Young adults can be an elusive bunch.

They do what they want, when they want.

And they tend to turn up to things at the last moment – or not at all.

Who would be crazy enough to attempt to beat the odds and run an event aimed specifically at these strange beasts?

Call it a miracle, but last weekend over 250 young adults attended the Festival of Salt and Light, which was held on a farm in Gore Bay, just out of Cheviot in North Canterbury.

This is the second year the festival has been run. It’s organized in a partnership between the Anglican Diocese of Christchurch and Canterbury Youth Services, but with attendees from over 35 churches of various denominational persuasions, or of no church connection at all.

Setting up the festival is no small feat. It took a team of 6 people living on site for three days, plus a small army of daily volunteers to set it up beforehand – transforming the coastal farm into a wonderland of outdoor libraries with lamp shades, coffee carts, a prayer labyrinth and even a teepee, supplied by a local vicar, left over from his hippy days.

“The idea behind the festival,” says organiser Spanky Moore, “was to create a space at the beginning of the year for young adults to gather away from the noise of traffic and twitter, and to give them the space to discern what God might want them to do with their lives in 2013.

“It was kind of exciting, too, to discover that a fair few of those who came along didn’t belong to any church.”

Obviously, the festival format connected with some of those who have fallen between the ecclesial gaps, or have moved town and haven’t fallen in with a faith community yet. And it became a great place to find a church home.

So what happened at the festival?

Over the weekend a platter of odd things happened in unexpected places – with plenty of room given for general lazing and socializing. 

The lineup included a great lineup of guest speakers, including the Dean of St John’s College, Dr Helen-Ann Hartley, and Rev Darryl Gardiner, as well as workshops on, for example, how to choose a job that honours God and Christian meditation.

Last weekend was Joel Balmer’s first time at the Festival of Salt and Light – and he gave it the thumbs-up:

“The sense of realness and lack of pretention created this sense of profound openness and vulnerability. I found Darryl Gardiner’s stuff really helpful for the questions I’ve been asking in my own faith.”

Come Sunday afternoon, after the closing Eucharist, the pilgrims packed their bags and tents, wished each other farewell and swapped cell phone numbers, and headed home to the luxuries of flushing toilets and wifi.

It seems that a little bit of Wilderness every now and then really can do a lot of good. 

For more photos...

The Rev Spanky Moore does ministry development work with young adults for the Diocese of Christchurch. He's also one of the driving forces behind the Society of Salt and Light.

Check out their Facebook page here - and view further excellent photos of the weekend's events, taken by Brad and Claudia Woods, here.