green belt #1

I've been at Greenbelt for the weekend and just discovered that my room at the uni has Internet access - so here are a few back posts....

more photos of mine here.

fantastic official greenbelt photos here. (damn I want a digital SLR!)

This is the Bank Holiday long weekend in England, and we're off to Greenbelt. This is a Christian Festival that has been running annually since 1981, and is attended by about 20,000 people. I'm here with a group of about 18 Australians from NSW, Vic and SA who are taking time afterwards to visit some interesting churches. (Apparently a new young band called U2 played at the inaugural festival... The headline act tonight is Michael Franti and Spearhead. Some fantastic music coming up.... Howe Gelb and Giant Sand, Jose Gonsalez, Beth Rowley etc....)

The venue is Cheltenham Racecourse, the city is 2 hours by train west of London. This is an extraordinary event by any measure. It's all-age, broadly ecumenical, and features live music, authors, theologians, worship experiences, arts workshops, art installations, craft, speakers, dance and drama (workshop and performance) and lots more.

Today was travel and settle in day. Most are staying in a huge tent city. My back and hip can no longer cope with sleeping on the ground (it's not age, it's posture and heredity...) so I'm one of a few in a university college.

This afternoon we waited for an hour outside a huge tent to hear Dave Tomlinson (author of "The Post-Evangelical") but weren't allowed in - no fire extinguishers. Waited an hour and a half to hear a panel talk about "emerging church" - Brian McLaren from Bushland, Karen Ward from COTA, Pete Rollins from ikon, Ian Mobsby from "moot", Cheryl Lawrie, and Nadia Bolz-Weber. Some good conversation and questions but too big a panel and to short a time. If there were common themes, they were about church being contextual, open/inclusive, avoiding 'global' solutions/answers/models, local mission, valuing uncertainty and doubt.....

In the evening I went to the "Transcendence" service led by the Visions Folk from York. 400+ people in a large space. The service was their attempt to show what they have just started doing in the Minster (York 'cathedral'). In some ways similar to the service I had attended in York - multiple projection screens, electronic music (some older hymns rejigged, taize chants). They 'recreated' the Minster with lots of photos and video of the building - quite stunning. The difference was robed worship leaders, a procession with cross and incense - a kind of 'high church' alt worship - and a very effective combination since liturgy is highly theatrical anyway. With the incense smoke and spotlights it looked very impressive. The theme was transfiguration and included 2 mini-sermons on video from one of the Rev Canon liturgist priest guy from York Minster (Jeremy .....)... and numerous reference to 'light'.

The service included time to visit 3 stations. I particularly liked the chance to take a glow-stick circle and choose one of many piece of papers which named prayer situations - the children thought it was wonderful. I really like the "high drama" sense of this event and would love to try it back home.

Then I raced down to hear the end of Michael Franti's set at main stage. Unfortunately I only caught the last 3 songs, but at least I heard him!

The weather has been a bit mixed - warm, cool, sunny, rain, wind - but overall pretty good. The site is full of food vans. Today I tried fish and chips and locally made sausages...  grease city...