President at Greenbelt

The Revd Richard Andrew, President of the Methodist Conference, reflects on attending the annual Greenbelt Festival of arts, faith and justice, this year held over the August Bank Holdiay near Kettering.

This was my first Greenbelt but it certainly won’t be the last. We were invited to reflect on what it means to hold Hope in our Hands.

The festival has an underpinning Christian ethos but provides a safe, inclusive space in which to be whether you are a person of faith or not. The uniting element is a shared concern for social justice. Highlights for me were the wonderful Methodist team at Hope and Anchor, a thought provoking alcohol-free space; being glitter balled by the Youth President; a shared reflection group of inter faith leaders facilitated by Micky Youngson; a participative installation in which you were invited to live out someone else’s life and Walk a Mile in my shoes; the Christian Aid giant kintsugi pot on which we were invited to write messages of hope; inspirational music, talks and worship; and, of course, coffee and conversation with friends old and new.

If you’ve never been to Greenbelt, do think about coming whether as a guest or a volunteer. There is a strong Methodist presence at the Festival and people return year by year which tells me something. But remember as the festival reminded me in these troubled times, God calls us to hold hope in our hands.