Andrew Jones
(© CMS)
The Euro festival scene is vibrant and bursting with potential for the Kingdom of God. Andrew Jones tells about his visit to Slot in Poland this summer
After a fantastic time at
Greenbelt Festival
a few weeks ago, I am recommitted to the idea that festivals represent one of the best opportunities the church has to actually assemble in a way that is slow enough to enjoy each other. It is easy on the wallet and easy on the earth.
I have to confess that I am a festival junkie and my family are just as bad. Until a few months ago, my kids had three armbands on their wrists from the three previous Freakstock festivals in Germany.
Freakstock
, home to the
Jesus Freaks
since 1995, has seen its numbers rise to 8,000 young people and has helped to launch other festivals with a similar theme.
Freakfest
in Czech Republic, for example, which also has a blend of hardcore alternative music as well as Bible teaching and worship.
Slot Festival
in Poland, also, has been helped along by the Jesus Freaks and other movements to become a favourite on the Christian festival scene.
Our family were there last year, at Slot, camping in our teepee and surrounded by hundreds of tents. Slot Festival meets around a large monastery that is mostly abandoned and comes to life each year with the young people that make up the Slot Art Festival. After arriving at Slot, erecting the tent next to the monastery wall, and getting into the vibe of the festival, it soon became obvious why it was so well liked. Here are my reasons why it stands out as a truly unique experience.
It is youthful.
Out of the 5,000+ people who were there, I would say most were in their late teens or perhaps early 20s. I was one of the old guys. I felt like Rip Van Winkle! Honestly. And even though it can be depressing to be in your early 40s when everyone around is half your age, it’s also really exciting to see the future of church in Poland and see so much hope.
It is cheap.
Five solid days of festival for 35 euros. And you can camp for free. Compare that with your average Christian festival where 35 euros will hardly get you to the registration table. Festivals can only do this if they don’t hire the big name speakers and bands who only come for a fee, the expense of which is thus passed onto the participants and in a poorer country would mean that a lot of people would not be able to attend. Better to have the highly committed speakers, bands, leaders come who can often pay or help pay their own way.
It is environmentally friendly.
People generally come from the area and the few countries around Poland. Most people stay in tents and the monastery is not air conditioned. Very little energy is used up and the footprint is tiny. Festivals in general leave a far smaller footprint than conferences that rely on hotels and airports.
It is holistic.
Some 130 workshops including all kinds of physical skills and exercises in bodily coordination. It has a carnivalesque flavour with people learning to juggle and paint and fling
poi around. It creates an atmosphere of humility and learning.
It is ecumenical.
Slot is managed primarily by Protestants but it hires out an old Catholic monastery to host the event. It manages to draw both Protestant and Catholic young people. In a predominantly Catholic country, there seems to be a lack of controversy and disunity at Slot.
It gives itself away.
Like other festivals that have encouraged it, Slot is supporting other countries to start festivals. One of the outstanding examples is
UPfest
in Ukraine that started a few years ago. I met the leaders of UPfest at our round table in Slot and was so excited to hear their story that we are already making plans to be there for the next festival.
Anyway, it’s possible that festivals are not your thing. Some people hate going without showers and suffer from Portaloophobia and that is understandable. For those in the UK who want a festival experience, Greenbelt is a good balance. But for those who want to adventure out beyond the country to see something young, fresh, and bursting with potential for the Kingdom of God, I challenge you to cross the channel and take a look for yourself. You might like it. You might get addicted. You might even pencil in festivals as part of your spiritual calendar.
And if you can’t make it, please pray for us as we host training opportunities for young leaders during the festivals in our tent as a part of the leadership round tables. Our round table at Freakstock drew over 70 leaders from 25 countries and helped us connect with young leaders from Bulgaria, Hungary, Ukraine and Russia.
In 2009, we plan on bringing training for missional cells and enterprises to about four European festivals.
Andrew Jones is a member of the CMS Europe staff team. You can read him regularly on his blog, read and see more about Slot including photos and video:
www.tallskinnykiwi.typepad.com