7 Things First-Timers Need To Know About The Goose

By Rick MeredithGoose News4 Comments

The Wild Goose Festival has been described by many as magical, emotional, life-changing, and more! It is the time of year where people from all sorts of backgrounds, denominations, spiritual practices, and life paths come together to celebrate the creative Spirit of the Living God, to learn what it is to engage with the struggle of being human.

And not to mention, it is a helluva lot of fun, too!

We recently asked on our Twitter, “What are some things first-timers should know?” And these were some of the responses:

Make a plan, but be flexible.

You’re going to have your program with all the talks, musical performances, presentations, panels, workshops, live podcast recordings, hymn-sings, and dance parties marked up. And yes, everything is incredible! But give yourself some wiggle room.

Maybe you’ll meet some new friends and decide to go to a different talk. Perhaps you’ll need some time to reflect on all you’re experiencing down by the river. Maybe you need to take a nap. (Trust us, you may want to treat yourself to that.)

As much as possible, go with the flow, do what you want, and listen to what your body is telling you.

Be prepared for the rain (because it always rains).

As much as we wish we could pray a hedge of protection over the Goose campgrounds, it never fails that at least a few times over the weekend, there is rain. So be prepared! Quick rain ponchos to pull over yourself, umbrella, rain jacket, rain boots, whatever is going to make you feel most comfortable.

And that means wear shoes you don’t mind getting dirty, or maybe break out those Chacos or Teevas you haven’t worn in a while. Those will be a lifesaver over the weekend.

(And btw- there are rain ponchos available in the book tent for sale.)

Eat “THE VEGGIE THING”

There are so many amazing and delicious food choices every year from a variety of vendors and food trucks. Not to mention, plenty of gluten-free and vegan options, and also tons of sweet and savory treats as well. But the crowd favorite of so many is the Veggie Thing!

Think of a giant grilled tortilla, packed with the yummiest assortment of fresh veggies, and it’s as big as your face. It’ll fill you right up.

Try it at least once. (Maybe twice.)

Bring some bug spray & a light jacket for the evening.

Friends, let’s make no illusions about our situation: we are in the forest, in nature. Of course, there are bugs. Of course, you’re going to get chilly in the evening. So come prepared with some bug spray, and if you forget, I bet your neighbor around your campsite will have one.

And seriously, bring that jacket. Even if you tie it around your waist and put it on later, you’ll thank yourself for it. Especially if you’re going to come to the fantastic nightly concerts. You’re going to want that.

Don’t be afraid to disconnect

You may have heard that in the mountains of Hot Springs, NC that there is not a whole lot of cell phone signal.

You heard right.

But that’s not always a bad thing. Wild Goose can be a great opportunity to disconnect from the rest of the world and refresh your soul. What would it be like to be present in your body, your mind, and what the Spirit is saying without the distraction of likes and notifications? (How many of you are stressed right now thinking about that?)

And, to ease your mind, we do have some wi-fi in our office and phone in case you need to get in touch with folks back home. No worries.

BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair)

There is seating under the tents for presentations, but in front of the main stage, that’s on you. Not to mention when you’re sharing food or drinks around a campfire, having your own seating is going to be essential. It doesn’t have to be big or fancy, it just has to be functional.

We suggest bringing one that folds up and swings easily over the shoulder. And if you’ve got little ones, this will be helpful for when they get tired.

Be open to surprise

The wild goose (as in the animal), if you didn’t know, is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. Wild. Unpredictable. (And might bite you in your backside when you’re not looking.) And the Wild Goose Festival is no different. There’s always something new, beautiful, and profound happening.

Between the main stage talks, the musical performances, the workshops, and the friendships you’ll create, it is a time of renewal and new beginnings.

Be open to it. Be looking for it. And be ready to experience it. This is a place to come and get a fresh word for your life and some fresh ideas on how to reimagine the Church.

So if this is your first time at the Wild Goose Festival, welcome. There’s a seat at our table for you.

(…as long as you bring your own chair. )

May 24, 2018

Love0

Bryan Johnson, Paula Williams, T. Anthony Spearman, Tony Campolo, Dan White Hodge

By Rick Meredith2018 FestivalNo Comments

Every single year, the circle grows wider and wider! We want to be a community on the leading edge of conversations surrounding ministry, faith, and intersectional justice. That’s why we are thrilled to have these amazing leaders, pastors, and activists join us at #WildGoose2018.

Don’t miss your opportunity to meet and engage with these incredible minds this summer. Get registered for the Wild Goose Festival today!

Bryan Johnson & Trinity UCC Choir
Bryan Johnson is the Executive Director of Sacred Music and Movement at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois. Under Bryan’s direction, leadership, and teaching, all genres of African American sacred music – from the drums and complex harmonies of West Africa; to the Afro-Caribbean rhythms of the West Indies; to the jazz and blues influences of the southern United States; to traditional, contemporary, and neo-soul forms of American gospel – are performed by Trinity’s choirs and liturgical groups. He is the executive producer of “Stay Connected,” Trinity’s latest music project, which debuted earlier this year at #5 on Billboard’s gospel charts.

A native of Chicago, Bryan received his Master of Music Education from VanderCook College of Music. His family roots from Jamaica, Barbados, and Louisiana helped form the foundation of his musical prowess. He is heavily influenced by gospel greats such as Charles Clency and Thomas Whitfield. Additional musical influencers include Dave Grusin, David Foster, and other jazz, rhythm and blues, and soul artists.

Since 1990 he has been married to his wonderful wife, Joi Buchanan-Johnson.

https://wildgoosefestival.org/bryan-johnson18

Paula Williams
Rev. Dr. Paula Williams is a nationally known speaker on gender equity and transgender advocacy. She is also the Pastor of Preaching and Worship at Left Hand Church in Longmont, Colorado, and the president of RLT Pathways, Inc., a non-profit providing counseling and coaching services. Paula serves on the board of the Q Christian Fellowship, the Union of Affirming Christians, and the WITH Network of progressive churches. As a transgender pastor, Paula has been featured in the New York Times, the Denver Post, NPR and The Huffington Post. Paula’s TEDxMileHigh talk on gender equality has been viewed over a half million times on YouTube.

paulastonewilliams.com
https://www.tedxmilehigh.com/speaker/paula-stone-williams/

T. Anthony Spearman
Rev. Dr. T. Anthony Spearman is the senior pastor of St. Phillip A.M.E. Zion Church in Greensboro, the third vice president of the North Carolina Conference of NAACP Branches, and a candidate to become the civil rights organization’s next permanent state president now that Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II is stepping away from the post he’s held for 12 years.

He is a key leader in the Moral Monday and Forward Together Movement that has brought national attention to the broad coalition of social justice organizations that are working together to change recent legislation in North Carolina that denied the expansion of Medicaid, significantly reduced access to early voting, eliminated Sunday voting, cut unemployment benefits to long-term unemployed people, and reduced the number of teachers in public schools. During his time in Greensboro in the 90’s, Dr. Spearman was a member of the Pulpit Forum, a group of primarily African-American ministers who stood in solidarity with Greensboro K-Mart workers who were asking for wage parity with K-Mart employees in other states as well as an increase in paid holidays and sick days. Dr. Spearman is a regular fixture at Moral Monday protests all across the state.

https://naacpnc.org/rev-t-anthony-spearman/

Tony Campolo
Tony Campolo is professor emeritus of sociology at Eastern University and a former faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania. For 40 years, he led the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education, an organization which he founded to create and support programs serving needy communities. More recently, Dr. Campolo has provided leadership for the progressive Christian movement, Red Letter Christians, as well as for the Campolo Center for Ministry, a program which provides support to those the Church has called to full-time ministry. He has written more than 35 books and can be found blogging regularly on tonycampolo.org and redletterchristians.org. Tony and his wife, Peggy, live near Philadelphia, and have two children and four grandchildren.

https://tonycampolo.org/

Dan White Hodge
Daniel White Hodge, PhD, is the Director of the Center for Youth Ministry Studies and Assistant Professor of Youth Ministry at North Park University in Chicago. Dr. Hodge has worked in the urban youth and Hip Hop context for over 20 years. He is also the founding editor-in-chief of The Journal Of Hip Hop Studies.

Dr. Hodge, a Hip Hop scholar and urban youth specialist, focuses on Hip Hop Studies, urban/ city youth culture and development, race relations, film, pop culture trends, and spirituality. Having received his PhD from Fuller Graduate School of Intercultural Studies, his dissertation focused on the life, theology, and spiritual message of Tupac Amaru Shakur (TITLE: Baptized in Dirty Water: The Missiological Gospel of Tupac Amaru Shakur).

Dr. Hodge and his wife, Emily, and daughter, Mahalia Joy, currently reside in Chicago.

https://www.whitehodge.com

May 15, 2018

Love0

Surprised By Hope #WildGooseMoments

By Rick MeredithGoose News, Wild Goose StoriesNo Comments

#WildGooseMoments is a series where folks are sharing the experiences that touched them, surprised them, and made them fall in love with the Wild Goose Festival. Today, Janis LeMieux shares her experience of hearing God in the quiet.

I live on Hope Street, near the intersection with Faith Street. It’s a good reminder where my focus should lie. But, sometimes in the grind of everyday living, it’s easy to forget in whom my hope and faith should rest – even with street signs to remind me.

In many ways, my life has been what some would consider unconventional. I haven’t always taken the easiest path. For a few years, life had been full of change, a few setbacks, and deep internal questions. Hope was hard to maintain. So, in the spring of 2017 when one of my pastors told me, “You NEED to come to Wild Goose Festival.” And I hesitantly agreed, not knowing what to expect.

Although I had heard about The Wild Goose for a few years, I didn’t really know what to expect. The more I learned, the more excited I became. I decided to volunteer, and when the festival dates were near, I packed up my camping gear and off I went, still not really knowing what was in store for me.

As I arrived on site, I could feel myself physically relax. Welcome and kindness seemed to permeate the air. At the volunteer meeting on the first evening, I listened to Bec and remember thinking, “Oh my God, I am finally in a place where I am welcome, where I belong, and where I am safe to be exactly who I am.”

On the second day, as I walked in darkness to the Desanka tent where I had early morning kitchen duty, I was struck by the dark and quiet. Standing for a moment on the dirt path, trying not to resent the early hour as is my normal not-morning-person nature, I took a moment to be thankful for all the souls and experiences I was encountering.

I turned off my light and listened to the whisper of the wind in the tops of the trees, the sound of the river beside me, and the faint sounds of humans awakening to the day. In the hush, as the day lightened, I felt the presence of my fellow campers and could feel the very real presence of the Holy Spirit, whispering to me that the people of God had gathered and were taking their rest.

Surrounded by thousands of people from all walks of life, different faiths, diverse races and cultures, all committed to co-existing in peace and treating each other with respect and compassion during our time together, I was filled with hope! That hope surprised me in the moment and has sustained me since.

I have prayed the prayer below often since then and it is always in my heart as Wild Goose days draw near again. The hopefulness I received has been a gift and I cannot wait to have my soul replenished, my faith in humanity restored, and my joy in the company of fellow seekers renewed once again at The Wild Goose.

Creator, touch our hearts that we may hear you in the small, silent moments of our lives. Help us to live in hope and faith so that through our gentleness and respect, others may see your grace as a welcoming beacon. Keep us safe in the world until we all gather again at The Wild Goose.

Janis is going to be returning to Wild Goose Festival this summer! Are you going to be there? Be sure to get your tickets today!

Do you have a story you’d love to share with #WildGooseMoments? email it to [email protected]!

May 14, 2018

Love0

Message From the Wild Goose Board

By Rick MeredithUncategorized

Dear Members of the Wild Goose Flock –

We wanted to give you all an update about our location for the Wild Goose Festival. First, thanks to all who have offered suggestions and feedback on this important issue. At our last board meeting, we devoted a lot of time to discussing the strengths and weaknesses of our current location in Hot Springs, NC. We’ve decided to stay in Hot Springs for now, and here’s the background to our decision.

Just about everyone agrees that Hot Springs is a wonderful spot in many ways. The natural enclosed space in the mountains hugging the French Broad River, the little town with shops and restaurants, the balance of remoteness and accessibility, the availability of a variety of housing options within a reasonable driving distance – all these features make the location truly special.

However, we face some real challenges in rural North Carolina. For example, the presence of Confederate flags is very disturbing for many of us, making us wonder if these flags are intended as a “not welcome” sign. And spotty cell coverage adds to a sense of vulnerability for those of us who depend on our phones many times each hour. These drawbacks cause us real concern because our starting point is that the Wild Goose is committed to safe, hospitable, and welcoming spaces for all people in all of our gatherings, including and especially at our Hot Springs Festival.

A few years ago, when Rev. Barber proposed a boycott of North Carolina because of the infamous “bathroom bill,” we worked with him in considering several options, including relocating and even going on hiatus for a year. In the end, the law was changed. But the incident caused us to keep our eyes open for other possible locations. Again this year, we expanded our search area to include an arc that ranged from Pennsylvania to Atlanta to Tennessee. We didn’t find a suitable alternate location without equal or greater problems of its own.

Two other factors have been important in our considerations. First, we greatly value our amazing team of volunteers in the area, along with the good relationships we have built with housing providers, vendors, city leaders, and the larger Wild Goose community in the region.

Second, we don’t feel right about letting Confederate flag-wavers succeed in intimidating us. We believe that people of color, LGBTQ people, immigrants, and the spiritually non-traditional have as much a right to be there as anyone else. So we’ve decided to stay in Hot Springs in 2018 and perhaps beyond as a voice and presence for change.

But please know that we’re actively working to address safety concerns. Here are some of our hopes and plans:

Travel and Arrival Support
Almost everyone travels to the Wild Goose through either Asheville, NC or Newport, TN. We’re setting aside funds to create a “hospitality” resource in both of these locations. We will provide detailed maps, 24/7 Wild Goose staff phone numbers, advice on gas stops and supplies, AND loaner burner phones with local coverage for all who request them.

Phone and WIFI Access
We’re trying to get a signal boost for cell coverage and WIFI at the festival site. The mountains are both a source of great beauty and a communication obstacle. Progress on this is slow and the costs are high. As a supplement, we’ll plan to increase awareness of the “land line” that is available at the check-in gate and we’ll have temporary loaner phones with some improved service available.

Housing and Local Transportation
We’re working to increase the number of both on-site and close-in housing options. We’re also working to improve our ability to transport persons within the town of Hot Springs. We’ve petitioned the city council to allow us to drive golf carts on city streets and if we’re successful, we’ll implement “town shuttles.” Absent success with this request, we hope to use other vehicles for local transport for those with mobility challenges and for those who will feel safer in groups.

Western North Carolina and Hot Springs
Like most areas, western North Carolina, is politically, culturally, and economically diverse. However, Asheville is among the most progressive cities in the United States. Hot Springs itself has a significant progressive community, also. Pride in being the host of the Wild Goose Festival runs deep for many of the community leaders and goes well beyond the economic advantages. That gives us hope that we can continue making progress for the Wild Goose flock, and maybe even improve conditions in the area all year ‘round.

Going Forward
Unfortunately, no place is absolutely safe. And, even with the progress we’re making and will continue to make as we dialogue and co-create together, we acknowledge that Hot Springs is not ideal for everyone. That’s one reason why we’re considering enlarging the Wild Goose footprint in years to come. For example, we’re exploring the possibility of a second festival somewhere in a triangle between Detroit, Chicago, and St. Louis. In years to come, there could be several Wild Goose festivals occurring around the country, each with its own flavor and strengths – and, no doubt, each with its own unique challenges.

Continuing Improvement
When Wild Goose began in 2011, we were the first major Christian festival in the United States where LGBTQ and straight people could co-create as equals. That was a big step, but it was only a step. We promise to continue the struggle – to help people co-create across racial, regional, cultural, political, gender, and religious lines. This isn’t easy, but it’s important, and we’re not giving up or backing down.

Thanks again for being part of the Wild Goose community! Thanks for caring about making Wild Goose a hospitable place for all who wish to join the flock! We look forward to seeing you in July – and we hope you’ll bring along a gaggle of friends.

Joyfully –
The Wild Goose Board

February 28, 2018

Love0

Amy Grant, Jacqui Lewis, Barbara Brown Taylor, and John Pavlovitz are on their way to the Wild Goose Festival!

By Rick Meredith2018 FestivalNo Comments

Amy and Jacqui and Barbara and John – it almost sounds like a chant, but a happy chant, on the road to Oz – and that’s just the beginning of the AMAZING 2018 Wild Goose festival lineup!

Haven’t bought your tickets yet? What are you waiting for? The Winter ticket special ($229 for festival admission + tent camping) will end soon. Do it now! Re-post, share, tell, send, spread the word – at the 2018 Wild Goose the mountains will ring with wisdom and even the trees will call us to the battle for justice – and we’ll have a lot of fun, too.

Amy Grant
Amy Grant’s long and tremendously successful career is built on music that matters. From the time she burst on the scene as a fresh-faced teenager the Nashville native gained a reputation for creating potent songs that examined life’s complexities with an open heart and keen eye. She became the first artist in “Christian” music to have a platinum record and then she went on to become a crossover sensation, her musical gifts transcending genre boundaries to make her a household name. An “Amy” tour on the web points to song after song with hundreds of thousands and MILLIONS of views. http://amygrant.com/

Jacqui Lewis
Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis will challenge the Goose with her exuberant preaching style and her prophetic voice. The mere mention of her name creates a ripple of enthusiastic anticipation. The Senior Minister at Middle Collegiate Church, a 1000-member multiracial, welcoming, and inclusive congregation in New York City has been featured in media such as The Today Show, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Post, The New Yorker, Essence and The Huffington Post and she’s is a frequent contributor to MSNBC.

This powerful activist, preacher, and fierce advocate for racial equality, economic justice, and LGBTQ equality is just right for Wild Goose-land! http://www.jacquijlewis.com/

Barbara Brown Taylor
Barbara Brown Taylor is a New York Times best-selling, award winning author, teacher, and Episcopal priest. What’s your favorite of her books – is it Leaving Church, or how about Learning to Walk in the Dark, perhaps When God Is Silent – maybe it’ll be Holy Envy (coming this year from HarperOne) – or any of her many others. Whatever your favorite, there’s a really good chance that Wild Goose people will play the popular “my favorite Barbara Brown Taylor book is . . . “ game a lot this year!

She was featured on the cover of TIME magazine and she’s been included on the annual TIME list of Most Influential People. Her work has been translated into five languages. http://www.barbarabrowntaylor.com/bio.htm

John Pavlovitz
John Pavlovitz is reaching literally millions of people with his Stuff That Needs To Be Said blog. The writer and pastor and 20-year veteran in the trenches of local church ministry is committed to helping the Church become a more compassionate, loving environment for all people. His first book, A Bigger Table, was released last October to wide acclaim. It’s often said of someone that so-and-so will “tell it like it is” – for that to really be true a person has to know how it is and then have the courage to tell it. John Pavolvitz passes both standards with high marks. https://johnpavlovitz.com/

Are you as excited as we are? Help us spread the word!

March 8, 2018

Love4

Why I’m Coming Back to Wild Goose

By Rick MeredithGoose News, Guest Post, Wild Goose StoriesOne Comment

This week, we’re beginning to share stories from people in the Wild Goose community. Things that have empowered us and challenged us. Stories that inspire and stories that keep pushing us to ask better questions. We hope you enjoy this first story from our friend, Kevin Garcia.

My first time at the Wild Goose Festival was in the summer of 2016. I was a fresh six months out of the closet, diving headlong into LGBTQ advocacy work and desperately looking for spaces that would not just accept me for who I was, but celebrate me for who I was created to be. And being that I was super broke, working for a non-profit, a friend of mine who was a co-creator at the festival actually gave me the extra ticket.

It was an act of generosity that would affect the trajectory of my life.

As I walked into the Wild Goose grounds, I was just taken aback by the energy I felt. The joy I felt was palpable. The people I ran into were actually friendly and wanted to know who I was, and not just in that annoying Sunday morning, greet-your-neighbor, kind of way. It was genuine curiosity. Whether it was a stranger I’d sit with to share a midday meal with or a bro-looking pastor (who, admittedly, I wrote off as some white pseudo-progressive) who I shared a beer with while we sang old hymns, the relationships I began to make were authentic.

The way people treated me made it feel like I’d been a part of the community my entire life. There were no strangers. There was no hiding. I could be myself the entire time. And as I shared my story with others, as I shared my hopes for what the Church could be, and what I hoped to do to help make the Church safer for the LGBTQ community to engage with, I had so many people tell me they shared the same hope. They affirmed my aspirations and suddenly, my dreams felt less like fantasy and more like a roadmap that God laid out in my heart. And that was a first.

After the first session I went to, I met my friend Sarah, to whom I basically said, “You have to be friends with me.” Et voila, we text just about every other day. She said in her session that there is “a gospel message that only you can preach. And there are people in this world who can only hear a gospel from your lips.” It was like the Holy Ghost shook me and set a fire off in me to not wait around for anyone to give me permission. I was already empowered by God to be a preacher, a pastor, a revolutionary.

When we hung out later that evening under the beer tent, it was Sarah who told me that the work I was doing was important. “It’s like you’re living a tiny revolution!” That one conversation lead me to start my podcast and my youtube channel to talk about faith and sexuality, and how nothing can separate us from the love of God.

And my friends! That was just the first year.

The following year I gave a talk of my own. I hung out with the Wild Goose Youth we engaged in hard topics around self-image and social media. I worshiped under a tent with even more beautiful strangers. I prayed over people who hadn’t had a good word spoken over them in so long. I dreamed bigger and loved harder.

The Wild Goose Festival is not a perfect space, from one year to the next, I see improvement. And I keep coming back because there are folks genuinely trying to listen to the voice of God and grow to be more inclusive and more creative.

So! That’s just some of the many reasons I’m coming back this year. Will I see you there?

Kevin Garcia (he/they) is a speaker, creative, musician, content creator and worship artist based in Atlanta, GA. He graduated from Christopher Newport University in 2013 with a BM in Music Education and has been everything from a barista to a corporate office worker to a non-profit professional since then. After coming out in the fall of 2015 as a gay Christian, Kevin has reached thousands of individuals across the globe with his blog, theKevinGarcia.com, his podcast, “A Tiny Revolution,” on his YouTube channel where he unpacks theology and addresses life as a queer person of faith, and through speaking engagements at churches, universities, and festivals. Kevin also works with The Reformation Project, an LGBTQ direction action organization with a mission to make the global church more inclusive for queer people. He is presently a candidate for a Masters of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, GA. He believes that by telling our stories, we set others free to tell theirs. In addition to LGBTQ advocacy, Kevin’s passions include vocal jazz, tacos, and really horrible dad jokes.

Want to tell your own story? It’s simple!

If you’ve got a story to share, write it up in a blog format between 500-750 words, and then send your #WildGooseStories to [email protected]. We’ll get back to you and share it with the whole community!

April 19, 2018

Love1

RV & Glamping Sites Open for 2018

By Rick MeredithGoose News5 Comments

Want to come to the Goose but tent camping’s not really your thing? RV sites are now available, but hurry, we have limited availability. We have some RV parking with full hookups (power, water, sewer, electrical) and we have RV parking without full hookups. But if you still want power in the No Hook Up lot, no problem! Simply add a generator to your RV ticket, pick the size you need, and we’ll have it waiting for you when you arrive at the festival.

Or maybe Glamping is more your style. This year you have a choice! The Wild Goose Festival is excited to announce we’ve added a new glamping site to the festival map for this year. You now have the choice between City Glamping and Country Glamping.

City Glamping is right in middle of all of the action. It’s in the same location as the last year – straddling the heartbeat of the Wild Goose hustle and bustle. It’s like a downtown Wild Goose neighborhood.

Country Glamping is close and convenient. It’s a little quieter, and just across the street in the Rockery of the Hot Springs Resort and Spa. You’ll enjoy a picturesque surrounding and wake to the sound of a babbling brook right out your front door – all while still being a conveniently short walk from the heart of the festival! It’s very close (it’s on the spa site), convenient, and beautiful – a tempting combination. It’s a Wild Goose first and we think it’ll be a Wild Goose favorite.

And if your church or community group plans to head to the Goose together, you could qualify for special discounted tickets. Check out the rates below and email Vanna for your group discount code.

TICKETS

Group of 10+
Adult – $169.00
Senior 65+ – $149.00
Student – $99.00
Youth 13-17 – $49.00
Children 0-12 – Free

April 6, 2018

Love0

Wild Goose Winter Pricing Ends Tonight, March 19

By Rick MeredithGoose NewsNo Comments

Today’s the last chance for Wild Goose winter ticket pricing! It ends tonight, March 19, at Midnight Pacific Daylight Time.

With a lineup including Amy Grant, Jacqui Lewis, Barbara Brown Taylor, John Pavlovitz, Ruby Sales, Jen Hatmaker, Otis Moss III (along with the Trinity UCC choir), Brian McLaren, The Red Dirt Boys (Emmylou Harris’ band with Phil Madeira and the Barber twins on horns) – and many more Wild Goose favorites to come – it’s a year not to be missed!

March 19, 2018

Love1

Ruby Sales, Jen Hatmaker, Otis Moss III, Brian McLaren, and The Red Dirt Boys

By Rick Meredith2018 FestivalNo Comments

What happens when you add Ruby Sales, Jen Hatmaker, Otis Moss III (along with the Trinity UCC choir), Brian McLaren, and the Red Dirt Boys (Emmylou Harris’ band with Phil Madeira and the Barber twins on horns) to Amy Grant, Jacqui Lewis, Barbara Brown Taylor, and John Pavlovitz? Well, you get to decide – but it’s going to be special, it’s going to be the 2018 Wild Goose! We’ll see you by the river!

Ruby Sales

Perhaps no one is more rooted in history, engaged in the present, and leaning more intentionally into the future than Ruby Sales.

Ruby is a public theologian, historian, activist, social critic, and educator. She answered the call to social justice as a teenager at Tuskegee Institute as a member of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and worked on voter registration in Lowndes County, AL. She looks at her work as a calling not a career.

She received a B.A. degree from Manhattanville College, attended graduate school at Princeton University, and received a Masters of Divinity degree as an Absalom Jones Scholar from the Episcopal Divinity School. While there, she developed a reputation as a preacher and preaches often at churches and cathedrals around the nation.

She founded, and still directs, the SpiritHouse Project, a national nonprofit organization.

Her work as a social justice activist is cited in books, journal articles, and films including Taylor Branch’s At Canaan’s Edge: America in the King Years 1965-68; Broken Ground: A Film on Race Relations in the South; Dan Rather’s American Dream Segment; and the newly released, Blood Brother: Jonathan Daniels and His Sacrifice for Civil Rights (Rich Wallce and Sandra Neil Wallace).

She is a co-founder of SAGE Magazine: A Scholarly Journal on Black Women, has appeared on On Being with Krista Tippett, and is a frequent guest on Sirius XM Radio’s Inside the Issues. Her writing has been published in many journals, newspapers, and magazines and she has received numerous awards and honors.

An oral history of Sales is housed at the Library of Congress and she was selected as one of fifty African Americans from the Civil Rights Movement to be spotlighted.

http://www.spirithouseproject.org/; https://onbeing.org/programs/ruby-sales-where-does-it-hurt-aug2017/

Jen Hatmaker

It’s easy to say Jen Hatmaker is a widely read and enthusiastically followed author (New York Times bestseller), speaker, blogger, and television presenter (My Big Family Renovation).

These things are easy to say and they’re also true – and it’s also true that Jen Hatmaker is one of the most courageous faith leaders in the world today. Jen took a stand and she keeps standing and speaking, and every time she stands in the crosshairs of thousands – yet she still stands and she still speaks.

In April of 2016, with a huge Evangelical following, Jen called for the full inclusion of LGBT people into the Christian community, calling same sex relationships holy in the eyes of God. She reiterated her position in October 2016, and as a result, LifeWay Christian Resources, the Baptist Bookstore organization, among other retailers discontinued selling her books.

Since the 2016 presidential election, she regularly makes public statements critical of Donald Trump and challenging evangelical Christian attitudes towards LBGT people. She has been featured for an alternative Christian perspective in The Atlantic, TIME Magazine, Politico, Washington Post, RNS, and Relevant Magazine. http://jenhatmaker.com/

Otis Moss III

Otis Moss III is a great preacher – some say he’s the greatest preacher alive today – he’s also a great “practicer.” As part of his community engagement through Trinity United Church of Christ, he led the team that came up with the “My Life Matters” curriculum, which includes the viral video, “Get Home Safely: 10 Rules of Survival” created in the aftermath of Michael Brown’s death at the hands of Ferguson, MO police.

Moss is part of a new generation of ministers committed to preaching a prophetic message of love and justice, which he believes are inseparable companions that form the foundation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Civil rights advocacy in his DNA and he’s built his ministry on community advancement and social justice activism. As Senior Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, IL, Otis Moss III has spent the last two decades practicing and preaching a Black theology that unapologetically calls attention to the problems of mass incarceration, environmental justice, and economic inequality. https://trinitychicago.org/rev-dr-otis-moss-iii/

Brian McLaren

Brian McLaren writes the books that are the bridge of faith recovery for thousands upon thousands of people. His clarity is unparalleled and his generous spirit manages somehow to both calm and confront.

As an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian, this former college English teacher and pastor, is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good.

Notable among the many books are: A New Kind of Christian, which won Christianity Today’s “Award of Merit” in 2002; Everything Must Change tracing critical ways in which Jesus’ message confronts contemporary global crises; and We Make the Road by Walking, marking a turn toward constructive and practical theology. His 2016 release, The Great Spiritual Migration, has been called his most important work to date. https://brianmclaren.net/

The Red Dirt Boys with Phil Madeira

Red Dirt Boys, made up of Chris Donohue, Will Kimbrough, Bryan Owings, and Wild Goose favorite Phil Madeira is the name Emmylou Harris gave to her band. The street cred of this musical collection is tremendous. The Red Dirt Boys combined songwriting, band, and session credits are astounding, including Emmylou Harris, Tom Jones, Buddy Miller, Rodney Crowell, Taj mahal, The Phil Keaggy Band, Alison Krauss, Mat Kearney, Old Crow Medicine Show, Garth Brooks, Toby Keith, Keb’ Mo’, Amy Grant, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Civil Wars, Julie Miller, The Band Perry, Mavis Staples, and many more.

The Red Dirt Boys will be joined by the Wild Goose return of Roland Barber on trombone and Rashaan Barber on saxophone.

https://www.facebook.com/Red-Dirt-Boys-682981768560021/ http://philmadeira.net/home/

So let’s see, to recap, Wild Goose 2018 has already announced:

Amy Grant

Jacqui Lewis

Barbara Brown Taylor

John Pavlovitz

And now Wild Goose 2018 adds:

Jen Hatmaker

Otis Moss III (along with the Trinity UCC choir)

Brian McLaren

The Red Dirt Boys (Emmylou Harris’ band with Phil Madeira and the Barber twins on horns)

Group Tickets

Discounted tickets are available for groups of ten or more. Email Vanna for your special discount code.

Adult – $169.00

Senior 65+ – $149.00

Student – $99.00

Youth 13-17 – $49.00

Children 0-12 – Free

Post and re-post – share and talk – grab all your friends, pile up in a van, and head to the Goose! We have so much good Goose to come. Stay tuned for more announcements soon.

March 15, 2018

Love4

Open Call for 2019 Co-Creators

By Rick Meredith2018 Festival

It’s time again to let us know what YOU would like to do at Wild Goose!

The contributions of our “self-submits” each year are at the heart of what make the Goose a unique co-creation experience, surprising and unlike other “festivals.” This is a festival where people come together to make things, wonder and ponder and discuss, cross boundaries, fire up imaginations, undo expectations.

Think about how you can design experiences that engage rather than lecture, raise questions rather than shut them down. How could you tailor your work to involve your audience, making space for participation? How can you go outside normal boundaries to increase the level of interactivity? Push beyond the expected in ways that will actively involve your audience. See yourself as an instigator not a “presenter” and invite others into an experience of co-creation.

Note to musicians: A traditional performance is fine – we don’t expect you to change your performance into an interactive experience.

Because this festival is about the intersection of Spirit, Art, Music and Justice, we ask all our co-creators to consider how they can create integrated experiences – so you might, for example, want to look at justice through the lens of spirit and/or music, or at spirituality through the lens of art and/or justice. And in whatever you do, keep in mind the power of Story – it’s part of the Goose DNA: What are our shared narratives? How have they shaped us?

Stories bring us together, stories can change us – whether we’re telling them or hearing them. We believe stories can change the world. So we hope that you will let the power of story weave its way into any type of experience you bring to the Goose.

We’d like to also suggest that you keep these words in front of you as you craft your contribution: Lament. Welcome. Identity. Evolve. Revolution. Love. Freedom. Liberate. Resist. Believe. Converge.

What do these concepts say to you and how might you integrate any of them into your performance or presentation?

Entries will close at Midnight PST, Sunday, January 13 2019.

Dream the Dream that will Co-Create the world. Something so cool it’ll register on seismic meters – or at least will be fun or challenging or perhaps even a bit unsettling.

Click here for all the details and a form to enter the submission process:

Sorry, entries are closed for 2019!

September 14, 2018

Love12