Ten Best Things About Greenbelt 2013 (and a few disappointments)

Greenbelt was great again.

1. Duke Special - 3rd time at Greenbelt, but I had never caught him live ... fantastic ... especially with the Greenbelt Orchestra joining in

2. Fat and Frantic - was too young, so never saw them live when they were gigging, but enjoyed their music in the mid-1990s, so great to see them reunited and reliving their younger days.

3. Martyn Joseph - in the performance cafe doing what he does best

4. Christopher Jamison on Finding Sanctuary - the former Abbott of Worth Abbey gave a very engaging talk on finding sanctuary in today's world

5. Big Sing with the Wild Goose Resource Group

6. Watching the film of Greenbelt at 40 - great to see the story, although felt a lot missing, for example references to NOS, Fat & Frantic, Eden Burning, Mike Yaconelli (apparently there is a lot on the cutting room floor)

7. Catching up with friends old and new

8. Communion service - I liked the focus on changes in the last 40 years for women, globalisation and environment

9. New site layout ... it generally worked, although mainstage noise at times overwhelmed other venues

10. This reflection from Jonty Langely, who also wrote the main reflection in this year's festival guide.

Disappointments:

Every venue going on about becoming a Greenbelt Angel - overkill!

Ikon - usually very thought provoking, didn't work for me this year

Boxettes - they were apparently great and I missed them

Debates - 1 hour is never long enough, partly because those on the panel talk too long in answers and some questioners questions are too long (debate chairs need to intervene). I went to the debate on 'what's the point of the welfare state?'

I missed the food caterers who did the great Italian stuff - bolognese, lasagne, etc, they weren't there last year either

Still low on non-conformists, esp. Baptists, amongst talks. Paul Fiddes? Myra Blyth? Juliet Kilpin? Glen Marshall? Tim Presswood and Clare McBeath? David Kerrigan? 

Comments

[Ruth Neve]

Top ten ...
1 Barbara Brown Taylor - fantastic lyrical distillers wisdom
2 Steve Chalke - the way to go
3 The Boxettes - nuff said
4 Mrs Barbara Nice - lol funny
5 Time for the good looking boy - one man play full f humour and pathos
6 Midnight wine and conversation with friends under the event shelter
7 The lack of mud
8 Beer and hymns - see 3
9 Space, stillness and simple sung liturgy of Northumbrian evening office
10 Breaking bread with 10000

Down points - missing out on 'favourites' due to inadequate size of venues/ no gluten free bread for communion / noise spill / having to go home before The Duke

Best Greenbelt for ages

[M. Knight]

We went for the first time this year, WOW what a great festival, booked next year already. The diversity is what appeals, my wife went to the religious talks and some music, I went to the music and some talks, Claire Balding and John Bells were great.
Really got into Harry Baker and his friends, look on Utube for him and Rafief Ziadah and don't be put off by the word poetry, it is not poetry as we know it.
To add to what has been said I agree some sessions were not long enough and my wife felt they were more "look at me what I have done isn't that great" when she wanted "this is what I have done, HOW CAN I HELP YOU?"

[Ian]

Total disappointment - Greenbelt's partnership with "Embrace the Middle East" and "Kairos Britain". The approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict taken by these two organisations is so biased that they have to to be regarded as antisemitic. I know that's a strong word, and I don't use it lightly.

[Andrew]

Ian - antisemitic is an extremely strong word, and in this context completely baseless. Please either provide evidence or remove your incorrect post.

[Neil]

My top ten.

1) Barbara Brown Taylor- a real surprise bought some of her books.
2) Eliza Carthy, great.
3) Amadou & Mariam - brilliant lovely pre bules influence.
4) Wild Goose sing along, learnt some new stuff we can hopefully use in the homegroup.
5) GTV talks I and my writing partner did one each so I'm supposed I'm biased but they were great fun and the others I saw were fantastic.
6) Seeing old friends and relatives.
7) The weather it may not have been warm all the time but it was dry.
8) Communion much better than last year.
9) Paul Ueti very interesting to hear what he said particularly about Chile.
10) LCGC superb as per usual.

Things I didn't like. Continual banging on about Angels. No sermon in the Communion. Whilst I don't agree with Ian's comments above and think there was less emphasis on Palestine this year, note to John Kerry please sort peace between Israel and the Palestinians so GB can move on. some more thoughts here http://www.theoillamp.co.uk/?p=2849