I am just back from Greenbelt festival, an annual event here in the UK that has been a place of great importance and connection for me. I first went as a young teenager in 1980 (hitchhiking there.) Back then it was all about music for me – Christian rock which made me feel like I was not alone in my strange Christian subculture. After a long break, I rediscovered the festival in the early 2000’s by which it had become a very different thing. Music was still there, but it was no longer only strange Christian bands, but from a wide spectrum of the mainstream. Faith was still there, but it tended to be outward facing, social justice focussed and often theologically progressive. For a long time, the festival fostered connections of the sorts of small ephemeral groups who were exploring the edges of faith. This move made it often derided by those of a more evangelical bent, but for me and many of my friends, it has been life changing.

The festival has continued to evolve and change, so that for a while it felt like both it and we had moved on – that it belonged now to a new generation. It was time for them to push the edges out further. We last attended about 10 years ago, until a chance to do some work showcasing Proost took us back there this year. I realised that in the archives of this blog are lots of other reflections on previous trips to the festival, so I decided to add one more.

The first thing to day is that (as with previous visits) the scale and breadth of the festival was overwhelming. I might have a plan to go to a talk/workshop/gig but this would rarely actually happen, as for me, it was all about the conversations, the lingering with friends old and new and stumbling accross something unexpected. This year, we had the delight of being there with my daughter Emily, her husband and our little three year old grandson. We tried to share him between us to I also had other duties. Alongside this, the Iona Community (of whom I am in the process of becoming a full member) have a venue at the festival with a programme of activities, so I was also keen to help out with some shifts behind the book store.

Back to the Proost element of our trip though… we have made some good progress with our ‘restart Proost’ project of late- our company now as has a new set of directors (we are still looking for a treasurer though- and others who have skills that will help with future sustainability) and we felt it was time to put ourselves out there a little amongst people who are interested in faith/art/justice. There is no better place or this than Greenbelt.

We were able to re-use an expanded version of the mushroom circle that had formed a part of the Proost Mycellium weekend in Glasgow last year. This exhibit explores the idea of deep connectedness to the God who loves things by becoming them – the god who is the substance and lover of all… the means of our becoming, our being and our relationships. I would go further than this and take on a reformed celtic idea of god being the deepest me within me and the deepest part of tree within tree. Here are some photos from the official GB photographer Mark Kensit (a lovely and super talented bloke.)

For myself and I know for Rob who was the original force behind this Proost reboot, the project has been hard going at times, like pushing a boulder up hill. So much to do, with so little time and (it certainly feels like) so little relevant talent and experience. This GB experience though felt like we had pushed the boulder up a hill and it was teetering on the pointy bit. I was truely a wonderful experience, and I am very sorry that Rob was unable to attend due to family illness.

What made it so special?

Firstly, by doing something tangible and ‘out there’, it was possible for both those who participated and others to get hold of the concept of what Proost is and might be in a much more real way.

Next, I got so spend some face to face time with Proost people I know mostly as a disembodied screen image or a distant phone call. Mark Berry and Lou, whom I have ‘known’ for years, through so many previous GB and emerging-y events… but perhaps for the first time I now feel I can count as a real friend. The same for Steve Page, who made a special trip for the day until driven away by mud… I also got some snatched times with Ant from Lofter, and met some of his family – once again I felt the sense of a deep and developing connection.

Then there was all the other significant meetings with people I already know and love- Chris and Penny Fosten, encounted totally unexpectedly whilst delivering my grandson to a children’s area (Chris has written’edited books for Proost in the past.) I also got to hear another old friend Vicky Allen at her poetry reading, and she later joined us at the mushroom circle to add to the reading there.

Then there were so many new conversations- far too many to mention here, but some of them already feel important and possibly leading to new Proost projects.

The other connecting point for me this year was with the Iona Community, who operate the Wild Goose tent at the festival, a venue for all sorts of book chats, interviews, worship events, workshops and so on. It was good to see some of my friends from the IC- Tom (and to meet Charles,) Ali and Pete, The Tracies, Marie, Ruth and so many more.

Lastly and by no means least, we got to spend time with out old friends and neighbours Simon and Ruth- and their son Nathan when he was not rushing of to direct the stewards. It has been too long!

There is no festival next year, which feels like a real shame, as they look for a new venue. The year after though, who knows? Can Proost do something larger scale?

Watch this space…