This past weekend I was at The Gathering men’s festival – an annual weekend organised by CVM (Christian Vision for Men) in a field near Swindon, attended by around 1500 men of all ages. If you haven’t heard about it, it was founded by Carl Beech in 2011:
I was dreaming of creating a Christ-centred festival for men, after a series of conversations which went something like: ‘We need a field, a bonfire, cars, footy, chess, and worship…let’s do something like a cross between Top Gear and Songs of Praise.’ 1
Over the years while the festival has expanded from a few hundred people to a couple of thousand and throughout, the formula has remained the same. There is genuinely something for everyone – darts, tug of war, chess, a 5k run, football and volleyball tournaments, a bar – serving excellent beer (including a range of non-alcoholic beverages), archery, classic car displays, decent food vans, comedy and music – and a fire pit on the Saturday night.
The weekend’s programme is jam packed and fun. There’s no pressure to do any of it – you can just chill with your mates. Highlights of the entertainment programme over the years I have been here have been Britpop and Indie, Queen and Abba tribute acts (the memories of hundreds of blokes belting out “Gimme, gimme, gimme a man after midnight” will always bring a smile to my face), as well as some genuinely superb comedy.
It’s always been an excellent event, one that does not take itself seriously at all – there are fruit bans, stocks for those who commit various infractions, and fancy dress nights (we’ve had themes of space, animals, and the Wild West) – but there is one thing – or person – they take very seriously indeed – and that is Jesus.
The heart of The Gathering is that more than giving blokes a good time (which they do), they want to give people the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus and to meet with him. At its heart is something incredibly simple – proclaiming the name of Jesus in word and worship. The music, led by Graham Kendrick (the grandfather of modern worship) and his band, is brilliant. He may be one of our country’s greatest worship songwriters, but time and again I have been struck that there is no ego involved here. While other worship leaders would lead songs they have written and see it as an opportunity to sell a few CDs or downloads, there’s none of that. Out of 20 songs we sang, 2 of them were written by him – one of these was Shine Jesus Shine, which has become The Gathering’s anthem and he wouldn’t be able to get away with not singing that. The desire is to point to Jesus and to choose songs that men can sing together – and boy, when two thousand voices join in unison it is a spine-tingling thing.
As for the Word, you won’t hear long, expository sermons, or have the Bible shoved down your throat; instead, you hear the difference Jesus can make to your life as a great deal of time is given to allowing men from all sorts of backgrounds and experiences to share their stories. We have heard from men who had wrestled with drugs or porn addictions, who had been in prison, who had to deal with the awful reality of unexpected grief (Sky Sports and former Blue Peter presenter Simon Thomas sharing very movingly about the loss of his wife to cancer) as well as terminal illness (Steve Legg, who sadly lost his battle to cancer two years ago, spoke so powerfully about his hope in Jesus) to drugs, those who have wrestled with forgiveness (singer-songwriter Rob Halligan, who I’m proud to say is a mate of mine, shared his story of his life of faith since his dad was one of those killed in the Twin Towers on 9/11). The range of these voices conveys a powerful message – whoever you are, whatever you’ve been through or done, Jesus can meet you and you can know hope and freedom in and through him. On Saturday afternoon, alongside the organised fun, there are seminars on various hot topics and on the Saturday night there is always a presentation of the Gospel – the good news that Jesus can save us from an eternity without him, but this is never dressed up – it’s made clear that a life following Jesus is not easy, but it is worth it. And then there is an opportunity for people to come and kneel at the foot of a driftwood cross that has been carried around by CVM for their events over the years – and old and young they come in their dozens, and it is a tremendously beautiful thing.
Another thing that is taken seriously is sin. On Saturday morning, after a raw and incredibly brave testimony about the ravages and damage that a porn and sex addiction can do, men were called to come to the foot of the cross and repent – not just of that sin but of the others that have bound them. Many came and knelt. I believe they discovered freedom that day.
The weekend finishes with on Sunday lunchtime with Communion – brothers in arms breaking bread and drinking wine, some for the very first time – and a final burst of celebration led by Graham and the band. As we sang at the top of our voices, it was a very Happy Day.
It’s unconventional, in many ways it really shouldn’t work, but God has used The Gathering to bless thousands of men, and I believe it will continue to do so for many years to come. For me personally, it has been a source of inspiration and hope; it has helped me to refocus on Jesus and seek to keep putting him first in my life, to continue to follow him as faithfully as I can, for I’ve been reminded just how faithful he is.
Halwill Publishing 