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About Launceston Alive

THE LAUNCESTON ALIVE STORY

Easter celebrations have been happening for a long time. But here in Launceston something very significant began when people from numerous churches and organisations assembled in Royal Park on the Good Friday evenings of 2011 and 2012. From 6pm until after midnight, witnessing spectacular sunsets, people of all ages came together to worship and pray. Across diverse cultures the unity was palpable, the prayers ranged from the scrawled hopes of school children to pleas for wisdom for our leaders, the direction of our nation and the future of our world. A seed was planted that could only grow and grow and that is exactly what has happened.  As more people in our region have caught the vision for connectedness and cooperation, something very special has developed into Launceston Alive’s annual 5-day Easter celebration of kindness, hope, renewal and life.

2014: Emerge

The next major chapter involved preparation for Easter 2014. It was a remarkable adventure and privilege to see the festival emerge from just an idea to a prayer, then a vision, then a plan and finally to the vibrant colourful reality of the 2014 inaugural Launceston Easter Community Festival in City Park and the Albert Hall for Easter 2014. With the theme “Emerge” it was truly an emerging process, as people one by one caught the vision, saw the potential and took up opportunities to express their abilities and giftings in a magnificent array of creative ways, creating an extraordinarily diverse and harmonious smorgasbord of creative arts, music, dance, culture.

The cohesion we witnessed in the process of Emerge was profoundly heartwarming. From backgrounds as diverse as could be imagined, all sorts of differences melted into a fusion of friendship and harmony, as Northern Tasmanians congregated in unfolding unity in prayer, learning, and appreciating each others’ abilities and skills. As a spectacular butterfly emerges from its unglamorous infancy then long and unexciting metamorphosis, so for us Easter 2014 provided a special opportunity to put the past behind us and break the confining, stifling cocoon to emerge into a healthier, kinder, more generous, caring, sustainable and cohesive future.

2015: Light

Celebrating Easter in 2015, the International Year of Light, logically involved a celebration of the wonders of light. How fitting and wonderful it was to have the privilege of Australia’s most highly renowned panographic photographer, Ken Duncan (OAM) exhibit his breath-taking images and audio-visuals and veteran astronomer, Professor Fred Watson who provided a unique view into how light operates in our galaxy and beyond, as well as international lawyer Professor Tim McCormack who talked on Lighting Up a Darkened World. Again it was a festival of art, music and thought and we celebrated the Light of the World

2016: Feeding the world – Body, Mind & Soul

Building on these experiences, the 2016 Launceston Easter Community Festival was entitled “Feeding the World – body, mind and soul.”

As we celebrated the Bread of Life, given freely for us as true and lasting nutrition for our whole being and community, we focused on Tasmania’s food production opportunities, remembering our responsibility to feed our bodies, minds and souls, to care for the poor and to help believers think and thinkers to believe. Special guests included Roy Williams, one of Australia’s emerging public intellectuals who provided a rational, passionate defence of Christian belief and astrophysicist Jeff Zweerink who helps people bridge the perceived science-faith gap as he encourages all to consider the truth of the Bible and how it connects with the evidence of science for intentional design.

2017: Just in Time

Themed Just in time, with endorsements from Prime Minister, Premier and Mayor and special guests Melissa Lipsett, Karl Faase and Annie Garrett, this festival captured how quickly time passes, how constant change is; how rare it is to find something which remains the same; how central the truth of Easter is to history and profoundly relevant to our time.  Just in Time was an intelligent celebration of the pivotal event in world history.  As Aussies respect “a fair go”, Jesus’ words and actions for justice profoundly transformed our world.  The New Testament is studded with calls to justice, though most translations say “righteousness” causing many to miss the point.

 

 

 Like in Jesus’ day, some who think of themselves as most righteous are most guilty of injustice. And visa versa.  Just in Time helped our region, state & nation move a step closer to true Justice in our Time.

     2018: Courageous Community Service     & Sounds of Peace

Launceston Alive held two major festivals in 2018.  The Easter Community Festival entitled Courageous Community Service celebrated true courage, remembering what community service really means and how Jesus perfectly exemplified unselfish courage in his life and death of public service.  On November 11th, the Centenary of the Armistice which ended World War 1, Launceston Alive’s public celebration Sounds of Peace brought churches and community leaders & members together in a wonderfully diverse multi-cultural festival of Peace.  While celebrating sacrifice made for others, Launceston remembered the futility of violent conflict and the power of love, forgiveness and kindness.  See our past events page for more details. 

     2019: Champion of Champions

Nothing illustrates true championship more than Easter and no-one has demonstrated higher Championship than Jesus Christ, whose unique life and death are more inspirational to champions in every field than any other human who has lived.  He ran the race no-one else could, carried a load no other individual or group could carry and paid a price for his wreath that no amount of focused and devoted training has ever amounted to.  Jesus holds the highest place as Champion of champions and has created a slip-stream in which all can follow, if they are willing.  That championship, applied to our businesses, service organisations, charities, industries, communities and associations, holds greater promise for transformation, than any other human contribution. 

 

The stage has been set.  The close of a decade and the dawn of a new one.  By God’s grace, Launceston Alive is poised to play a significant role as the 2020’s dawn. 

OUR PURPOSE