Somewhere To Believe In Greenbelt Festivals

This episode of Greenbelt’s ‘Somewhere To Believe In’ comes in the form of a one-off Christmas reflection; brought to you by our friend Beloved Sara Zaltash, a ‘non-denominational rabble-rouser and soul-soother for a world in crisis’.
 
It was our pleasure to welcome Beloved Sara to Greenbelt for the first time this year, along with her heavenly spiritual chants and adaptation of the Islamic Call to Prayer. And now she’s back again, reflecting on Christmas, with personal stories of community, songs of hope and prayers of blessings.
 
As Beloved Sara says, we hope ‘you gather around these sounds in warmth and with whatever is dear to you, and that these words shine a beacon of friendship into your Christmas season.’
 
This episode features strong language and references to drugs.
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Late this November, Greenbelt Festival’s Creative Director, Paul Northup, called me with a request to collaborate on something like a podcast, that wasn’t quite a podcast, to be shared with the Greenbelt community this Christmastime. 
I wish I could say that the first emotion I experienced was humility. I wish I was that saint! In truth, I was overwhelmed with giddy delight. Was I really being asked to share my thoughts, stories and songs with the Greenbelt community, that vital and gorgeous and exceptionally kind bunch of people that had won my heart this summer when I performed at the festival? In truth, it took a whole afternoon of pinching myself before the thrill of Paul’s request subsided, before I could settle into what was being asked of me. Did Greenbelters really want to hear more from me? What can I give them, poor as I am? 
As the start of Advent loomed, Paul and I realised that the task ahead was greater than the time available, and that we needed a different approach. Paul wondered about centering the not-exactly-a-podcast on my voice, seeing as it was my voice that had been received so kindly by Greenbelters at the festival. It was then that I remembered a piece of storytelling I had written for a guest slot at Sunday Assembly East End in December 2016 - a personal story, woven with song, that was Christmassy and yet not-exactly-Christmassy. This story is what we have chosen to share with you this year. 
Funnily enough, Sunday Assembly thought that the story was actually too Christian for their congregation. For me, this story abridges my whole life’s experience of sincere acceptance, inclusion and welcome into Christian community, regardless of how I have shown up. This story does not promote any specific belief or doctrine, except perhaps the belief in the redemptive power of song. 
That’s what we have to give you; we give our hearts. 
Thank you for all of the support and willingness offered by the Greenbelt team and not-quite-podcast contributors. Thank you especially to Abigail Maxwell, a Greenbelter and Quaker who provides us with a sobering prayer of blessing that we can hold alongside the gladness of the season. I pray that our offering greets you in the finest health, that you gather around these sounds in warmth and with whatever is dear to you, and that these words shine a beacon of friendship into your Christmas season.
Yours ever, 
Your own, 
Beloved Sara Zaltash
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00:00 - Introduction
01:45 - In the bleak midwinter
07:33 - A Christmas song
10:04 - Eric
16:16 - School
28:10 - Merry Christmas
28:37 - A prayer of blessing
31:04 - ‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ song

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This episode of Greenbelt’s ‘Somewhere To Believe In’ podcast takes a different form. It’s a one-off.
It knits together 45-minutes of reflection, conversation, music and prayer in the form of a listen-and-share service to mark the festival’s 2021 August Bank Holiday weekend incarnation (its 48th) – when only a fraction of the wider Greenbelt community could actually physically be together at the Prospect Farm pop-up camping gathering. 
The hope is that the audio form of the service will give everyone the chance to share and be connected in a unifying act of remembrance – wherever they are. Ideally, the audio is designed to be shared in and listened to at 11am on Sunday 29th August. But, of course, it can be listened to at any time. Again and again.
The podcast takes its title from a wonderful poem by the poet Roger Robinson. It also features music from Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir and the Wild Goose Resources Group, conversations with activists from Christian Aid, Trussell Trust and Refuweegee and readings and prayers led by Greenbelt’s from all corners of the UK. It is lovingly curated and narrated by Pádraig Ó Tuama – poet, theologian, and conflict mediator. (Pádraig also presents 'Poetry Unbound', a podcast from On Being studios.)
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ORDER OF SERVICE
Download the order of service here
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SUPPORT
Last year – despite our not being together – you gave an incredible £33,000 in response to our service appeal. This year, let’s see if we can top that generosity!
This year, your generous giving will be split 50/50 once again.
50% will go towards the vital work that our partners Christian Aid and Trussell Trust do to challenge, advocate, develop and support – globally and domestically.
And 50% will stay with us here at Greenbelt as we work to make sure the festival remains sustainable in these most challenging of times. So we can be back in the fields at Boughton House for a fully-fledged festival in 2022 – and beyond.
Give here

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LINKS AND RESOURCES
Pádraig Ó Tuama
Roger Robinson
Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir
Christian Aid in South Sudan
Trussell Trust
Glasgow protesters praised for blocking UK immigration officers
Refuweegee
Wild Goose Resource Group
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FEATURED TRACKS
‘Lenten Psalm Tone’ by Soul Sanctuary
‘Heaven Shall Not Wait’ by WGRG, Iona Community
‘People Get Ready’ by Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir
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00:00 - Prayer for the earth
00:35 - Welcome to ‘The Job of Paradise’
01:49 - ‘The Job of Paradise’ read by Roger Robinson
02:30 - Pádraig speaks to Roger Robinson
10:33 - Prayer for the artists
11:35 - ‘Psalm 27’ by Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir
16:26 - Chine McDonald and James Wani on aid in South Sudan (Christian Aid)
21:32 - Prayer for those affected by war
22:34 - Pádraig and Jonathan Lees on food banks (Trussell Trust)
27:19 - Scriptural reading
28:31 - Confession
29:50 - Prayer for those responsible for racism
30:26 - ‘Heaven Shall Not Wait’ by Wild Goose Resource Group
32:39 - Pádraig speaks to Selina Hales (Refuweegee) about Glasgow immigration standoff
38:21 - ‘Heaven Shall Not Wait’ by Wild Goose Resource Group
38:56 - Prayer for friendship
39:40 - ‘People Get Ready’ by Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir
42:34 - Prayer for our societies
43:17 - A chance for conversation and response
43:57 - Welcome back
44:13 - Giving
45:19 - Blessing
46:15 - Thank you and credits
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WITH HUGE THANKS TO ALL OF OUR CONTRIBUTORS
SERVICE WRITER, NARRATOR AND HOST
Pádraig Ó Tuama is a poet, theologian, and conflict mediator. He presents Poetry
Unbound, a podcast from On Being studios.
Website: padraigotuama.com
Twitter: @duanalla
GUEST ARTIST
Roger Robinson is a writer, educator, and performer. His most recent collection of
poems, A Portable Paradise, won the TS Eliot prize in 2020.
Website: rogerrobinsononline.com
Twitter: @rrobinson72
GUEST ACTIVISTS
Selina Hales is the Founder and Director of Refuweegee, a Glasgow-based charity
equipping the loca

It’s the final episode in series three of our podcast *cries*, and some might say we’ve saved the best ‘til last. We get to it with festival friend and everyone's favourite Lutheran minister, Nadia Bolz-Weber.
With her usual candour, humour and joy Nadia talks about her experiences growing up within a very particular, conservative Christian tradition, her journey away from Christian faith as a young adult and into other spaces that helped her heal, and her return to the fold later on; building a church from the ground-up, based on all the ‘good bits’.
Plus, we have a refreshingly honest chat about religion, sin, struggle and sex. And that time Nadia had a sculpture of a vagina made from melted down purity rings. (You can play along at home by having a drink of your choice every time Nadia says “vagina”.)
Katherine and Paul reflect on a year of podcasting and lockdowns and we respond to some messages from you lovely lot.
Links, resources and episode timestamps (for all you skippers out there) below.
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ABOUT NADIA BOLZ-WEBER
Nadia Bolz-Weber is an ordained Lutheran Pastor, founder of House for All Sinners & Saints in Denver, Co, the creator and host of The Confessional Podcast and the author of three NYT bestselling memoirs: Pastrix; The Cranky, Beautiful Faith Of A Sinner & Saint (Re-released 2021), Accidental Saints; Finding God In All The Wrong People (2015) and SHAMELESS; A Sexual Reformation (2019). She writes and speaks about personal failings, recovery, grace, faith, and really whatever the hell else she wants to. She always sits in the corner with the other weirdos. Read more from Nadia in The Corners or connect with her and other spiritual misfits in a pop-up Chapel for conversation, daily prayer, and exclusive content by visiting thechapel.io.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
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LINKS AND RESOURCES
Nadia’s talks at Greenbelt
Fresh Expressions
House for All Sinners and Saints
Confessional podcast
Feminist Pastor Unveils Vulva Sculpture Made Of Old Purity Rings
More Graves Found At New Site, Canadian Indigenous Group Says
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00:00 - Welcome to Somewhere To Believe In
00:47 - Katherine and Paul catch up
05:58 - Introducing Nadia Bolz-Weber
06:32 - Nadia joins the conversation
07:10 - Nadia on Greenbelt Festival
10:30 - Nadia on the Lutheran church
20:40 - Nadia on founding House for All Sinners and Saints
29:14 - Nadia on struggle and optimism
33:00 - Nadia on sex
36:54 - Nadia on negative feedback
39:49 - Nadia on grace
41:10 - Nadia on insults
44:33 - Katherine and Paul reflect on the conversation with Nadia
01:02:04 - How to get in touch with us
01:02:39 - Thank you’s
01:03:28 - Hidden tracks
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A huge thanks to the Greenbelt Volunteer Talks Team for all their hard work on editing this episode. Our podcast music is ‘I Can Change’ by Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires.
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https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/
#SomewhereToBelieveIn

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This week – in what may be the best recommendation we’ve ever had – we’re talking to theologian, former American footballer, and probably Rowan Williams' biggest fanboy, Danté Stewart.
With fire in his belly, Danté “takes us to church”, telling us the story of his own faith journey; from his childhood spent learning of Black revolutionary power, to his full immersion into white evangelical culture as a college football star. And, ultimately, his decision to turn his back on white evangelicalism and to re-nourish and re-build his spirituality and identity as a Black man instead.
Plus, all this gets Katherine and Paul asking: what does healthy religion look like? And how can Greenbelt go beyond showcasing diverse performers and do more to create spaces that are designed for everyone?
Links, resources and episode timestamps (for all you skippers out there) below.
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ABOUT DANTÉ STEWART
Danté Stewart is a writer and speaker whose voice has been featured on CNN, The Washington Post, Religion News Service, Christianity Today, Sojourners, The Witness: A Black Christian Collective, Comment Magazine, and more. As an up-and-coming voice, he writes and speaks into the areas of Black literature, embodiment, and theology. He received his B.A. in Sociology from Clemson University. He is currently studying at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. 
Website | Twitter | Instagram 
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LINKS AND RESOURCES
Under The Skin With Russell Brand: #105 Alienation and Extremism w/ Angela Nagle
Rowan Williams
Where to Start with Octavia Butler
Culture And Imperialism by Edward Said
Harry and Meghan detail royal struggles, from discussions of baby's skin tone to suicidal thoughts
The Divided Mind of the Black Church: Theology, Piety, and Public Witness
The Black Arts Movement (1965-1975)
It is like growing up black one more time by Toni Morrison
Clemson University
Two Days, Two Deaths: The Police Shootings Of Alton Sterling And Philando Castile
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
Audre Lorde
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00:00 - Welcome to Somewhere To Believe In
00:47 - Katherine and Paul catch up
08:08 - Introducing Danté Stewart
08:06 - Danté joins the conversation
09:40 - Danté on the pandemic 
13:40 - Danté on staying resilient
20:00 - Danté on history and change
24:50 - Danté on growing up
28:00 - Danté on white institutional spaces
32:10 - Danté on exile from those spaces
37:50 - Danté on his faith journey
43:08 - Katherine and Paul reflect on the conversation with Danté
55:35 - Next week on the podcast
56:32 - How to get in touch with us
57:10 - Thank you’s
58:00 - Hidden track
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A huge thanks to the Greenbelt Volunteer Talks Team for all their hard work on editing this episode. Our podcast music is ‘I Can Change’ by Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires.
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https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/
#SomewhereToBelieveIn

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Get your best philosophical hats out for this episode because we’re doing a deep dive into the not-so-holy-trinity of dinner table topics – religion, politics and belief – with Andrew Copson, Chief Executive of Humanists UK.
Andrew gives us the 411 on what it means to be a Humanist. And we wrestle with some meaty questions, like: Where does morality come from? Are religions dying out? Can good ever come from causing offence? And does it really matter what we choose to believe?
Plus, Katherine, Paul and Andrew share in their admiration for Frank Turner, a proud humanist and iconic Greenbelt Festival headliner. And Katherine gives us our first lesson in the history of Anarchism... and it might not be what you expect.
Links, resources and episode timestamps (for all you skippers out there) below.
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ABOUT ANDREW COPSON
Andrew Copson was appointed Chief Executive of Humanists UK in 2009, having previously been its Director of Education and Public Affairs. He is also the current President of Humanists International, a position he’s held since 2015. His books include The Little Book of Humanism (2020) and The Little Book of Humanist Weddings (2021) with Alice Roberts; Secularism: a very short introduction (Oxford University Press, 2019); The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Humanism (2015) with A C Grayling. His writing on humanist and secularist issues has appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, The Times and New Statesman as well as in various journals.
Website | Facebook | Twitter
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LINKS AND RESOURCES
Methodist Church allows same-sex marriage in 'momentous' vote
Humanists UK
Frank Turner - Glory Hallelujah
Little Book of Humanism
humanist (n.)
Anarchism
Two Monkeys Were Paid Unequally: Excerpt from Frans de Waal's TED Talk
Nicholas Walter
Teacher suspended for showing a picture of Prophet Muhammad refuses to return to work over fears for his life 
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00:00 - Welcome to Somewhere To Believe In
00:47 - Katherine and Paul catch up
05:16 - Introducing Andrew Copson
05:46 - Andrew joins the conversation
06:10 - Andrew on lockdown
07:06 - Andrew on Frank Turner
08:35 - Andrew on Humanism
12:30 - Andrew on morality
16:20 - Andrew on restoration
19:30 - Andrew on social codes
21:20 - Andrew on religious trends
27:22 - Andrew on his Humanism
30:27 - Andrew on blasphemy and offence
35:52 - Andrew on beliefs and values
40:30 - Andrew on certainty
42:20 - Andrew on challenging power
49:05 - Katherine and Paul reflect on the conversation with Andrew
01:06:05 - Next week on the podcast
01:07:05 - How to get in touch with us 
01:07:38 - Thank you’s
01:08:24 - Hidden track
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A huge thanks to the Greenbelt Volunteer Talks Team for all their hard work on editing this episode. Our podcast music is ‘I Can Change’ by Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires.
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https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/
#SomewhereToBelieveIn

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We’re feeling humbled and full of love this week as we chat to artist, speaker, writer and priest, Mpho Tutu van Furth.
Mpho tells us about her experiences living under apartheid as a young girl and the freedom and justice that so many South Africans, including her family, fought for.
We also hear about Mpho’s journey into priesthood and how she reluctantly handed her license back to the church after their (unfortunately unsurprising) reaction to her ‘lovely can of worms’ – AKA falling in love with a woman. Perhaps most importantly, Mpho reminds us how interconnected and interdependent we all are, and that showing a little bit of care can do a whole lot of good.
Plus, Katherine and Paul reflect on some similarities they see between Mpho’s apartheid memories and life in modern-day Palestine. Like the rest of us, Paul and Katherine jump on the football bandwagon, and Katherine officially joins the #FreeBritney movement. 
Links, resources and episode timestamps (for all you skippers out there) below.
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ABOUT MPHO TUTU VAN FURTH
The Reverend Canon Mpho Tutu van Furth is an episcopal priest, an artist, an author, an accomplished public speaker and retreat facilitator. She has had many roles in non-profit leadership. She was the founding executive director of the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation. She continues to work for environmental justice, human rights and equal access to opportunity for all people without regard to race, class or gender. With her wife, Marceline, she has established and is Executive Director of the Tutu Teach Foundation to enhance access to opportunity for women and girls. Ms. Tutu van Furth and her wife live in the Netherlands. They have four children and two (amazing) grandchildren.
Website | Instagram | Facebook
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LINKS AND RESOURCES
Why Longtime Britney Spears Fans Are Demanding to #FreeBritney
Did Rudiger try and bite Pogba?
A history of Apartheid in South Africa
Domas: Carrying Apartheid’s book
The June 16 Soweto Youth Uprising
Space and power in South Africa: The township as a mechanism of control
The Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation
What does ubuntu really mean?
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
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00:00 - Welcome to Somewhere To Believe In
00:48 - Katherine and Paul catch up
00:00 - Katherine and Paul on Prospect Farm
08:49 - Introducing Mpho Tutu van Furth
09:52 - Mpho joins the conversation
10:05 - Mpho on lockdown
13:27 - Mpho on South African identity
16:49 - Mpho on the living under apartheid
23:33 - Mpho on privilege
27:05 - Mpho on her journey to priesthood
29:00 - Mpho on Marceline
33:58 - Mpho on church and her sexuality
36:00 - Mpho on small acts of kindness
38:00 - Mpho on personal spirituality 
40:56 - Mpho on being loving
43:47 - Mpho on ubuntu
44:50 - Mpho on enjoying the journey
47:18 - Mpho on forgiveness
48:13 - Katherine and Paul reflect on the conversation with Mpho
01:01:20 - Next week on the podcast
01:01:58 - How to get in touch with us 
01:02:35 - Thank you’s
01:03:24 - Hidden track
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A huge thanks to the Greenbelt Volunteer Talks Team for all their hard work on editing this episode. Our podcast music is ‘I Can Change’ by Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires.
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https://www.greenbelt.org.uk/
#SomewhereToBelieveIn

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