Thursday, September 07, 2006

CPF Co'ordinator quoted in Guardian

If you want to get your name in a national broadsheet you usually have to do something really quite impressive or really quite bad. However, CPF Co-ordinator Paul Burgin has been quoted in the Guardian newspaper on Tues 05 Sep for neither of these reasons, but simply for his comments from his personal blog Mars Hill on the death of Steve Irwin this week! Paul was quoted as saying:

I have to admit that my first thoughts were "He hasn't been stupid and messed around with a Croc again!"

It should be pointed out however, that this is slightly out of context. What Paul actually said was:

Was shocked to read of his death this morning, although I have to admit that my first thoughts, as I started to read this, were "He hasn't been stupid and messed around with a Croc again!"Thoughts must be with his wife and two small children.

Well you live and learn don't you! :/

Paul's Greenbelt Highlights

I hadn't been to Greenbelt for a couple of years and, having previously been as a member of the Subway Writers Group which held events in the evenings, it did feel somewhat strange not to be there in any official capacity.
That said, there was still some fun and room for spiritual growth whilst there. The highlights for me included the Taize services (I had not been to a Taize style service for a long while), which were gentle and humbling experiences, in that you felt that you were under God's steady gaze as you tried to suss out what he wanted out of you in life! On the political front, the meetings held by Jim Wallis were good, and a timely reminder that being an evangelical proclaiming unpopular political truths was first and formost about the need to help the poor and vulnerable in society.
I also attended a small social event for the Youth members of the Christian Socialist Movement (and for young people who were interested). It was good to meet some new faces and knowing that we are a growing and vibrant group. There is hope for Christians in politics yet! :)
Most of all though, I got a sense from Greenbelt about how important it is to accept one's own vulnerability (something I always find difficult), and to allow God to use us in ways that shows how he has more confidence in us than we do in him

Paul Burgin (CPF co'ordinator)

Friday, September 01, 2006

Aidan's Greenbelt Highlights

Today I returned from a long weekend at the annual Greenbelt Christian arts festival in Cheltenham. This was the third time I had been to Greenbelt. My first time was as a student in 1997 and my second time was just for a day in 2002. Both occasions were memorable for the music. However, this year what caught my attention the most were the talks, although there was one exception to this.

On the Friday night I went to see the band Verra Cruz, whose debut album I bought only a few weeks ago, but in that time I have become happily familiar with the trio's guitar-driven hard rock anthems, layered with thought-provoking lyrics. In a packed Second Stage performance (reaching the maximum capacity of 400 people - way too small for a second stage in my humble opinion!) Verra Cruz proved they could both energise and inspire an audience. But beyond the great music they produce I was interested in the heavy presence of political thought within their songs. During the performance frontman Marc James reflected on 9/11 and introduced the song 'Deliver us' as being inspired by what he had been reading on the UK arms trade. Verra Cruz stand out from your average rock band, not only because of their musical talent, but also because of their religious and political convictions, which are cleverly woven into many of their songs.

So, what of the inspirational talks? Well, I spent the four days of Greenbelt running from one seminar to the next, only pausing occasionally to have a coffee with fellow CPF co-ordinator, Paul Burgin, or to enjoy the delights of Greenbelt food with my girlfriend, and quite often bumping into people we didn't know would be at Greenbelt (the Christian community is a small world!). Amongst the many talks I attended the highlights were the discussion between Jim Wallis (US political activist) and Stephend Timms MP on political engagement; Keiko Holmes' talk on her amazing work on reconciliation between former British soldiers, who were far east prisoners of war during the Second World War, and Japanese communities; an interview with Norman Kember on his experience of being held hostage in Iraq whilst on a Christian peace-makers mission (you can read an article on this in the September edition of the CPF's IMPACT ezine); and the moving interview with Nick Yarris, who was held on death row in the US for more than two decades before being released because he had been wronlgy accused originally.
All in all, a fantastic Greenbelt, and I'm already looking forward to next year.

We would be interested to hear from anyone else who attended Greenbelt this year if you would like to share your highlights or after-thoughts on the weekend's events.

Aidan Liriano (CPF co-ordinator)