Versions
There are currently three different versions of Communion on the Rocks: Heaven in the Ordinary, Rising Sun and Though We Are Many. The first two were written specifically for the Greenbelt Festivals in 2007 and 2008 respectively, but are not in any way specific to the festival, or even to a festival type event, and can be used unaltered in any church.
Whilst the three versions share stylistic similarities, and a couple of common songs along the way, all use a different form of the liturgy and different music in creating similar but noticeably different atmospheres.
All utilise multimedia rather than including a spoken word sermon, and offer alternative forms of confession and intercession in keeping with the overall style of the event.
v1: Heaven In The Ordinary
Based on the theme from Greenbelt_07, focussed on the presence of God and reminders of heaven in the everyday things around us (and the fact that we ignore them for the most part), this version has changed somewhat since the festival, based on feedback and theREIGN’s own assessment of what was good and bad about the original.
These changes mostly consisted of additional music and a move away from non-music backed liturgy, except where this lack of music could be used to create emphasis for the words being used.
Debut
Greenbelt 2007 – Saturday 25 August 2007, 00:15
Other “Heaven In The Ordinary” Events
Victoria Dock Church, Hull – Sunday 3 February 2008, 19:30
St Barnabas Chuch, Swanland – Sunday 30 March 2008, 18:30
St Aidan’s Church, Hull – Sunday 20 April 2008, 18:30
Holy Trinity Church, Barrow Upon Humber – Sunday 8 February 2009, 18:30
Future “Heaven In The Ordinary” Events
None
Examples of Music Used
Fleetwood Mac – The Chain
Nirvana – Smells Like Teen Spirit
Matt Redman – Blessed Be Your Name
Delirious – Miracle Maker
theREIGN – House Of Worship
v2: Rising Sun
Based on the Greenbelt_08 theme, focussed on the notion of things becoming more clear as the sun rises and you see them in all their glory … including God’s work in the world around us, this version is fundamentally unchanged since its debut at the festival as the whole thing fell into place and worked the first time out, thanks to the lessons learnt in 2007.
Debut
Victoria Dock Church – Sunday 3 August 2008, 19:30
Other “Rising Sun” Events
Greenbelt 2008 – Friday 22 August 2008, 22:00
Holy Trinity Church, Barrow Upon Humber – Sunday 28 September 2008, 18:30
St Barnabas Church, Swanland – Sunday 22 February 2009, 18:30
St Peter’s Church, Hutton Cranswick – Thursday 26 February 2009, 18:30
Victoria Dock Church, Hull – Sunday 1 March 2009, 18:30
St Martin’s Church, Seamer – Sunday 8 March 2009, 18:30
St Aidan’s Church, Hull (Minister’s Showcase) – Thursday 7 May 2009, 19:00
All Saints Church, Driffield – Sunday 29 November 2009, 18:30
Future “Rising Sun” Events
St John’s Church, Bransholme – Sunday 11 April 2010, 19:00
Examples of Music Used
Blur – Song 2
Guns ‘n’ Roses – Sweet Child Of Mine
Hillsongs – Mighty To Save
Robin Mark – Revival
theREIGN – Charcoal Skies
v3: Though We Are Many
Version 3 of the Rock Eucharist event has been put together through Summer 2009. With confirmation that Greenbelt would be resting the RE this year, we decided to go with our own theme, and selected “Though We Are Many”.
Clearly this line is stolen from the standard liturgy of the Communion service, but it has wider implications for us as a church, working together for God’s Kingdom and as a race, working together for the betterment of the world and all of mankind, and the event draws all three of these elements together to create one coherent and thought-provoking package.
Debut
St John’s Church, Bransholme – Monday 19 October 2009, 20:00
Other “Though We Are Many” Events
St Peter’s Church, Hutton – Thursday 22 October 2009, 18:30
St Mary’s Church, Scarborough – Sunday 25 October 2009, 19:00
St Mary’s Church, Tadcaster – Sunday 8 November 2009, 18:00
Holy Trinity Church, Barrow Upon Humber – Sunday 15 November 2009, 18:30
St Peter’s Church, Hutton – Thursday 25 February 2010, 18:30
St Barnabas’ Church, Swanland – Sunday 28 February 2010, 19:00
Future “Though We Are Many” Events
St Mark’s Church, Scarborough – Sunday 7 March 2010, 19:00
Holy Trinity Church, Leven – Sunday 28 March 2010, 18:30
Examples of Music Used
U2 – Pride (In The Name Of Love)
The Dandy Warhols – Bohemian Like You
Tim Hughes – Happy Day
Delirious – Did You Feel The Mountains Tremble?
theREIGN – We Are One
Other Future Events (version TBC)
Holy Trinity Church, Barrow Upon Humber – Sunday 21 November 2010, 18:00