Following my post about Greenbelt, and the nature of Sign & Spirit I wanted to unpack further the three streams that flow into the emerging movement.

I have a couple of emails and other contacts asking if I will be at Greenbelt this year.

The answer is no.



But one comment stands out:

Alastair Newman • 2 days ago
Fr Eddy, I'd love to know where the Charismatic Catholic element of Greenbelt has gone! It seemed sadly devoid at Boughton House last year, and doesn't look like being anything like that this year either. A shame, a real shame.

This Blog follows on from asking questions about Changes at Greenbelt and about the lack of UK Emergent Speakers.

Part of the reason that we have fewer UK 'Name' speakers is that emergent movements in UK Christianity have tended to follow the pattern of Symposia - either communicating through worship or short talks. This does not naturally produce single name speakers.



For the Rural Fresh Expressions events we did book a couple of named speakers, but they were not the focus of the conferences. The idea was that all who attended were contributors and practitioners. Everyone who wanted to come to the conference was invited to submit some background and part of their (communities) story. This was distributed to everyone before the conference, so we all knew something of one another. The conference was open to non-practitioners too (although they had a lower booking priority), but they too had to share what they were interested in learning and sharing.

So @vahva asks - where are all the Brit speakers? To which Tim responds:

@vahva But I think the main stage was reserved for Americans with British ideas... @hstanley_ @revpamsmith @EdwardBGreen @JamesPrescott77
— Tim Hutchings (@tim_hutchings) August 27, 2014

So where are we now? Surely some of us who came through post-evangelicalism and alt-worship 20 years ago have or had something to say. After all this website has been running since July 2003 - have a look. And what happened 10 years before this website still exists on WorshipCafe. It all looks very familiar if you dig through it. Over the years I have shared these ideas with others - mostly through symposia and forums and actual worship. None of us have become Christian celebrities.




Whilst drifting off to sleep at Greenbelt this year I overheard a conversation on the path: the words 'Power Mad Bishops' hung in the night air - which made me smile at an event so focussed on Christian celebrity. Because Bishop's have very little actual power, and are seldom listened to. UK Emergents have taken the same path. Where are we?

Greenbelt has changed this year, just as I am sure that Greenbelt has changed many times over the years. I am not a lifetime Greenbelter, but over the last five years it has become part of my spiritual rhythm. This year that pattern included Naturally Supernatural at Soul Survivor, On Fire, and the Walsingham National Pilgrimage.

The questions. What to wear, Will I fit in?

This year Greenbelt clashed with Momentum. There was some (mostly) friendly rivalry on Twitter between folks who had chosen one event over the other. My response was straightforward - Only at Greenbelt would I get Mass every day & be invited to speak on Being Anglo-Catholic Charismatic. The way the programme worked this year I didn't quite make that the first part, but it was a fantastic festival.


Greenbelt changes year by year, yet this years festival was very much influenced by last years. Not only in the normal sense that successful worship groups tend to carry over from year to the next, but in the size of the event and layout of the site. Due to the heavy rain last year the area normally reserved for Big Top, Jesus Arms and lots more was out of action - the ground still had not fully recovered. The more compressed site plan however had a number of advantages - shorter journey times between talks and events, and most importantly the ability to sit in the Jesus Arms with a pint and listen to Main Stage or Big Top acts, depending on which was louder.