In an age when church attendances are falling across the world, a church in the small West Midlands town of Stourbridge continues to defy those national and international trends, as it has done since its founding in 1926. Why should it be that the Spiritualist religion is thriving in a quiet suburb when many city cathedrals are unable to boost their congregations? Eric Hatton, the author of this book, would no doubt say that it is because Spiritualism proclaims a message of crucial importance to everyone - that we cannot die, and that those in the next world who love us find joy, and in turn bring joy to us, by communicating from beyond the so-called grave. While no doubt agreeing with Eric's view, those who know him well would surely add that Stourbridge National Spiritualist Church has become the beacon it is today as a result of his inspirational involvement and leadership over almost seventy years. Here, he tells the full story of Spiritualism's most successful church with the characteristic openness and gentle humour for which he is known and loved throughout the movement.

'Taking up the challenge' is the story of one man's determination to find an answer to the question we will all ask at some time or another - Is there life after death? When Eric Hatton's much-loved brother was killed in1946, he was determined to embark on his own investigation. Thus began a quest for evidence which has so far spanned more than six decades. During that time Eric has become one of Spiritualism's best-known figures, respected for his transparent integrity and the level-headed approach he brings to the examination of evidence for survival beyond death. An accomplished speaker and broadcaster, Eric has shared a platform with many of the greatest mediums the Spiritualist movement has produced. Though his experiences of the next world - some of them breathtaking - have left him with a complete conviction of the reality of the afterlife, his career as a successful businesman has meant that his feet have always been planted firmly on the ground. Eric's extraordinary story is at times challenging and at others heartwarming. Above all, it is the startlingly honest and inspiring account of a man who had to find out the truth for himself.