Spring Harvest 2009

Have been to Spring Harvest in Skeggy again this year, returning on Maundy Thursdy (that's how we say it up 'ere..!). There was much to reflect on whilst I was there, particularly with the difficulties that I've been having with church lately (which mostly accounts for the lack of blogging to be honest).

The theme for Spring Harvest this year is Apprentice: Walking the way of Christ. The first day was spent almost entirely in learning about learning styles, the leadership having taken the decision to organise us according to the best way that each of us learns as individuals. We were grouped into Pragmatist, Theorist, Reflector and Activist. By the end of the first day the 4 friends of us who went together were a bit weary of hearing about learning styles - 2 of us are trained teachers and the other 2 studied Christian Ministry at St Martin's College (now the University of Cumbria) and had covered all this kind of stuff ad infinitum before. A particular disappointment on the first day was to go to the activist stream only to be lectured on how activists don't like to sit and listen but like to get up and do things.... touch of irony there.

Fortunately, the remainder of the week was not spent telling us about what we would learn as the week progressed and we actually got stuck into the subject matter. I ended up going along to the Pragmatist stream (where I had intended on going initially - I ended up in the Activist stream on the first day almost by accident) and I was challenged throughout by both Steve Chalke and his colleague Jill Rowe. I am particularly happy to see how Steve Chalke really seems to have guided Spring Harvest towards a more social action/social justice route than I remember from a few years back. Along with my own recent dealings with church it has really caused me to consider what a Christian community really is and what it is called to do.

Steve Chalke responded to one question in a way that interested me greatly. The question was about how to do things for the community that didn't openly and ostentatiously have Jesus and by default evangelism as their purpose and driving force. And it interested me because I agreed so whole heartedly with his answer, but don't often hear it preached. He said that Jesus called us to love God with heart, mind and strength but equally to love our neighbour as ourselves. Not to evangelise our neighbours but to love them.

That is our purpose. Our beginning, our end, our driving force. If we have in the back of all that we do "we are doing this so that we can do that..." is that truely loving our neighbour? It's not about bums on seats, it's not about how many church run events we can have, it's not about how good we are at this or how good we are at that. It's about loving for the sake of loving. It is loving and expecting nothing in return.

And that is the greatest challenge. How can I be that person that loves unconditionally and where can I act out that love? How can we break down our constricting barriers of church and return to what we were called first to be?

Maybe being in the workplace is the best place to be. What a priveleged position I am in that I can not only teach a whole class of children but I can love them just for being themselves. I can show love to my colleagues as we go about the school day. And maybe as a school community we can take that love out into the village community. Maybe those children will go out and be loving wherever they may end up in the world.

And now I've got all bleary eyed and hopeful and ....

Yes, I'm a dreamer. And I'm here to stay.

Spring Harvest 2

I felt my blog was in need of another picture, there haven't been any pictures for a while. This is a picture of Beverley, who was on the X Factor last year, singing at Spring Harvest! How very exciting indeed!

Spring Harvest

Last week I went to Spring Harvest in Skegness with some friends for a week. Spring Harvest is always an enjoyable affair (sometimes more fun than others!), it was really good this year to go with just a few friends who had been friends from University, catch up and remember crazy Uni days. There was plenty of silliness - always good!

The theme of the week was the last of a 3 year series starting with One God, then One People and this year One Hope. So this year the theme was eschatology and how the Kingdom of God is not just about what will happen when we die but that we can live now in the hope that we have in Christ. I was getting a bit fed up by the end of the week by the need to say 'eschatology' at every available moment. It felt a bit like they'd taught us a new word and had to keep using it so that we wouldn't forget it. I was half expecting a spelling test at the end of the week!

I particularly enjoyed the morning Radio stations. This year the mainstream one was in the Big Top. I missed the smaller setting of the marquee but it was still full enough for it to be in the Big Top so it was understandable really. There was plenty for us to think about and to consider in terms of hope in the world.

In the afternoons Sarah and I went to a series of seminars on Child Protection which were very helpful and informative, but hard going and quite draining after a while. They certainly caused us to think about our own church and how it could be improved and made to be a safer place for all.

On the final evening there was a celebration, we were told to go in our best party gear - so we made party hats out of the daily news sheets, Harvest News! Felt like a numpty, but then there's plenty of others out there at Spring Harvest doing odd things so we didn't stand out as complete weirdos!!