jonnybaker

greenbelt photos

just back from greenbelt. in spite of internet access there i didn't make it online. (i help co-ordinate worship for greenbelt so it tends to be a busy weekend). anyway it was a great weekend. i have added a photo album greenbelt 04 which you can access from the left hand side of the blog. it is a pretty small selection of things - most of the pictures were taken by my sons joel and harry. no doubt i'll blog about the festival some more but for now it's the pics... i'm off to bed :-)

off to greenbelt

off to greenbelt. see some of you there....

canadians emerging

great to see resonate.ca, home of conversations and networking for emerging church and all that in canada, being launched. there's a party in habbo hotel on sept 1 to celebrate according to the blog. i won't be able to make the party but have a beer for me someone!

it won't surprise you to know that the irrepressible jordon cooper is involved and who i picked up the news from...

Blah... at GB with Karen Ward

There is going to be a Blah... at Greenbelt on Sunday 2:30pm - 3:30pm  in the CMS tent with Karen Ward from Church of the Apostles in Seattle

if you follow the blog you will remember me enthusing about karen ward on several occasions. karen flies in to london tomorrow with a few friends from church of the apostles. we're off to belgos to hook up in the evening and share a belgian beer, hopefully joined by bob and will who are also coming over for greenbelt.

What Karen is doing is one of the most inspiring emerging church plants I have come across - long term creative imaginitive mission in the inner city. Don't miss the chance to catch up with Karen at Gb. There is a bit of a clash as there is an alternative worship get together at 3pm but Blah... will be over by 3:30pm so  we'll be going straight on to that afterwards...

looks like a good crowd

bloggers get together at greenbelt looks like being well attended. sign up, come along (if you're not at maggi's seminar).

invisible presences

i'm back from nearly three weeks holiday in france. i love france - we stayed down in moliets on the west coast between biarritz and bordeaux. it's a beautiful coast and because it's the atlantic there are always waves rolling in. the combination of sea, sun, surf, and french food and drink is perfect holiday combination. i read some wonderful books which i'll get round to enthusing about at some point no doubt. i have managed not to blog for three weeks which is quite an achievement for me (all the posts that have gone up i wrote in advance in case you wondered which is why i haven't responded to any comments - thanks for them though...)

last year on the way back we stayed in chartres to visit the labyrinth but were disappointed to discover that the chairs are only removed on a friday. well this year we realised as we were driving back that we were passing chartres and had enough time to stop in and visit and it was a friday... so we finally got to walk the labyrinth which was a wonderful experience although it was pretty crowded. the photo here i took with a long exposure time and it produced this sort of shimmering effect where people walked by almost like invisible presences. there is such a sense of history as you walk the path that you are treading where so many pilgrims have walked over the centuries.

back to work tomorrow, greenbelt next weekend to look forward to, so it will be a week before i get back properly into the blogging habit. being away for three weeks you also feel like you've dropped out of the conversation so i have some catching up to do. if you've e-mailed me and i haven't replied (especially some of you coming to greenbelt) now you know why...

worship trick 98 - return of the prodigal

worship trick 98 is sparked by steve taylor's rereading of the prodigal which is a brilliant sermon based on the story of the prodigal son, the elder son or the gracious father depending on your take....

steve draws form the work of ken bailey. i read his book poet and peasant and through peasant's eyes several years ago. ken lived amongst middle eastern villagers for years and basically is able to completely get under the skin of many of jesus' stories. but his telling of the prodigal is amazing. anyway on to the worship trick.... (well it's actually a bundle of tricks):

1. use steve's retelling as it is as a story/reflection and have communion in response as he suggests - brilliant.

2. get hold of henry nouwen's book the return of the prodigal. he tells of being transformed by looking for days at rembrandt's painting. and in the book unpacks the detail in the painting to lift the lid off the parable in wonderful ways. you can get a slide set from st pauls multi media which has 12 slides of different details off the painting. do a search on prodigal on their site and you'll find it. construct a service using these slides or some of them at different parts of the room with things to do/questions/rituals relating to that part of the painting - the details are such as the father's embrace, the elder son, the father's hands, the worn out shoes of the prodigal etc. combined with nouwen's insights this is a brilliant service. we actually did this at grace several years ago (sept 99) but it was in the days before i ran a blog so never got to be made a worship trick. there are a couple of pictures of it at smallfire

3. there are a copuple of prayers/confessions relating to the prodigal in alternative worship. i particularly like the confession by steve collins.

4. another idea/insight - i was blown away by miroslav volf's book exclusion and embrace. p156 -165 retell the story and it is this story that first set him off on the theology of embrace. i love the part where he suggests that the father is flexible enough to be able to reconfigure the world as an order of embrace rather than exclusion....

5. mike riddell has two retelling's of the story - one in godzone and one in god's home page (which has the most amusing ending).

the latest

check august issue of emergingchurch.info if you haven't already....

i love adrian's (at least i assume it is his) pic of the bishop with the ipod. now i wonder what's playing? suggestions for a bishop's playlist anyone?....

worship trick 97 - kiss of God

What kind of kiss is the kiss of God? - reflection by maggi dawn

worship trick 96- truth

truth9.swf is a stunning piece of flash from www.ni9e.com. good on its own but brilliant if layered in arkaos. i first used it at the mayc communion. anyway this piece of flash gets made worship trick 96

cleave on merton

merton quotes on solitude from cleave...

check back to blahonline

if you haven't checked back visit blahonline again. lots of the bugs have been ironed out, lots of members signing up, and you can follow the blogs of people travelling on short term mission trips amongst other things curretnly in places like thailand and kenya as well as see their photos. if you join you can add photo albums free as well! it's going to be a good site as it develops....

test your political leanings

take the test (thanks gavin)

worship trick 95 - digital glass

have been meaning to blog this for ages but not got round to it...

digital glass is a new dvd resource from sally morgenthaler and co... it has a real edge to it. my favourite piece is concrete jesus which has some neat urban stuff. the dvd has quicktime formats as well which is good news. you can see some clips here and you can read an interview with one of the creators peder morgenthaler on july's edition of emergingchurch.info...

archbishop debates in the autumn

lectures and dialogues at st pauls cathedral in the autumn:

THE WORLDS WE LIVE IN
Dialogues with the Archbishop of Canterbury and global experts on governance, economy, environment and health...

thanks to moot for the tip off.... it's all free and on a first come first served basis. london is the place to be...

bloggers get together and zoo at greenbelt

there are some get togethers at greenbelt.

bloggers meet 4pm on saturday in winged ox i think (will confirm when i am back from holiday)

zoo - 3pm sunday in winged ox
Over the past few years, London Zoo has become an opportunity for members of the London-based alt. worship collective to meet and share stories and beers (to network). This time the ‘Zoo goes global’, inviting anyone involved in any way with the alt. worship and emerging church scene in any part of the world to meet up in The Winged Ox on Sunday from 3pm. Meet with others involved in the global scene, share stories, ideas dream up collaborations, and have a drink.

and andrew jones is hosting a epicentre global round table. this is an invitation only event so if you want an invite contact andrew...

whew! that's just the worship related stuff - there will be seminars, bands, arts, communion service, theatre etc etc... haven't got time to list anything else. for those of you going see you there!

greenbelt worship [part 6]

and elsewhere....

* Cheltenham Religious Society of Friends (Quakers)
Meeting for Worship – in the manner of Friends

* Sign language worship - Greenbelt has a growing community of Deaf Sign Language Users. They invite you to join their signed worship.
Eyes and Hands – worship in Sign Language (voice commentary for hearing participants) and...
God Is Deaf and he sees our prayers – worship in Sign Language (voice commentary for hearing participants)

* Embryo (with Fire Fly) – is rock band Fire Fly’s worship creation
Rock worship and...
Embyo communion service

* Franciscans   
Morning Prayer, evening prayer, compline, eucharist based on the SSF office

* Andy Flannagan
Creative interaction to keep you awake, visuals to stimulate the parts that other stuff can’t reach, loops to get you moving, and songs that get beyond the normal clichés. With one man, a cellist and his DJ.

* Goth Eucharist Team – is a group involved in Goth subculture and Greenbelt.
The Eucharist will be con-celebrated by three Anglican Priests using orthodox liturgy and Goth-ic cultural expressions, and the music will be led by nChant.

* L’Arche
Daily lunchtime services - Freedom | Freedom with Jesus | Freedom for All

* Peace Zone
War no more? Christians and conflict and...
The Way of Peace: young people and conflict

* revive
The Hymn of the Universe – a meditation after Teilhard de Chardin, with specially commissioned art by Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga, and music by revive and...
Revive at play – late and loud, a worship gig for anyone who wants to stay up late with God and make a bit of noise and...
Open Space Technology – an opportunity to reflect on the festival with art, literature and DJ Mike-L

* Taize
Taize style worship

* Wild Goose/Worship Works
Something Different for God and...
The Big Sing

* Labyrinth – The Still Point - Altared Images
Escape from the bustle of the festival and walk a replica of the medieval Chartres Labyrinth.

* Godly Play
Stories told will include: Creation, The Great Family (Abram and Sarai), The 10 best ways to live, The Exodus, The Parable of the Leaven, The Great Family, Baptism, The Parable of the Good Shepherd, The Parable of the Good Samaritan, The Parable of the Sower, and The Parable of the Mustard Seed.

* Shrines on the way
Ten shrines dotted about the site, not in places you might expect to worship, but at the wayside as you travel, by queues, toilet blocks and crossroads. Not in your way, but in your peripheral vision. An eclectic mix of interactive installations from various alt worship groups, the shrines offer you a stop on the way. A moment of reflection, challenge, prayer, provocation, and wonder – a moment of God.

greenbelt worship [part 5]

each evening in talks 2 is contemplative worship free2be

* Contemplative Fire – a fresh expression of church authorised by the Diocese of Oxford. This is a sister project to the Quiet Garden movement.
Christian Body Prayer and Contemplative Chant – engaging with the Lord’s Prayer and other Christian truths through body posture, rhythm and voice

* Garth Hewitt and Lucy Winkett
The Road Home – meditations in words and music with a focus on original art works by Daniel Bonnell

* Taize style worship and contemplation

* Ali Cudby and nChant
Medieval night prayer – medieval chant and contemporary material presented in a pseudo-medieval style

* Moya Ratnayake and Jenny Baker
Tune in: Chill out – a session for young people, youth workers and anyone else

* Simeon Wood and Liz Babbs  are respectively an internationally acclaimed musician and composer and a writer and broadcaster.
The Celtic Heart is a journey of discovery into the heart of God using the spoken word, video projection, music and still photography. Leave the bustle. Find the stillness.

* Community of Sant Egidio – is an ecumenical movement of people committed to prayer, community and friendship with the poor. Known for its work in conflict resolution and reconciliation, today it is present in 60 countries worldwide.
Meditative service – focus on friendship with the poor through contemplative sung prayer

* The Scargill House Community – is an ecumenical community, drawing people from across the globe, seeking to live out gospel values in a spirit of openness and mutual acceptance.
Every bush is burning – inviting you to recognise the sacredness of the earth beneath you and the uniqueness of every encounter.

* Andy Freeman / Reading: 247 Boiler Room – organising 24:7 Boiler Rooms in UK, Europe and America, the Reading group have run a Boiler Room for two years.
Reflective Meditation

greenbelt worship [part 4]

Silent worship
12 midnight each night, Fathom

This year, worship enters a new dimension. A selection of alt worship groups have produced screen-based worship installations to be shown in the cinema venue at midnight. The styles and themes are all different; their only similarity is a lack of audio. Come and worship. In silence, in front of a big screen.

* VISIONS – Silent Worship
A visual treat for all the senses. Stop. Reflect. Meditate. Be inspired. Be uplifted. Enjoy the silence with the noise of moving image.

* GRACE – Attention Span
Are we too busy to pay God attention and notice the attention He gives us? An act of silent worship about giving and receiving attention that will have you glued to the screen.

* MOOT – Moments
In the business of life events often pass us by unawares. God is missed.  Slow down and stop. Reflect in silence on a God who is in each and every moment.

* VAUX - ‘Turbulence At The Boundary’
A stop-frame Super8 cine-film meditation on the urban condition through the psychogeography of the M25 London Orbital.

greenbelt worship [part 3]

New Forms 2 is Greenbelt’s dedicated worship installation space, featuring the following groups:

* Improved Futures with the L8R community (a community/collective based in north west London, with ages ranging from 6 months to those in their 60s).
In The Gaze
A video and sound installation exploring God's interaction with humanity through the medium and metaphors of sight and vision.

* Sanctuary – are an alt worship community from Bath, who have made their mark at Greenbelt with their ingenious, insightful all-age participative installations.
Building the City of Peace – an all-age participative installation

* Fuzzy – is a very small informal Christian community from Cheltenham who have been meeting together in various forms for almost eight years now. Scary.
This train is freedom bound – write your luggage labels, sort out your baggage, picture where you’re headed, this all-age train is about to depart.

* Christian Aid – encourages everybody who believes that poverty is a scandal to pray, give and campaign alongside the poorest communities of the world.
In the Gap
The installation uses touch and sound (participants are blindfolded and given a personal stereo) to allow people to pray for the developing world.