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Festivals
Leeds Festival, Reading and Greenbelt are over and although I didn't go, I have been musing over feasts and festivals in the Bible and in our life as a community of faith.
The Old Testament describes a calendar that includes the Passover, Harvest festival, Feast of Tabernacles, The Day of Atonement, Purim and other special events in the spiritual life of the Jewish people. Do we have anything similar today?
The traditional church calendar includes Christmas and Easter a large range of holy-days. Some people have a tradition of using part of their annual holidays to visit one of the national Christian festivals such as Spring Harvest or Greenbelt or a youth conference, worship leaders conference etc.
At Wharfedale also try to create festivals: special times to encounter God in a special way. Six times a year, the Vine is part of that. And of course we celebrate Christmas and Easter too. But I think it is helpful to think of our other conferences, equipping days and residential holidays as festivals too.
Some of the 'festivals' we have planned as Wharfedale this year are:
| 23 Sept 06 |
National Leaders training day held in Leeds for the first time |
| 20-22 Oct 06 |
Bob's residential weekend (men) at Beamsley outdoor centre (organised by Clive Beggs) |
| 10-12 Nov 06 |
Youthwork conference, "Infinite Possibilities" Southport. We're hoping most of the youth team will be able to go to this. Talk to Steve and Naomi Nixon. |
| 25 Nov 06 |
Women's creative day in Thirsk (organised by Melanie Rogers) |
| 30 Dec - 1 Jan 07 |
New year residential party (organised by Nigel & Claire Tapp) tbc |
| 29 Jan - 1 Feb |
Vineyard National Leaders Conference, Bournemouth |
| 12-16 Feb 07 |
T4:12 youth residential holiday at Bassenfell in the Lake District
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| 9-10 Mar 07 |
Leaders mini-weekend |
| May 07 |
Women's residential weekend (Melanie Rogers - tbc) |
| 25–27 May 07 |
Northern Area Worship Leaders Retreat, Edinburgh |
| 22-24 June 07 |
Revive camp, Long Marsden |
| 4-11 Aug 07 |
Ashburnham holiday, Sussex |
It would be nearly impossible for anyone to attend all of these (at least without a gender change in mid-year :-). But we encourage you choose a few of them, book in, and plan for special time to encounter God in a special way.
Response
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David Wallace, 29/08/2006 |
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