Being a steward at TG25 is first and foremost about being part of a team and serving the delegates, of course it’s also about making sure the event runs smoothly and that all the facilities that delegates expect are up and running. You will work as part of a team in various venues across the site but also get some down time to attend some sessions and enjoy the weekend. All stewards need to camp on site during the event and be able to arrive no later than 6pm on Thursday 19th June* to register, meet the team leaders, cover site induction and briefings and get to know your team. This will be followed by a meal with the wider CVM team. You also need to be prepared to stay beyond delegate departures until at least 3pm on Sunday afternoon.
* We can make exceptions if you really can’t arrive until later Thursday or even until Friday morning so please don’t let this stop you applying however this can only be done if you contact us to discuss this beforehand.
There are five areas in which you can serve on the Stewarding Team: General, Traffic, Venue, Catering and Hospitality. Each team operates under Venue or Team Leaders with oversight from the Chief Steward and the Event Support Team. Further details on these teams are below.
The shifts you work will depend on which team you are in, but you will have some time off to yourself, to attend some of the sessions or activities each day. As part of your registration pack on site you will be given your shift times and locations for the weekend to enable you to plan your weekend, however as the event can be affected by many unknown factors, including the weather, this is just a guide and may change depending on demands of the weekend. During arrivals and departures, the Stewarding Team needs to respond to a whole range of demands and working hours can be expected to be slightly longer.
In return for this you get
Although this is very much a working holiday, we want to ensure you have opportunities for spiritual and emotional development/support whenever it is needed. To that end we will have Team Pastors who will be dedicated to the stewarding team. These guys will be available to chat with you confidentially about anything that is affecting you. Our team briefings will include a time of worship and prayer and we'll share communion together on Sunday morning. If you are a church or mission leader and would like to apply to be a Team Pastor alongside your other stewarding duties, you will have the opportunity to do this during the application process.
This team covers the whole site, including main venues, and involves assisting in any way to help things run smoothly. Shift will be throughout the day between 6am and around midnight. Stewards need to be polite, friendly and outgoing, good at communicating clearly, calm under pressure and able to be assertive if necessary.
All General Stewards work shifts and will rotate through the different shift times and venues. Different duties are covered on each shift, so this system gives everyone variety, as well as ensuring that duties are distributed.
You're likely to be involved in anything and everything from traffic direction, car park management, helping delegates move their kit from the car parks, checking wristbands, assisting with the unlimited tea and coffee, looking after inflatables or keeping venues running. You may also need to interface with the professional event teams we have on site supporting marquees, toilets, showers, water and waste. You will probably spend most of this time standing or walking – and you will be outside (whatever the weather), so warm clothing, waterproofs, and sturdy footwear are essential. You may also be needed to lift or move heavy equipment or resources - please tell us on your application if this is an issue for you.
This is a sub-team of our General Stewarding team that has a foucs on traffic management, particuarly on Friday and Sunday, but will also rotate through other duties. Shift will be throughout the day between 6am and around midnight.
As a task-orientated team, the ability to take direction and work under pressure is essential as are good communications skills. Training will be provided onsite, but experience in directing traffic and or the use of two-way radios would be beneficial. You will probably spend most of your time standing or walking and you will be outside whatever the weather, so warm clothing, waterproofs, and sturdy footwear are essential.
This team will be merged with General Stewarding if there is insufficient uptake in either team.
The Venue Teams are smaller teams than General Stewarding that support a specific venue (either Big Top or Mess Tent) once the site opens for delegates. In addition to the requirements of General Stewarding it’s helpful if you have stewarded for The Gathering at least once before; there is less requirement for lifting and moving heavy items on this team, but please tell us on your application if this is a problem for you. Due to the smaller size of these teams, applicants may be selected based on experience. Depending on applications we may allocate you to a General team alongside or instead of a venue team.
This team provides 3 meals a day for the stewarding and sports zone teams, production crew and contractors on site. Serving over 120 people per meal, this team involves early starts but also an earlier finish than other teams. You’ll be working in a covered temporary venue with commercial catering equipment under the management of a team leader.
You'll need to be prepared to work under pressure, be able to follow directions and work well as part of a team. You should have a recent (within the last 3 years at time of application) Level 2 Food Hygiene and Safety for Catering certificate, or equivalent or higher qualification, and be able to provide evidence of this. There may be a need for heavy lifting or moving as part of this team. This team has a requirement that you are onsite from midday Thursday at the latest (preferably 10am).
This team reports to the Catering Team Leader and ensures the venues and facilities used by those working at The Gathering are kept clean and supplied. The workload on this team is lighter than General Stewarding and as such is really aimed at those who want to offer their time but can't cope physically with the larger workload of General Stewarding. Like other teams, this team has shifts between 6am and midnight, however they will likely be shorter in duration than other teams.
Most of your work will be in covered venues but you should be prepared for all sorts of weather conditions, including being outside and have sturdy footwear. If this team is oversubscribed, you may be allocated to a Venue team instead.
For this team you'll need to be able to work independently and discreetly around senior team leaders and guests who are planning or relaxing before and after sessions
As with many events, stewarding at The Gathering evolves over time and each year we tweak our plans based on feedback from previous stewards and as we get closer to the event. Some of the details above may alter due to our plans changing after you've applied or circumstances beyond our control. If this happens, we're sorry - but please bear with us.
As a team volunteer, your conduct on site is expected to be consistent with CVM’s ethos and understanding of the teaching of the New Testament. Part of this is our adherence to the Edge Ministries basis of faith and in submitting your team application you are acknowledging your acceptance to do the same.
As part of your application we will be asking for details of a person that you are accountable to in your Christian journey to provide a reference, this could be your Church leader, a home group or ministry group leader or an accountability partner. This will include a request for a summary of your character, your ability to fulfil the position applied for, along with details of any circumstances that we should be made aware of (this includes details of convictions, criminal records and any unspent convictions; if applicable you may consider a "self-disclosure statement" appropriate) as we may have vunerable adults on team or as delegates. Your referee should not be a family member and should have known you for a minimum of 1 year. For 2025 we continue to take up references for all stewarding applicants - please ensure your referee is willing to complete a reference, even if they have completed one in the past year.
As part of your application you will be asked for your team preference, we will accommodate this request as far as possible however the resourcing requirements for the event may require us to change your assignment before or after your application has been processed.
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