Chris Cole FRSA

Plymouth couple Chris and Kerry Cole were invited to a reception hosted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown at 10 Downing Street, on 15th December. Chris and Kerry are the founders of the Cross Rhythms Christian media ministry, and regularly present shows on Cross Rhythms Plymouth 96.3FM.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke at the reception, which was a gathering of about 80 representatives of different Christian ministries and organisations that are having a major impact in the nation, and included Christian Media organisations, Alpha, Hope 08, prayer ministries, those working with the homeless, and many caring organisations from a wide range of Christian denominations.

Commented Kerry: "There was a brief carol service led by a small group of Salvation Army musicians, and we sang 'Joy to the World', and 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing' and we all prayed the Lord's Prayer." She continued "It was a great honour to attend such a lovely occasion. It was interesting to see inside Number 10, and the staff were very welcoming and made us feel relaxed."

The Prime Minister thanked all the Christian organisations at the event for their positive input into the nation, and stressed the importance of social care and action for those in need, both at home and abroad.

"The growing Christian media industry in the UK, on TV, radio and internet as well as in printed publications, communicates the values of the Christian faith in a way that is relevant and also beneficial to society," said Chris Cole. "I spoke to a number of politicians at the reception, who all recognized the Church's contribution to the fabric of community and stability."

As well as being the founder of Cross Rhythms, Chris is the UK & Ireland Regional Director for GOD TV, the free-to-air Christian television channel available on satellite and cable.

Chris Cole's involvement in Christian media is deeply rooted in a concern for the welfare of society. "Through our media initiatives we are able to publicise a lot of the caring work that is done by Christian organisations," said Chris. "Cross Rhythms, as well as Cornerstone Vision who publish the Plymouth Shopper, is especially close to Gilead Foundations in Okehampton, which is a Christian drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation centre. They are doing a fantastic work where they are successful in helping folk recover from their addictions, and healing the real reasons for their problems. Gilead provides practical and spiritual help to overcome those issues for the long term, using a Christian based relapse prevention course called the Genesis Process. Their success can be measured by the fact that a large percentage of the people who go through the Gilead programme become established again in life, with a purpose and hope for the future."

Chris continued, "For me as a Christian, seeing people's lives turned around from despair to hope, not just for this life but also for eternity, is a large part of what the Christian faith is all about. Jesus offers 'life in abundance' and that is what organisations like Gilead, Cross Rhythms, GOD TV and others who we met at Downing Street, are helping to provide to so many people. It was great to see that recognised by the Prime Minister."

It's not just radio that Cross Rhythms uses to spread all this good news. Their website www.crossrhythms.co.uk is one of the largest and most frequently used Christian websites in the UK, featuring life articles, in-depth reviews and features on Christian music and musicians from every musical style, chat rooms, prayer rooms and a host of other interactive features.

"If you want to listen to Cross Rhythms Plymouth while you're at your computer, instead of on 96.3FM, you can do so from the website" said Chris. "The site attracts around 250,000 unique visitors every month, with 60% of them being under 35 years of age. So it has the potential to positively affect a younger generation with a message of hope, love, care and social action. I'd recommend it to anyone, whether they would consider themselves Christian or not."

Kerry commented on the Prime Minister's humour at the reception: "Gordon Brown told an anecdote about his father, who was a Minister in the Church of Scotland. Apparently after every election was decided, he would choose hymns on the basis of who won. If what he considered to be the 'wrong' party got in, he would invariably choose 'O God and Father of mankind, forgive our foolish ways'!"

"Seriously though", added Chris, "I think it's good to have a man with a grounding in the Christian faith leading our nation in these days. As Gordon Brown himself said, people of faith have been at the heart of just about every social movement that has transformed society in this country, from the abolition of slavery through to Make Poverty History. The Bible urges us to pray for our leaders, I would only add that we can pray for his family too."

This article was originally published in the Plymouth Shopper, a group of 7 localised community newspapers produced by Cornerstone Vision, reaching 62,000 homes every month in Plymouth. Each edition carries positive news stories and features, and provides local businesses, community groups and organisations with a very localised media platform to reach their own area.