The Black Stump Festival was birthed out of the imagination of youth leaders involved in local Church based ministries with a heart for reaching young people from a wide variety of backgrounds with the life changing message of God’s love for all humanity, uniquely expressed in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Black Stump celebrates the work of God in Australia in its various expressions chiefly through teaching, music and arts. Black Stump’s primary focus is on young people and accepts participation of people from any age group. We attempt to build a diverse temporary community that finds its unity in the redeeming work of God through Jesus and in continuing the Mission of God through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
The Festival seeks to support and enhance the work of local Churches by providing principled teaching and experiences across a broad variety of disciplines. Black Stump is a gathering to create space to explore God and the following of Jesus through the leading of the Holy Spirit. We believe there are many expressions of this search and the journey of faith that is instigated by God that we might love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength and love others as we love ourselves. Black Stump attempts to create a safe place for these things to be explored, experienced and celebrated.
Black Stump gathers people from many traditions and expressions of Church and recognizes people are at many stages of their faith. We also recognize that different people will find different insights and expressions more helpful than others in their faith journey. Sensitivity, love and grace are important to us as we attempt to include the prophetic, evangelistic, worship, compassion, justice, pastoral and teaching ministries.
Respect is paramount to the life and expression of the Festival. This expression, celebration and contemplation is guided by the Bible and in the orthodoxy of the Church universal as expressed through the centuries in the Nicene Creed.
To nurture the mission of the local church by providing a high quality, inclusive, creative festival focused on youth and based around Music, Arts, Word and Action.
We see Black Stump as helping to develop young people as active, committed followers of Jesus, who in Christian community holistically impact the society around them.
Board of Directors: David Hogg (Chairman), Arthur Rickersy, Andrew Palmer, Rick Corderoy, Ashleigh Fischer, Rod Harding (Chaplain), Coordination Team Leader - TBA in 2012
The Festival is put together by a dedicated team of volunteers from all faith experiences and denominational backgrounds