Spring Harvest
Encyclopedia
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 Minehead
and Skegness
over the Easter school holiday period.
The format for 2010 changed to five 'event-weeks' (6 days / 5 nights) – three at Minehead and two at Skegness - one week less than in 2009. Approximately 30,000 people attended over these five event-weeks, including day visitors. This pattern remained for 2011, but for 2012 whilst the three Minehead weeks are to be retained there will only be one Skegness week.
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 organization 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.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
conference and gathering in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Its "Main Event" takes place annually at the Butlins
Butlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
resorts in Minehead
Minehead
Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the border with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park...
and Skegness
Skegness
Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....
over the Easter school holiday period.
The format for 2010 changed to five 'event-weeks' (6 days / 5 nights) – three at Minehead and two at Skegness - one week less than in 2009. Approximately 30,000 people attended over these five event-weeks, including day visitors. This pattern remained for 2011, but for 2012 whilst the three Minehead weeks are to be retained there will only be one Skegness week.
The tone is generally evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
with modern worship music, workshops and Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
study groups. The programme offers different streams for age groups such as children, youth, families, adults etc. The organization 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.
History
- 1979: The first Spring Harvest event at PrestatynPrestatynPrestatyn is a seaside resort, town and community in Denbighshire, North Wales. It is located on the Irish Sea coast, to the east of Rhyl. At the 2001 Census, Prestatyn had a population of 18,496.-Prehistory:...
, North Wales with 2,701 attending. - 1982: At the outbreak of the Falklands WarFalklands WarThe Falklands War , also called the Falklands Conflict or Falklands Crisis, was fought in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the disputed Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands...
, Spring Harvest sent a telegram to the Prime MinisterPrime ministerA prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
expressing 'the love and concern felt by Christians for both governments and peoples involved.' £7,800 was collected and sent to the Church in ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. - 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 AyrAyrAyr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde in south-west Scotland. With a population of around 46,000, Ayr is the largest settlement in Ayrshire, of which it is the county town, and has held royal burgh status since 1205...
, ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. - 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 FasoBurkina FasoBurkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
, 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 ConventionKeswick ConventionThe Keswick Convention is an annual gathering of evangelical Christians in Keswick, in the English county of Cumbria.- History :The Keswick Convention began in 1875 as a catalyst and focal point for the emerging Higher Life movement in the United Kingdom. It was founded by an Anglican, Canon T. D....
, Proclamation TrustProclamation TrustThe Proclamation Trust is a British evangelical Christian association founded in 1986 by Dick Lucas, led by Vaughan Roberts, based in Willcox House, London that is dedicated to training preachers in expository preaching...
and UCCFUCCFUniversities and Colleges Christian Fellowship , formerly known as the Inter-Varsity Fellowship , is a UK-based evangelical Christian charity that operates on university campuses....
. - 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 KosovoKosovoKosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. - 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 AliveNew Word AliveNew Word Alive is an annual conference originated by a partnership of the UK Christian organisations UCCF and Keswick Ministries. The conference is focussed on Bible teaching, corporate worship, and family time. The conference is a continuation of the former Word Alive event which ran within...
. - 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.
- 2009: Spring Harvest and ICC Media Group complete merger to form Memralife Group.
- 2009: Pilgrim Hall Christian Conference Centre in Sussex becomes latest member of the Memralife Group.
- 2010: After 20 years as CEO, Alan Johnson retires. Peter Martin appointed acting CEO of Memralife Group.
Main event annual themes
Each year’s main event has a teaching theme.- 2012 : Church Actually - God's Brilliant Idea
- 2011 : Route 66 - Biblical direction for the road we travel
- 2010 : Different Eyes - Living distinctively in a time of uncertainty
- 2009 : Apprentice = Walking the way of Christ
- 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 : A Royal Banquet : The inspiration for the Millennium – Looking at John’s Gospel.
- 1999 : Past Imperfect Future Tense
- 1998 : Across the border line
- 1997 : Solid Rock : The Ten Commandments.
- 1996 : Beyond Belief
- 1995 : Take off your shoes
- 1994 : Dancing in the dark
- 1993 : Living on the edge
- 1992 : Meanwhile back at the cross
- 1991 : Shaken but not Stirred
- 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
Media coverage
- In Week 2 at MineheadMineheadMinehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the border with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park...
in 2003, Spring Harvest was featured on the BBC programme Songs of PraiseSongs of PraiseSongs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional Christian hymns. It is a widely watched and long-running religious television programme, one of the few peak-time free-to-air religious programmes in Europe Songs of Praise is a BBC Television programme based around traditional...
. The first 'week' (week 1), still in Minehead, Spring Harvest was featured on both local and national news as a sickness bug 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.