This Easter a group of us from Church spent our time at Spring Harvest. I think I can speak for all of us who went when I say that it was a time of refreshment and inspiration.

Our day started with a very relaxed breakfast together – so relaxed that we had time to drink four cups of tea or coffee before moving on to enjoy the programme for the day! We had on tap expert Bible teachers, preachers, specialist practitioners and worship leaders alongside gifted children’s and youth teams.

There was a Bible study every day, then morning teaching zones for adults, based on our learning styles; activist, pragmatist, reflector, theorist and culture zones, these morning sessions were all based around the theme ‘different eyes’. The afternoon offered yet more seminars on many subjects, and then the evening was a time of celebration with thousands of others in the big top. Alongside the adult programme our children and young people enjoyed their fun-packed programme too with tailor made sessions running at the same time.

There was also free time to enjoy sports activities, and of course all the Butlins leisure facilities, which included a funfair and a swimming pool – and of course the beach!

This year the theme was ‘Different Eyes’; Living distinctively in a time of uncertainty. We looked closely at ethics and how Christian ethics are distinctive because ultimately we don’t follow a set of universal principals – we follow Jesus.

Big questions were posed at Spring harvest, ‘What sort of people should we be?’ How should we live? There are of course no foolproof answers to the problems of ethical decision making, but we need to simply ask: ‘What tools do we need for the complex moral choices that confront us as we live for Christ in the 21st century? ‘How do we live distinctively in a time of uncertainty?’ How do we see the world through different eyes – the eyes of Christ?’