Spring Harvest
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Spring Harvest is an inter-denominational Christian conference and gathering in the United Kingdom. Its "Main Event" takes place annually at the Butlins resorts in Skegness and Minehead over Easter. Attendance at the 2005 Spring Harvest was around 55,000. The tone is generally evangelical with modern worship music, workshops and Bible study groups. The programme offers different streams for age groups such as children, youth, families, adults etc. The organisation also runs a number of events, conferences and courses and produces a range of resources. Spring Harvest exists to 'equip the Church for action'. Through a range of events, conferences, books and resources, Spring Harvest seeks to enable Christians to impact their local communities and the wider world[1].
[edit] History
1979: The first Spring Harvest event at Prestatyn, North Wales with 2,700 attending.
1982: At the outbreak of the Falklands War, Spring Harvest sent a telegram to the Prime Minister expressing 'the love and concern felt by Christians for both governments and peoples involved.' £7,800 was collected and sent to the Church in Argentina.
1985: Seminars were held on social topics such as single parenthood, gender issues, racism, the socially disadvantaged.
1986: For the first time Spring Harvest took place at two locations in the UK: Three weeks in Prestatyn, and two weeks in Minehead.
1988: At the 10th Spring Harvest, the attendance was over 50,000 mark. A worship album was launched, with profits going to Christian projects involved in supporting those with AIDS/HIV. It went on to raise over £20,000.
1989: Spring Harvest expanded to three locations, opening up a new Centre in Ayr, Scotland.
1991: £250,000 was given in voluntary offerings for a wide range of Christian work. £49,000 raised for a 'Greener Burkina' by the youth programme, was used to replant a forest and build a dam to alleviate drought conditions in Burkina Faso, West Africa.
1993: Spring Harvest became a registered charity and a company limited by guarantee. Spring Harvest Word Alive was launched in-conjunction with the Keswick Convention and UCCF.
1994: Over 70,000 Christians attended Spring Harvest at its four locations in Ayr, Minehead, Pwllheli and Skegness. Spring Harvest brought attention to the war in the former-Yugoslavia by sending a film crew to Mostar, Bosnia - a UN designated War Zone.
1996: Spring Harvest launched an initiative with Focus, and Holy Trinity, Brompton.
1998: Spring Harvest unveils plans to develop its activities, the first new initiative 'At Work Together' a conference for Leaders planned for September 1998. Alongside the developments a new Corporate Identity is also launched.
1999: Spring Harvest raises thousands of pounds to help the victims of brutality in Kosovo.
2000: Spring Harvest launches Generation 2000+ at Minehead, the family week, in conjunction with Care for the Family and raises over £1 million for children worldwide through the 'remember me' project.
2003: Spring Harvest Holidays is launched with the holiday site in the Vendée, western France, opening to its first visitors. The first 'Youthwork the conference' takes place in Southport in November 2003.
2007: Spring Harvest Word Alive takes place for the final time following a communication to its partners by Spring Harvest that it was no longer possible to continue the format. Word Alive will be continuing without Spring Harvest under the name New Word Alive.
2008: Spring Harvest Main Event take place over five weeks across the Skegness and Minehead sites, to accommodate the varied times of UK schools' Easter holidays.
[edit] Main event annual themes
Each year’s main event has a teaching theme.
2009 : Apprentice
2008 : One Hope
2007 : One People
2006 : One God : (The first event in a series of Three [THE BIG STORY])
2005 : Sing the Lord’s song in a strange land
2004 : Grace Academy : Losing to Win.
2003 : Shepherd's Bush to King's Cross: Your connection to the mission of God.
2002 : You've Got Mail : Jesus writes to His Church - Looking at the seven churches in the book of revelation.
2001 : King of the hill : Looking at the Sermon on the Mount.
2000 : The Person of Jesus : The inspiration for the Millennium – Looking at John’s Gospel.
1998 : God in our everyday lives
1997 : Solid Rock ? : The Ten Commandments.
1990 : Uncage the Lion
1989 : Deckchairs on the Titanic : What influences the church today.
1988 : Who’s pulling your strings : Looking at the forces and pressures which influence the world.
1987 : Where Truth and Justice Meet
1986 : This is your God
1985 : Lights to the World
1984 : The Servant King
1983 : The Power and the Glory
[edit] Members of Spring Harvest
Below is a list of the Council of Management, which includes some business leaders.
- Lyndon Bowring (Chair)
- Dotha Blackwood
- Pete Broadbent (Vice Chair)
- Steve Chalke
- Steve Clifford
- Ian Coffey
- Ruth Dearnley
- Stephen Gaukroger
- Andy Kennedy
- Peter Meadows
- Nims Obunge
- Dave Pope
- John Richardson
- Ruth Valerio
- Marion White
[edit] Leadership Team
Below is a list of the Leadership Team responsible for the day-to-day planning of "The Main Event".
- Pete Broadbent - Bishop of Willesden
- Ian Coffey - Senior Pastor, Crossroads Church, Geneva
- Alan Johnson - Chief Executive Officer, Spring Harvest
- Jeff Lucas - Speaker, writer and Vice President of the EA
- Rachael Orrell - Leadership Team, Chawn Hill Christian Centre
- Steve Chalke - Founding Director, Oasis Trust and Faithworks
- Ruth Dearnley - Consultant RE Advisor and lecturer, speaker and broadcaster.
- Russell Rook - Director, ALOVE UK
[edit] Media Coverage
- In Week 2 at Minehead in 2003, Spring Harvest was featured on the BBC programme 'Songs of Praise'. The first 'week' (week 1), still in Minehead, Spring Harvest was featured on both local and national news as a mystery illness spread rapidly around the event.
- In Week 3 at Minehead in 2006, the BBC returned to pre-record a Pentecost edition of Songs of Praise, and also to transmit a live Easter Morning service from the event.
- Spring Harvest has also featured in other media, including BBC radio, and also regularly in Christian media.
