Catalyst Festival
Recently Jubilee Church members joined with other churches from the Newfrontiers family of churches at the Catalyst Festival. Today’s post highlights the reactions from several people.
Beccy Clay
Maybe you didn’t feel like Catalyst Festival 2018 was raising you into a world-changer as you pulled your sleeping bag up a little higher and listened to the thunderous storm on your first night camping, but a week or so on, what has stuck with you? As Simon Holley put it, this years’ Festival aimed to accelerate us on the mission of advancing God’s kingdom, transforming culture and making disciples wherever we go.
We heard stories of what God is doing in different parts of the globe, through individuals, couples and families who took steps of obedience when they heard the voice of God. Catalyst aimed to motivate you to believe for kingdom power whether you have a passion and talent for the arts, politics, education, healthcare, business or social action. We were reminded that the incarnation – God entering our ordinary lives – is the way God acts, and it always brings change.
A renewed desire
My overall feeling is a renewed desire to say yes afresh to God, to step up to what he’s asking of me, to believe that God uses the ordinary people like you and me to bring change where we are. Heidi Baker’s provocation to eat fresh bread from God remains strong in my mind; why would we be satisfied with bread that’s gone stale?
Catalyst had other highlights too, not least having time as a church family, eating together, serving together, having fun together (who could forget Steve aka Lulu), and seeing the children and young people playing together across the age range. It was great to be able to ‘share’ Rob and his prophetic gifting with other churches to encourage them as he hosted in the prophetic zone. (Maybe next time they’ll spell his name right in the programme!) It was amazing too, as a parent, to see our children meet with God, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to worship and to grow in how to pray for others. God has a new generation of world-changers he is raising up.
Mary & Rachel, two members of Jubilee Youth, took over the @catalystnetwork festival stories for day 3 & day 4 on Instagram. Rachel loved that this gave her an All Areas Pass.
Kevin & Sue
This was our first Catalyst event and so we didn’t have any idea what to expect really. We went as day visitors on the Sunday. It was bigger, more sophisticated and professionally well run than I had imagined.
I think there are two Catalysts, the movement wide conference venue sees international speakers and excellent worship teams come together to really raise the roof! Even the volunteers who welcome you outside the conference halls are exuberant, helpful and truly set the tone for the whole festival. The other Catalyst is Jubilee’s own, a festival within a festival if you will. The fact that people are able to do ‘family’ and socialise together in between meetings and seminars is wonderful. This is greatly facilitated by the opportunity to eat an evening meal together and what an evening meal !!! Not a tin of spam in sight. I think the catering team are amazing.
Steve & Lorraine
This was our family’s first time at Catalyst and we really appreciated finding out about the wider Catalyst network and all the opportunities for involvement.
We very much felt part of the bigger picture, and loved spending time with everyone.
Richard
For me, this festival can be summed up in one word – FREEDOM! Right from the Saturday night meeting Phil Wilthew said “Free people, ‘free’ people”. The last comment I wrote in my notes that night was ‘Shed a skin & grown’. The freedom I encountered wasn’t just in the practical way of not having to organise things which has been the case in previous years (I’m so thankful & grateful to those who did this for us), but a freedom in worship & enjoying God’s presence which I’ve not tasted before. Thank you God that it’s for freedom that Christ has set us free!
Thank you to all those who contributed.
