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The Safe Space

Our main activity is the Safe Space at Greenbelt, an informal opportunity to make contact, meet together, chat and worship. We run a bookstall with material on faith and sexuality. The Safe Space is an "attitude-free zone", and we ask anyone attending to do so in that spirit. Do come along to meet old friends and make new ones. It is important that everyone who comes to the Safe Space is made to feel welcome and involved to whatever degree they wish, Can you help welcome others, serve tea and coffee or sell books! We're also looking for babysitters to free up parents on one or more nights. Please volunteer your help in advance or at the Festival.

Worship

There will be a brief act of worship each night in the Safe Space. We will be sharing communion on Monday afternoon starting at 12pm and all are welcome. Can you help with music, whether singing or playing! Please make yourself known early in the Festival.

Literature

Every evening a bookstall and free "pro-gay" and "ex-gay" literature will be available.

Safety Net 2002

The main news is that the Festival starts on the Friday with camping open from 10:00am. DO NOT TURN UP ON THURSDAY please.

This year's programme is below or available on our leaflet which can be viewed or downloaded as a pdf from here.


Friday

6:30pm | Conrad Henley-Calvert : Getting from There to
Here: A Short History of Safe Space | Crest Room

10pm | Welcome to Safe Space! | Crest Room | including
Beryl Quennell: “Weave a Web” Worship at 11:30pm

Saturday

4pm | Kirsti Reeve: Why would any self- respecting
lesbian Christian become a Catholic? | Crest Room

10pm | HIV+/AIDS Vigil run by
Christian Aid | Arena | see festival programme

11pm | Safe Space | Crest Room | including short alt.
Worship service at 11:30pm with funky digital video by
Trevor Barton exploring the festival theme and following
the AIDS vigil ‘Kiss of Life’

Sunday

1pm | Headline Safety Net Forum Debate:
“Procreation Prerogative” – the Church’s reaction to
childless families, fostering and same-sex
parenting? | Jeremy Marks (Courage Trust), Sue
Essau (Relate, tbc), Beryl Quennell, Tony Petersen
and others | Hosted by Joan King, author of “Family
and all that Stuff” | see festival programme for
venue etc.

6:30pm | Jeremy Marks on Courage Trust’s journey | Crest
Room

10pm | Safe Space | Crest Room (+ short communion
service with Revd Dave Earl and Conrad Henley-Calvert)

Monday

12 noon | Safety Net fun closing Worship jamboree |
Crest Room

Camping together

We will be in the main camping area near to the pedestrian crossing and we will be flying the rainbow flag (with Christian cross in the top corner) and displaying the Safety Net banner as soon as possible. We will hold a reasonable amount of space, so do come and camp in the group if you want to. Conrad will have his mobile 'phone charged and on (0958 599857), and we do not anticipate problems with the signal strength at Cheltenham.

Friday - planning, praying and posters

Help with practical tasks will be wanted from Friday afternoon onwards. Come and find us at our campsite. If you can poster, play instruments or sing, welcome people at the Safe Space, please let us know.

Weekend Houseparties

Whilst our main activity is the Safe Space at Greenbelt, we do have weekends away together twice a year as well as meeting up informally at Pride and other occasions. The weekends take place at a house in Birmingham and are an opportunity to eat, drink, chat and relax, discuss Greenbelt, worship and go out into town. All those who have been before have found them worthwhile, so do put the dates in your diary now. A small charge is made for food, and car shares can be arranged. You don't have to be gay, a Greenbelter, or a Christian, although a combination of them would help!! You do, however, have to be over 18. You will need to pay £10.00 for food and you will probably want to bring more for drink in or out, and for club entry. If you have problems with meeting costs but would still like to come, please contact Conrad - there are some funds available for this. Accommodation is mainly crash pad, although there are some beds available if required. Please bring a sleeping bag or duvet and sheet, a pillow, a musical instrument (if you play). Ring Conrad for more details.

Mailing list

A contact list of members of the mailing list is circulated after each festival, providing an opportunity for contact and support, as well as the chance to be involved in planning for next year. If you wish to join the mailing list, please see the contacts page. There is no charge for being on the mailing list but donations towards printing and postage are welcomed. The full mailing list currently stands at 109 people at 97 addresses.

Finance

Donations to support the work of the Safety Net are always welcome. Cheques should be made payable to Conrad Calvert. Accounts are produced in the first mailing after Greenbelt. Please click here to see them.

Please consider your ability to give to support what is going on. Donations can be given at the Festival, or posted to Conrad.

 

 

Email James at the [email protected]
if you want further information about the group
or anything else in this web site.

 

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