SING THE LORD'S SONG .

 

The theme of this year's Spring Harvest, held at Skegness and Minehead, was 'Sing the Lord's song in a Strange Land', exploring the lives of Daniel and his companions. But it's never a cerebral exercise: the challenge is to draw out lessons from these amazing stories and apply them to today's church.   Ali Hull was there on our behalf and gives us an overview. Sit back, be challenged, and enjoy.

 

 Do we want a different Jesus?

 

"Do we worship the Jesus of the Scriptures?" asked Tony Campolo, speaking at this year's Spring Harvest. "Every generation gets rid of the Biblical Jesus and creates a new one in his place. The Jesus of our culture is a prosperity fiend, a God who promises health and wealth. Jesus spoke with clarity - if you are going to follow him, it will cost you everything you have, but we want, at best, a Jesus who asks us to tithe".

He went on; "The Jesus of Scripture is a radical Jesus. He's not primarily interested in getting us into heaven; he came to create a people through whom his will, could be done on earth as it is in heaven. But one great theme of the evangelical community is that the world is too evil to be changed. What you believe you can do, will determine what you do. It's time we felt guilty - because if we lived more simply, we could help the poor and oppressed. How seriously do we take the Jesus who calls us to this sacrificial lifestyle?"

Tony Campolo is a professor of Sociology at Eastern University, Pennsylvania, and became well known in the 1990s for his pastoral support for President Clinton.

 

Don't relegate the pro-life issue to life's extremes

"Pro-life should mean not just the beginning and end of life, but everything in between", said Steve Chalke, speaking at this year's Spring Harvest. "I am saddened when pro-life gets relegated to the abortion and euthanasia issue. I am very pro-life, and these issues are hugely important. We must be concerned about the protection of all who are weak and vulnerable.

 

We have to speak up for those who do not have voices. Pro-life should defend the unborn, but it also needs to defend those in poor housing, those who never get choice and go to slummy schools and have appalling health care and live on isolated housing estates where the church doesn't go. Pro-life is about the beginning and the end and all the middle bit of life as well. That is the agenda of the kingdom of God".

 

'Fly in below the radar'

Speaking to potential writers, G P Taylor, author of Shadowmancer and Wormwood, urged them to follow his example and to write a book that has credibility in the secular market; "Fly in below the radar. A book can be secular in notion but have the backbone of faith, the golden thread, as C S Lewis called it. You might be the next JK Rowling - God might have planted that seed in you that will change the face of the world.

Be a storyteller. Write the beginning, write the end, work and then work towards the end. Writing changes lives. I want to see people saved for Jesus and to put the Christian message into the marketplace. It is our mission to infiltrate the darkness and to let them know that there is a God out there who loves us and His name is Jesus".

G P Taylor was speaking at the Good Read, Spring Harvest's new initiative to encourage Christians to read more. People packed into the venues to meet best-selling authors and to quiz them about their books, while the afternoon workshops proved popular with both children and adults. Others taking part included Coral
Rumble, the poet, who led a series of children's workshops: Jeff Lucas and Rob Lacey, and John Musgrave.

Three publishers took part in the Good Read - Authentic, IVP and Lion Hudson. Stephanie Heald, Spring Harvest's new publishing director, who came up with the idea, said, "The level of enthusiasm has been almost overwhelming. People were keen to discuss the books, and the authors were really pleased to meet the readers and to get feedback.

Plans are already underway for next year, and Stephanie hopes more publishers will join in. "We would like to run the Good Read on all sites, all weeks, with the support of the publishers.

 

 

 

 

GET A PERSPECTIVE ON YOUR SUFFERING

 

How do we live out our faith in a hostile environment? Partly by not over-estimating the difficulties we face, according to the Rev Steve Gaukroger, who was preaching at this year's Spring Harvest.

 

"We need some perspective on the hostile world where many of us think we live. All around the world are men and women who live in a genuinely hostile environment. They are being persecuted for their faith - facing prison and torture in Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Bhutan. We need to get a perspective on our suffering.

"While it may be true that it is very difficult indeed to make a convincing case for Christianity to those who do not believe, we rarely meet with downright hostility and never with outright suffering". Part of the problem of our culture is that we are completely lacking in the fear of the Lord. Because of that absence, we do not see the reverence for God, his laws and his values that we long to see".

But why don't we see miracles? "Miracles, in my experience, occur on the frontline of mission and where the church is being persecuted - they do not occur in the comfort of our churches. If you want to see the reality of the miraculous in our world today, go to where people are going through agonies to follow the Lord Jesus and where men and women are sold out to the missionary task".

 

 

 

TWENTY NOT OUT

Causeway PROSPECTS are rejoicing in their twentieth year at Spring Harvest.

The charity has been running a special programme of celebrations and creative workshops for people with learning disabilities since 1986.

"Dozens of churches have taken the idea home and set up specialist ministries as a result of seeing what we do at Spring Harvest", commented Tony Phelps-Jones, Director of Causeway PROSPECTS. "The challenge to churches to be inclusive is still a very live one.

 

 

"People in their thousands have seen that those with learning disabilities can have strong spiritual lives, can become Christians, see their prayers answered, grow as disciples and know God in a real way.

"We have seen God consistently bless this ministry - he has a predisposition to those who are marginalised. We want to encourage people to find out what their gifts are so they are known for what they can do, not for what they can't".

 

                              At Spring Harvest there are programmes for

 

                                                                           something for everyone.

 

People are already booking their place at Spring Harvest 2006.

For information, visit the website; www.springharvest.org or Tel; 01825 769000 or email; info@springharvest.org

 

You can write; Spring Harvest, 14 Horstead Square, Uckfield, East Sussex, TN22 1QG

But why not become a volunteer? For information Tel; 01825 746 504 or email; volunteer@springharvest.org