The Arthur Rank Centre

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The Arthur Rank Centre

• Serving the rural community and its churches
• 1972-2008

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Arthur Rank Centre

• 1972
• Chaplaincy /Social Centre for NAC staff
• Church Pavilion for Royal Show
• 1998
• Incorporated into the RASE Charter
• 2004
• RASE Subsidiary charity
• National Rural Resources Unit for Churches
• Base for projects organisations
• 2008
• New 5 year work programme

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• Vision Innovation and support for people in the
  countryside
• Mission Developing and equipping communities
  for a better rural life

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Theological basis

• John 114
• John 1334-35
• The ARC is an expression of Gods love and
  involvement, his concern for people and his
  living presence with them, a focus for the
  Churchs mission and ministry at the heart of the
  rural community.

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Working in Partnership

• The Royal Agricultural Society of England
• Churches Together in England
• The Rank Foundation
• With
• Rural Farming organisations
• Government national regional
• Academic Institutions
• etc

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Current work includes

• Country Way
• Rural Ministry Worship Resources
• National Network of Church Rural Officers
• Hidden Britain Centres
• Research Projects e.g. Faith in Rural
  Communities
• Training for Rural Clergy, Leaders Church
  Workers
• Centre for Studies in Rural Ministry
• Life Faith in Rural Communities
• Agricultural Chaplaincy
• Computers for Rural People
• Eco-Congregation
• National Care Farming Initiative
• RuSource Briefings
• Advocacy Representation
• Consultation Advice
• RSH (Rural Stress Helpline)

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Hidden Britain Centres

• Community owned led tourism
• Local communities businesses working together
  to draw up implement plans
• National operation and network
• NB Website, Visit Britain, etc
• Church involvement a key to success

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RuSource Briefings

• Broad range e.g. agriculture, policy,
  communities, NGOs, research findings
• For rural practitioners of all sorts
• Up to the minute
• Free
• Brief
• Easily accessible
• Links references

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• National Care Farming Initiative (NCFI)
• Includes Care Farming,
• Social Farming, Therapeutic
• Agriculture, Green Exercise
• Provides Rehabilitation,
• Training, Education, Therapy
• Across Age range and client
• groups
• Through National network
• - resourcing
• - lobbying

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NATIONAL CONSULTATIONS ADVOCACY In areas of
contemporary Importance for rural Communities
churches - e.g. Rural Post Offices, Migrant
Workers
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So we try to help a little!
Rural Ministry Training Course in Progress
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Country Way

• Three times a year
• Themed on contemporary issues of rural
  significance
• Examples of good practice
• Personal stories experiences from rural
  practitioners
• On ARC website
• Full, annotated index of all articles from Issue
  25 to the present day on ARC website
• Full index of books reviewed from Issue 25 to the
  present day (keyed into the ARC Rural Ministry
  Resources online)
• All articles from Issue 37 to penultimate freely
  downloadable (includes pictures)

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Past work includes

• Farm Crisis Network, ARC Addington Fund
• Arthur Rank Training
• Rural Housing Trust
• Rural Churches in Community Service
• Youth work grant scheme
• Living Churchyard and Cemetery Project

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• WORDS DEEDS
• Through The Arthur Rank Centre the Good News is
  offered through word and deed, whilst having the
  minimum bureaucratic structure means that
  responses to new opportunities can be immediate
• Rev. John Clarke (1997)
• The Arthur Rank Centre is the hub of the support
  mechanism for those in rural communities
• Sir Ben Gill (2004)