Philip Yancey’s gender reassignment; fear not: Philip himself couldn’t be with us, that’s a publisher’s representative accepting his award. Congratulations to all concerned, and commiserations to the runners up (not losers, please note: runners up).

Everyone who attended was given a bag full of goodies including a selection of books, a stack of publishers’ catalogues, a couple of bookmarks (“Praise the Lord,” I hear you cry, “he’s got his bookmarks!”) and, since no Christian event can be considered complete without an appearance from the blessed St Cliff, a Cliff Richard Badge! Thank you, Lion-Hudson. I think…

Next on the agenda was the Authentic Author Café, with sandwiches, fruit juice and coffee courtesy of Authentic Media and personally served by none other than STL’s Pete Barnsley. Thanks, Pete! Nick Battle told us something of his life story as recounted in Big Boys Don’t Cry (watch this space for a review), then interviewed fellow authors Chris Rogers (9781850787822, A Monkey’s Orientation), Peter Meadows (9781860245688, The Book of Y), David Cowan (9781932805727, Economic Parables: The Monetary Teachings of Jesus Christ) and Anona Coates (9781860247019, I Wish I Was).

Then came the real highlight of the day: a trip down Esher High Street to The Bear Pub to meet up with a group of SPCK’s dispossessed booksellers — Phelim McIntyre amongst others, who organised the get-together — and the ineffable Dave Walker whose blogging has kept us all up to speed on the Brewers’ misdemeanours. It was an honour and a privilege to be able to use some of the money from the UKCBD Save the SPCK Booksellers Fund to help some who came with their travel expenses: thank you to those who have contributed to that.

I had a fairly long chat with Alan Mordue (SPCK’s Sales and Marketing Director) afterwards. He assured me that SPCK have not washed their hands of the situation: it is in the hands of their solicitors. I’ll say more when I know more. In the meantime, let’s hope and pray that the forthcoming Employment Tribunals bring some justice for those whom the Brewers have treated so appallingly…

Finally: on departure from CRE, a bottle of mineral water for the journey home courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse as part of their Turn On The Tap appeal: it’s so easy for us to take water for granted here in the UK. Let’s spare some change to bring about a change in the lives of our brothers and sisters elsewhere, where water is not so simply obtained.