The Methodist Church in the Festival Fields

Last weekend, the Methodist Church had the privilege of being present at both Greenbelt and Big Church Festival, inviting people into conversations about what it means to build ‘church everywhere’.

Our teams of volunteers from all over the Methodist Church had hundreds of conversations asking questions like: ‘What does new Christian community look like now and in the future?’, ‘How do we connect with people who would never walk into a traditional church building?’, ‘Where is God already at work in our cultures, communities and passions?’, ‘What new places and new people is the Spirit calling us towards?’

Across both festivals, it became clear that people are so hungry for these kinds of conversations – with over 500 people attending pioneering sessions at Greenbelt and many more talking to our team at Big Church Festival.

Throughout the weekend, visitors encountered a vibrant picture of new Methodist communities – of church already taking shape everywhere.

At Big Church Festival people loved talking to our team and hearing about Slice of Life, a Methodist Pizza Van that is creating safe spaces for young people to build friendships, share food and encounter God's love.

This was before the tragic news that an accident had led to the death of one man and serious injuries to others, following the collapse of a large sign, which resulted in the cancellation of the event.

Our Methodist team was safe, but like everyone present, we were deeply shocked and saddened by the events. Our prayers remain with the family and friends of the man who died, with those who were injured, as well as with all those who have been affected.

At Greenbelt the Metal Methodists, a Christian community focused on alternative music cultures, held a Heavy Metal Night Ritual, modelling how worship, prayer and metal music can be integrated, and creating a space for people who often feel overlooked by traditional church settings.

Many others were inspired by Recovery Church Newcastle, which welcomes people recovering from addiction and offers a trauma-informed, supportive Christian community. On Saturday evening the Recovery Church community at Greenbelt held an incredibly moving service of remembrance for people who have died because of addiction, which was a beautiful and important moment in the festival programme.

Others at Greenbelt discovered the pop-up REV7 Hair Salon, joining us from Plymouth, where a salon chair becomes a place of hospitality, listening and transformation, demonstrating that ministry can happen through everyday relationships and ordinary encounters. 

What always stays with us after a festival weekend are the conversations. 

A man who started running a few years ago for mental health reasons and now runs regular ParkRuns and occasional marathons and in speaking to us felt a nudge to start a Running Church.

An artist who for a long time felt the sense she needed to start a space for other creatives to explore life and faith through the arts. Speaking to our team at Big Church Festival was the first time she had shared this vision with anyone.

A ten-year-old boy who was really interested in the idea of church everywhere. His passions are rugby and music, and after the conversation, he told his dad with enthusiasm: “You’ll never guess what this is about – church being where our passion is... so I could have church in my rugby club.”

In the festival fields, people encountered a different vision of church, one that is less about “how we’ve always done things” and more about building community where you find people – communities of welcome, belonging and discipling. 

Our presidential theme for this Connexional year, ‘Sorrow ⁓ Joy’, reminds us that our lives contain both grief and celebration. The weekend illustrates this only too well – it contained extraordinary and exciting stories of God doing new things but also contained a heartbreaking event. Our faith invites us to hold both together.

As we pack away our festival kit, what remains is a renewed sense there is a desire for new kinds of church in unexpected places. The pioneering communities represented this weekend offered just a small glimpse of what that can look like.

In a weekend marked by both sorrow and joy, we were reminded once again of our Methodist DNA – to be a people on the move, building Church everywhere we find ourselves, with creativity, hope and joy, alongside our communities.