I’ll soon be off to Greenbelt, a Christian festival that I really love attending every year. Thousands of people gather at Cheltenham for music, performances, worship, talks, debates and much more. I love it.
That’s why I was particularly excited when Greenbelt endorsed my pilgrimage of repentance for homophobia earlier this year. As some of you know, I walked from Birmingham to London, giving talks and joining in worship on the way, before joining in the Pride march the day after I arrived.
If you’re going to Greenbelt, you can find me speaking about my pilgrimage, and answering questions, at 9.30 on Monday (not a great slot for those who like to stay up late chatting at Greenbelt!). I’ll also be participating in the “OuterSpace” (LGBT-focused) worship at 11.00pm on Sunday night.
Also, I think my book, The No-Nonsense Guide to Religion, will be on sale in the Greenbelt bookshop.
And I’m pleased to say that my colleagues from the Christian thinktank Ekklesia will also be at the festival, involved in a number of panel debates and other events.
I’m really delighted to have been asked to speak about my pilgrimage by a number of different groups. I’ll soon have given more talks since the walk than I gave on the walk. I’ve spoken to Courage (a gay and lesbian evangelical group) and at the Student Christian Movement Theology Summer School. I’ve now been invited to speak about the pilgrimage to student groups in Sheffield, Warwick and Southampton, and at churches in Cardiff and Leeds.
I hope these talks will help me and others discern where to go next in terms of the issues and possibilities that came up on my walk. Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome.
Greenbelt’s a great place to catch up with old friends and meet interesting new people. I look forward to seeing some of you there.
Symon Hill 