Mike King

This Ages Me...

I had so many highlights from the recent Wild Goose Festival. One of the most spiritual profound moments for me was on the eve of the festival. Ian Cron, Joy Wallis, Todd Fadel and Topher Philgreen were sitting in a circle engaged in conversation about the festival and the conversation turned to music that shaped us spiritually. Since we were all pretty much from the same era some blasts from the past emerged. One of the names that came up was Evie Tournquist. I know that ages me. We even had a little Evie sing-a-long. At that point, the night took a magical turn and reached a crescendo when we each picked a favorite hymn and together joined in singing it. Holy, Holy, Holy; I Love Him; I Come to the Garden Alone, and on... transcendent, enriching and worshipful. Todd Fadel oversees the music for Wild Goose and he is a wonderful man, follower of Jesus and has a sweet family. Todd just sent this Evie song to me and Joy (because we declared ourselves the Evie fan club). Maybe you had to be there but I think it is beautiful. Thanks Todd.

Wild Goose II Taking Off in Five Weeks

We are a little over five weeks away for the start of Wild Goose Festival number two.  I'm looking forward to David Crowder joining us, along with Gungor and tons of other great artists, poets, speakers, thinkers, provocateurs, theologians...

I'm so happy Over the Rhine is returning, along with Shane Claiborne, plus new speakers like Lauren Winner and Cathleen Falsani.

Until Thursday at midnight you can get a 15% discount on tickets using the code MIKEKING

Go to http://wildgoosefestival.eventbrite.com/ and click on the reddish "Enter Promotional Code" link to use it and get 15% off any full weekend ticket (adult, student, child or family).

The Wild Goose is Flapping it's Wings...

The 2012 Wildgoose Festival from The Work Of The People on Vimeo.

Wild Goose Tickets on Special Opening Week Sale

IVP and Likewise at Wild Goose

My friends from IVP and Likewise were at Wild Goose.

Wild Goose - Seven Years in the Making...

Only 44 Days until the Wild Goose Festival

There are now 44 days til the Wild Goose Festival.

Here are a few names from the huge list of great folks who will be with us and some of the topics they'll be exploring. We have so many talented and courageous people speaking and performing.

Pete Majendie from New Zealand - magnificent performer (and worship-leading house-painter to boot) will bring his moving, funny, and thoughtful one man show about the life and work of Vincent van Gogh to Wild Goose.  Many people don't know that Vincent wanted to be a minister, but felt like a failure, and so painted to raise money to fund his own brother's missionary work.  Pete's show is inspirational to any of us who have wondered what we're doing with our lives, and where our gifts truly lie.

Derek Webb writes songs that face reality with a degree of fearlessness that is rare in so-called 'Christian music' (a term which Derek himself would disavow); and he also believes that Wild Goose could be the start of a very good story in US culture.  He & Mike Morell made a video for us to let us know this.  He'll be performing at the festival.  The blog post and video are here.

Margot Starbuck is a delightful writer, and even more delightful presence: she's one of those people who manages to talk about pain in a way that liberates.  She'll be with us to discuss issues pertaining to body image and questions to which none of us know the answer.

Richard Twiss believes that Christians who aren't Native American should experience missionary work on Native reservations - but as recipients, not evangelists.  He brings people to reservations for experiences of immersion in indigenous culture; learning and unlearning lessons about the history of this country, and his people, so that we might all build relationships that serve the vision of the beloved community inspired by Jesus. 

And our social justice program will include significant participation from people who have been on both sides of the criminal justice system: as the survivors of crime, and those who have been through prison.  Thistle Farms is a fantastic initiative that works with women, some of whom have been in prison, all of whom have been marginalized, to build a community of love that genuinely transforms the lives of participants.  They're bringing music and stories, and lots of their community members to the festival.

Those are just five examples of who and what will be available at the experimental, informal, farm-based, eco-friendly, non-hierarchical, sun-baked, brand new, God-bathed Wild Goose Festival.  I think we have the beginnings of something that can be a culture-shaping movement in the United States.  Do whatever you can to be at the Wild Goose festival to interact with issues about which you care about, to learn and be provoked, and to bring your own gifts to the table.

Ticket prices go up next Monday, the 16th May.  Visit the festival website here, and  buy your tickets here, The first Wild Goose Festival is an event you don't want to miss.

Wild Goose Festival Site

Only Eight Weeks Until Wild Goose Takes Flight

Here is a Wild Goose Update from Mike Morrell:

 

Tickets

Wild Goose four-day passes are presently $129 for adults, and $99 for students; there are family rates, group discounts, and all kinds of other permutations. Ticket prices will rise on May 15th, so now's a great time to get your passes if you're on the fence. And if you already have yours, try and get two of your friends to sign up this week! Please tweet, blog, Facebook, and otherwise let people know that tickets are on sale here.

Things to check out & share:

We got big music news yesterday: David Bazan (Pedro The Lion) will be playing the Goose! We're excited to have this thoughtful, passionate, fan-favorite singer-songwriter with us. 

 

 NPR has been running a moving series of stories about the courageous women behind the social entreprenurial initiative Thistle Farms - one of our partners who'll be present at the festival to speak and perform.  I blogged about these amazing women this week - please check it out, and share it if you're so moved. 

 

Need a ride? Have space in your vehicle? We want to facilitate people traveling to the festival, and are encouraging people to use our facebook event page to link up with others if you can provide or need a ride.

 

Goose friends Tony Jones, Jay Bakker, and Pete Rollins are good-naturedly competing with each other to win this cuddly goose, by seeing how many of their Twitter followers buy tickets using their personalized discount code.  The whole story is here; and you can tweet your support for any or all of these three as often as you want - the competition ends Saturday, with new contestants next week.

 

I hope this weekly mini-update will be helpful, whether you're a committed attendee or someone considering making the migration! Please use anything in this newsletter to help spread the word; there's no one your friends trust more than you. Let me know the ways you're sharing the Goose in your community (physical or virtual), and I'll share them in upcoming newsletters. 

 

Selah

Finally, in the midst of all the busyness I know we're all going through, we at Goose Central are increasingly aware of the value of seeking to bring people together at the intersection of justice, spirituality and art. Now more than ever, we need an open, experimental space filled with laughter and fire, voices and silence, music and conversations. Perhaps more urgently than before, we need this opportunity to renew our faith as a community that becomes more than the sum of its parts.  

The Wild Goose Festival has been a long time coming - we're nearly there, we're in it together, and these next few weeks are critical. Only we - with the Holy Wild Goose's help - can create and sustain a fresh social, aesthetic, and spiritual culture in North America - one that is authentically sourced in the living example of Jesus, and therefore spacious, welcoming, and hospitable to all.

Shane Claiborne makes video and speaks about Wild Goose Festival...

Here is a Wild Goose video made by my friend Shane Claiborne and friend of The Wild Goose Festival...

 

I am proud to have been part of this shin-dig from its inception… and am so excited to see it being born.

Here are a few of my hopes for the ole Wild Goose Festival.

 

I hope it is…..

A celebration of art, creativity, and prophetic imagination.

A showcasing of fantastic Kingdom-minded projects and missional businesses (not just funnel cakes and university tables).

A spectrum of diverse voices harmonizing without homogenizing – old and young, catholic and protestant (and other), all colors of skin, from many walks of life, Courageous and daring.

An uncompromising fusion of Jesus and justice without making folks who are new to either of these feeling excluded — perhaps a few debates or panels inviting critics to share their voices would be nice.

An event that is creative enough to make sure money is not an obstacle to folks who want to attend.

Good teaching…. And good music.

A convergence of movements.

A place for families and kids.

A public witness where we can do something together to bear witness or stir a little holy mischief (perhaps a vigil outside a weapons contractor or abusive corporation).

A space that feels sacred – filled with worship, genuine fellowship, and celebration.

A gathering where theory and practice meet, where prayer and reflection are married, where there is good thinking but also good living taught and practiced.

An embodiment that displays the unity of Christ’s body, and creatively practices Communion/Eucharist together.

A few things I would like to make sure Wild Goose is NOT:

Homogenous, Pretentious, Preaching to the choir, Celebrity-driven entertainment, Branded by one organization or movement, Sloppy with theology, Sloppy with practice, Another Christian music festival, Profitable (expensive), A passive gathering of spectators, Just another event to go to every year.

It is a gift and honor to be part of this little adventure with all of you. –shane claiborne