Tuesday, August 05, 2008

New Wine

I'm booked into New Wine this week but this year I am taking the opportunity of only living 30 miles away to commute. Sorry about my green credentials everyone. This morning I woke up in my own bed to the sound of lashing rain and felt I had made a very good decision. Yesterday, when I came home, I had the time to pop and visit a member of the congregation who is in hospital. Couldn't have done that if I'd been camping.

Today I will go over for lunch with the church and a couple of the afternoon seminars which look interesting.

New Wine, some of you will know, is a festival from the charismatic end of the Christian spectrum. It suffers a little from lack of debate, discusion and argument but the music and atmosphere are second to none. Picking and choosing your way through the day is a good way to stay sane. Not an easy place to be troubled by sexuality, gender issues or doubts about Pauline authorship.

3 comments:

RHK said...

What a wise choice!

Mr Gnome always counels caution when it comes to under-canvas camping.

That said, he's about to project himself into an al fresco weekend in Gloucestershire for the Greenbelt Festival. His first time. The excitement.

Mr G knows many people who are regulars at the NW event at Shepton Mallet (he says it to rhyme with 'ballet').

Mr G and I are encouraged that you enjoy it and are able to benefit from much of what's on the menu.

Relieved as well that you have spotted the elephant in the, er, marquee. One of the few who do, is our guess.

Anyway, no need to have doubts about Pauline. She's a lovely, lovely woman.

Anonymous said...

My brother-in-law (a Vicar in the C of E) says that he used to enjoy New Wine until he grew up and discovered Keswick.

Emma said...

It might be nice to grow up and discover Keswick... it's closer. One of the more enjoyable aspects of New Wine, I find, is the debate, discussion and argument that occurs after the meetings in the church's camping village. That and the children's work, with which I volunteer.