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Festival Pastors help over 800 people at Latitude 

The Festival Pastors team at the Latitude music festival were able to assist over 800 people during the recent event in Suffolk and want to thank those who prayed for their work. Prayer Encourager Liz Livey reports.

Last year, due to Covid, Latitude was cancelled alongside other festivals. This greatly impacted many whose livelihoods depend on such events. Following an invite from Festival Republic, a team of 22 people were involved with the Latitude Festival Pastors this year. It was a busy time which commenced with our amazing set up team, who prepared the space for the Pastors to work from.
 
You may have heard something of our weekend on BBC Radio Suffolk’s Sarah Lilley ahow or the ‘shout out’ we had on Radio 2 Good Morning Sunday. Additionally, during the weekend, Festival Pastors had a visit from Melvin Benn, CEO of Festival Republic with members of the Department of Culture, Media, and Sport to find out about the work of Festival Pastors at Latitude.
 
During their service over the weekend Festival Pastors assisted more than 700 people on their arrival to site with more than 100 other interventions where people needed assistance for a range of other issues. Individuals were helped with luggage, broken trolleys, erecting tents with some of the tent pegs and mallets we carry being required.
 
There was lost property, site patrols, many conversations, much listening, great interaction and collaboration with Festival Republic, stewards, taxi, and security teams… and so nice to meet up with old friends. The predicted storms over the site did not occur, and one team even reattached the wing of a fairy working in the arena!
 
In place of our café this year, we provided a prayer space with a Wall of Remembrance and Wall of Hope, as we considered what the last 17 months has wrought on our nation and the world. This offered a quiet peaceful place to pray, sit or reflect.
 
Hope cards were left in a basket; these had a blank space for prayer requests or thoughts on one side, perforated down the middle, and included a prayer to take away. A good number of Hope prayers were posted. Additionally, the Remembrance Wall was made up of hearts and flowers notes. Both walls were well used. People stayed to talk, relaxed on our two inflatable sofas, requested prayer for themselves and others. Prayers were for families, exam results, loved ones in hospital or dying, our planet, for mental health and wellbeing, for employment, families in crisis, loneliness, even praying with some couples soon to be married!
 
At the very heart of Town and Festival Pastors is prayer, and the intercessions of many in this nation and across the world, made a huge difference and brought immense encouragement to the whole team. We are so very grateful for your love, compassion and standing with us in prayer, without you it would not have been possible.

Pictured above are Festival Pastors at work at a previous Latitude Festival.

 


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