St Christopher’s Church
Church of England
Hinchley Wood
Diocese of Guildford
As a Festival we have been good at looking south and west and to the near east. But Rising Sun urges us to look right to the far eastern horizon. It reminds us we are part of a global community that includes the tiger economies.
It has biblical resonance:
But 'From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, the Lord's name be
praised' would have been too long for a title. So, shortening it to 'Rising Sun'
makes it less explicit and more versatile. It's important that a Greenbelt theme
can be rooted in the Christian story. Not just so we can answer our critics, but
so that our community's prophetic, God-
It is a visually striking, evocative image:
It lends itself very powerfully to graphic representation and communication. And it's great when Greenbelters arrive at the Festival having been challenged visually and in words to think about and feel their way into the theme beforehand.
It is open-
This is very important in terms of Greenbelt's welcoming and inclusive embrace. You will all have your own takes on the theme. It will move and inspire you all in different ways. Bring these varied imaginations to Greenbelt, and let's see what we can cook up together.
It is about the summer:
We can only hope! Especially after the floods of last summer and the wilder, wetter
climate we enjoy these days. And yes, of course, the theme has strong resonances
with environmental degradation and global warming -
Be part of it!
The theme of this year’s festival is ‘Rising Sun’. Why 'Rising Sun'? Here are some of the reasons:
It has an eastern vibe:
In the year of the Bejing Olympics this is really important. It resonates with the emergence of the Chinese and Asian economies and the rapidly changing world order. The Olympics will just be reaching their climax over the Festival weekend itself.
