Baptists - book for Greenbelt!

As church finds itself more unable to ignore its engagement with politics, economics and society, the summer festival will help you look at and think about faith differently, says Baptist minister Andy Goodliff

Greenbelt has a 40 year plus history as a Christian festival. From its beginnings as a music festival, it has developed into a festival of music, ideas, arts concerned with faith and justice. There is nothing else like it in terms of Christian festivals in the UK.

I first went in the 1990s as a teenager, then side stepped into Soul Survivor between 1998-2004. I returned in 2005 and have been there every year since (mostly all weekend, and once just for a day). It is a part of our summer as a family. This year we’re going as a family of five. Our older children (seven and four this year) love it – the camping, the outdoors, it's got lots to do and see – and this grows year on year as they get older.

I’m writing this article to say "Come on Baptists, get your tickets and come along." You won’t regret it. You will experience a diverse range of voices, music, and experiences, that will make you look and think about faith differently.

This year the theme is The Common Good and within the line-up are names you might recognise like Jack Monroe (cook and journalist), Kim Leadbeater (the sister of Jo Cox), Peter Oborne (journalist), Ann Pettifor (economist and the leader of Jubilee 200 campaign), Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Natalie Bennett (former Green party leader) and lots more. As church finds itself more unable to ignore its engagement with politics, economics and society, here is a group of voices that help explore the question of what do we have in common.

It would be great to grow the Baptist presence at the festival. It would be great to see one day the Baptist Union become an Associate of the festival like the Methodist Church has been and the URC currently are.

When is it? August Bank Holiday Weekend

Where is it? Boughton House, near Kettering (Northamptonshire)

Good deals on tickets remain available until end of June. 

Andy Goodliff is minister of Belle Vue Baptist Church, Southend, Essex

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