#alwaysunited — latest update
An update on our plans and prayers for this summer
To all in our New Wine community,
During the changing landscape we’re all still navigating, we promised to keep you updated on our plans.
We announced the cancellation of our normal United gathering (for around 12,000 per week) at the East of England Showground back in November. Making and communicating that inevitable decision early has enabled us to focus on alternative ways of ensuring we’re still united in 2021.
United Online
Exciting plans are underway for our digital event, running from Thursday 29 July — Tuesday 3 August 2021 — which will include Arena, Impact, Kids, Luminosity (Youth) and Accessible Church (for people with additional needs and their families).
The speakers, themes and timetables will all be released in coming weeks and months, but here’s some of what we do know to help you plan your gatherings in homes, gardens and hopefully (please Lord!) church communities.
We’ll start with an Evening Celebration at around 7pm on the Thursday. From Friday — Tuesday there will be early morning (Rise) Bible teaching, morning and evening seminar streams and morning and evening celebrations. The Kids and Luminosity teams are planning at pace to bring their usual yet unique mix of challenges, fun, teaching, on-line community, Holy Spirit ministry and Jesus encounter.
Tickets
Thanks to the generosity and support of many of you donating your United 20 fees, as well as additional giving and the generosity of speakers and production teams, we were able to run last year’s online event, United Breaks Out, free of charge.
We would love to continue to offer free events and resources until the other side of the pandemic, and are exploring further fundraising opportunities — please do get in touch if you or someone you know is in a position to support us financially. But for the moment, to make sure New Wine is still here in 2022 and beyond, we need to cover the ongoing operating costs through chargeable activities.
Tickets for our digital event will go on sale in early April. The price for an adult ticket will be £75 per person. This will give you access to everything from both United Elements events, across all channels. Everything will remain online to view at your own pace until the end of August.
Managing costs
Please know we are keeping prices as low as we possibly can. We also believe it’s right to give kids and youth completely free access to our digital resources and events at this time (adults will have the option to apply for free access for any under 18s in their household at the time of purchase).
Doing this, means that we’ll make a significant loss of around £300-£500K in 2021. We’ll do our part to manage this by tightening our belts, stewarding well, and trying to raise additional money as we go forwards.
We realise there is an opportunity to share your digital access, and sincerely request that you honour the one ticket per adult condition. Your support is more important than ever as we continue to navigate this really challenging season. We will be encouraging you to access the digital event together in your churches — if restrictions allow at that point — and we’re hoping that the hundreds of Community Makers will be back to help us do this. But, again, we do need you to follow the one ticket per adult, regardless of where you’re accessing the event.
Financial support
We realise there are many people facing financial difficulty at this time. If you are receiving Universal Credit and would like to apply for a hardship discount on our event fees, please contact the New Wine Central office team — we’ll be happy to discuss the options available to you.
We’ve also applied a 20% discount (i.e. £60 UBO ticket price) to those that purchase a United Elements ticket (our Covid-secure reduced number physical gathering if we can proceed with this) and that discounted digital ticket already forms part of the United Elements adult ticket fee.
United physical gatherings
• United Elements 1: Saturday 24 — Wednesday 28 July
• United Elements 2: Thursday 29 July — Monday 2 August
Unlike the certainty we have over our digital event, we cannot be sure at this point whether our physical gatherings, United Elements, will be permittable or logistically possible.
We are continuing to make plans because the situation may be very different at the end of July, and there remains a small window when the various dependencies could change enough to enable a physical gathering of this size and nature to go ahead. We’re continuing to work with the East of England Showground, our medical team leaders, and several event industry advisors. We also continue to dialogue with other Christian events so that we are making wise decisions alongside them. However, much remains out of our control. Please pray for us as we weigh these decisions and discern the best route for New Wine to take for this summer.
Booking tickets and final decisions
All of those who had already booked for our original United A and B have been given the option for a refund or to transfer their tickets to United Elements or United 22 (we are honouring the original rates when booked). 25% of tickets for United Elements have already been sold through this route. Remaining tickets are now open for sale, on a first-come first-served basis.
We will make, and communicate, a firm decision on whether we can proceed with United Elements by 30 March. If United Elements can go ahead, we will do all possible to provide a Covid-safe environment. We and the East of England Showground will adhere to several safety measures and will ask you to abide by those as part of your ticket conditions.
There are several pieces of the puzzle that must all fit together to enable United Elements to proceed. Some are within our control; some are in the hands of national bodies and we’re monitoring them closely; and some are dependent on the New Wine family because we exist to serve you. We’re pressing ahead with plans, but if you would rather not gather in person this summer then our ticket sales may be too low to proceed, even if logistics and legislation make it possible. If you DO want to come to United Elements in person we’re asking that you book by deposit or full fees BEFORE mid-March rather than leave it any later (by which time we may have to cancel due to low ticket sales).
Ticket sales will help us know the level of interest and is a vital part of the puzzle as we make our decisions. There is no financial risk to you — if we cannot go ahead with United Elements we will offer all those that have booked a full refund (including the £10 administration fee) or the option to transfer tickets to a digital event or United 22 — both at reduced rates.
There is plenty that is impossible to predict with any level of certainty. Viability of in-person summer events, impacts of vaccination roll-out, ongoing social distancing etc are all variables that we cannot make concrete plans for 6 months in advance. We continue to pray, plan wisely and keep you informed and up to date. That said, we are making concrete plans for our online event and we look forward to uniting and gathering around that, even if we must lay our plans for United Elements down in the Spring.
In these times of uncertainty, we remain certain of our vision and call — to empower, support and equip you and your local church so that your community, and ultimately this nation, will see more of Christ’s kingdom released. We hope and pray that you will unite with us this summer, whether digitally or physically. Wherever we are, we know that God promises to meet with us as we gather in his name.
Please pray for our leadership as we continue to pursue the best for you and your churches for summer 2021. We continue to pray for you as well — that we all know Christ’s presence, strength, peace, and guidance as we walk these days next to him one step at a time.
With love
Jules Morgan, Executive Director
&
Paul Harcourt, National Leader
