2026 Conference

Do you struggle with the amount of suffering in the world?  This includes both the moral evil caused by humans and natural disasters.  Does the suffering we see and experience ourselves sometimes feel both unfair and excessive?  Does it make us question God: His character and His plan, both for us as individuals and for humankind on this planet?  Do we have problems trying to match up the God that we see in the New Testament as opposed to the Old?  This workshop will establish that these are all natural and important questions, to which we need to find some answers, and which should ultimately strengthen our faith rather than damage it

Following ten years at University, Stuart has spent his working life advising the Pharmaceutical Industry and Ministries of Health on Medicines Regulations while also having a teaching role in academia. He has been involved in several charities including CRUSE & Meal A Day, has trained as a counsellor and is a member of Horley Christadelphian Church. 

A time to contemplate and recharge. We’ll spend the session learning about the benefits of meditation and trying different forms: all within a Christian context. Our time will be interspersed with gentle movement and a calming yoga session.

Please bring a yoga mat if you have one, (there will be a couple spare if you don’t), and wear comfortable clothing you can stretch in. Comfortable outdoor shoes would also be of benefit, as if the weather is suitable, we’ll venture outside for a short while.

Rose lives in Chesterfield, close to the beautiful Peak District in the UK. I have a love for plants, flowers and gardening. I get to play in other people’s gardens and people even give me money to do so! 

I have a passion to see people grow and flourish just as gardens do. I believe church should be an inclusive and diverse place, encouraging all to be their full and courageous selves. My interest in psychology and psychotherapy plays a part in enabling such growth in myself and others. 

Sometimes I get to explore my creative side with materials such as wool, clay, wood, fabric, and words. Other times I might fight dragons, solve puzzles or search for shiny things in video games. My ecclesial home is Dronfield, UK

Sometimes, people (particularly young people) feel forced to choose between accepting a literal view of creation and trusting in the reliability of scientific evidence.  It can be a life-changing decision. 

Within our community, there are many views about the way to understand Genesis and Creation.   Yet we continue to learn more about genetics and the evolution of life, about the geological and climatic events which have shaped the Earth, and the cultural environments in which God’s people lived and received his revelation. In this workshop we shall begin with an overview of Genesis 1 and a discussion of ideas about Genesis 1-12, including a consideration of the relationship of the Lord Jesus to Creation. We shall consider other issues which we encounter and share ideas about resources, to help us build a robust, consistent and scriptural view.

During Malcolm’s study in Biochemistry and a career in Science teaching, he frequently considered the relationship between his trust in the Creator and scientific ideas.  He is active in the Life at Maidenhead Church.

We shall explore the significance of ‘Lines’, in our personal, spiritual and church lives: the positive and negative, the conscious and unconscious.  Do they help us by setting useful boundaries, or do they limit us by making us accept constraints and accepted norms?  And can they simply be optical illusions and human inventions?

Participants will develop an awareness of the significance of Lines in many parts of our lives; examine our own relationship with Lines; prepare to consider other approaches or attitudes to Lines; and look to the Lord Jesus as The Way and The Direct Line.

Steve retired in 2018 after nearly forty years working in Further Education colleges. His final job title was Director of Aliens (Admissions, Library, International Students, Enrichment and the Nursery). As a former librarian he loves reading widely, setting and participating in quiz nights, and still aspires to be a writer. Steve has one wife, Sue, two children, three grandchildren, and four eyes. He has been a member of Worthing Christadelphians for decades.

Perception is reality, so the saying goes. What we believe isn’t necessarily true. 

We’re told we live in a post-truth era – a time when people are “more likely to accept an argument based on their emotions and beliefs, rather than one based on facts”. But does something have to be factually correct to be true? Is that how we should define truth? More importantly, what do we do with truth? If it’s for shaping our values and our way of living, should it be based simply on fact (what is known) or on lived experience (what is felt)? This is about taking an objective look at what shapes our realities, recognising our susceptibility to clouded judgement, and drawing on the enduring value of the Bible as a source of ultimate truth

As a parent of two teenagers, I see how easily perceptions become realities in impressionable minds. And then I remember that minds will always be impressionable, regardless of age. I work in branding, which is all about making people think a certain way about something (so that they’ll buy it, or at least, buy into it). 

I sometimes teach the seniors at Winton Sunday School (I use the word ‘teach’ loosely). We want to equip them with the life-skills to confidently question what you might believe to be ‘true’ – in whatever context. I’d like to be better at that myself. I tend to “lean on my own understanding” (despite knowing it’s invariably unreliable) because it feels easier than the first part of Proverbs 3:5 – even though I’ve yet to find a better way of navigating life.

We have been promised a future beyond imagining – but perhaps, even now, we can begin to glimpse it, and, as with music, to get a feel for something that words are inadequate to describe.

By reviewing the hints and descriptions in Bible verses, and drawing on our own life experiences, we can raise our expectations (and maybe rethink some of them?), as we eagerly wait, by God’s grace, ‘to be changed’.

Phil retired 16 years ago from the ABRSM but music continues to be a very important part of his (and Angela’s) life. At 79 he is doing his best to come to terms with the Third Age and taking stock, not least of the miscellaneous possessions which have sneaked up on him/us over the decades and are becoming something of a burden. We are blessed to have happy family times, we are surrounded by memories of our years in Africa, and we enjoy and appreciate involvement at Winton and at Fair Haven Care Home. 

In this wide-ranging, open and participatory session, we shall look at the questions no-one wants to tackle.  Why aren’t my children as enthusiastic about religion as I am? – what did I do wrong?  Why don’t we all just get on in church?  Why don’t we make the same reasonable adjustments for mental health and neurodiversity, as we do with physical health? Why are we all so different?We will be dipping into some insights from psychology. We will explore what an inclusive environment could look like and challenge ourselves to adopt some of these ideas.  We may not nail all the answers, but come along with your own thoughts and questions!

Kate is an Art Psychotherapist and EMDR practitioner, she works with families who have adopted children, traumatised adults and secure settings in the NHS. Kate’s work involves working with internal structures to help children and adults alleviate the suffering which originate from disturbing life experiences.  Looking at mental health and the Bible, sensitively, is core to her approach.  

She enjoys looking at scripture from a current research standpoint and then applying this to characters and situations which we think we know. She is intrigued by what motivates us and how our life experiences effect how we relate to God and others. Kate is a Mum to two and a Gran to two.  She belongs to Jarvis Avenue Church, Nottingham

Navigating young adulthood has always been a complex experience, though the challenges facing today’s generation can feel especially unfamiliar to those from other age groups. Many young people are growing up in a fast-changing world, shaped by new ideas, technologies, and social pressures that can be difficult to understand fully from the outside.

This session is designed for anyone who interacts with or supports young adults—parents, mentors, educators, or community members. Rather than focusing on giving advice or imposing solutions, the workshop will begin by exploring the issues, concerns, and perspectives that shape young people’s lives today. From there, we’ll discuss practical ways to connect with and support them more effectively.

Trigger warning: This session may include discussion of sensitive topics such as mental health, social pressures, and challenging life experiences faced by young people.

Chris trained as a social worker and has an MA in Therapeutic Childcare. He has worked with children who have survived abuse and their families and with children who live either in foster care or children’s homes. He recently retired from a role providing advice and guidance to providers of residential childcare. For this workshop, Chris will draw on his professional practice, his own experience of being a dad and on research in the field.

Helen is a teacher and has worked at a number of inner city secondary schools in London. She continues to work with young people of all ages and is currently teaching English in Berkshire. For this workshop she will draw on her experiences and learnings as an educator and strategist, as well as a parent.

Someone in your close family has not “accepted Jesus” in the normal templated pattern. They have drifted away from belief or you may even have suffered the searing loss of a child, who was simply too young to make an adult commitment. Will they be saved? We will look at the Biblical basis of how God saves. Does God’s salvation stretch beyond the rigid templates we have created, albeit sincerely? We will discuss ways in which such salvation might work, and examine the concept of how God chooses, which may also generate suggestions for those who are carrying these burdens.

I feel that my reflections around this study have recently been liberated.  Ann and I lost our son when he was just six.  Perhaps, this has been a factor in God’s development of the thinking about this subject. I am looking forward to sharing these thoughts with you. I am a member of Tamworth Church

Forgiveness is a core principle of the gospel. We will explore our understanding of Biblical forgiveness and learn practical lessons on the spiritual and mental health benefits of developing a forgiving mindset. We’ll explore tough questions about forgiveness too – such as, is it possible to forgive someone who has not expressed repentance? Is forgiving someone acquiescing to their bad behaviour? We’ll also give participants opportunities to share personal stories of challenges they have had forgiving, and why

Duncan lives on Vancouver Island, BC Canada. He is a director of Williamsburg Christadelphian Foundation (WCF) focusing on Touch 2 Teach projects – providing practical and spiritual resources together for needy folks around the world. Duncan enjoys fishing (especially salmon), playing guitar and going for walks with his wife, Gillian. His favourite Bible book used to be Hebrews but now it is Romans.

God is the ultimate creator and artist.  He has made stunningly beautiful things, an awesome planet and universe with its intricate designs, form, textures and colour.

Art has ever been a way to give God praise and appreciation.

Whether you already find delight and mindfulness in watercolour and just need to refresh your skills, or you are a complete beginner and would like to give it a try, this session will show you basic skills and various techniques to depict the six days of creation. It’s a wonderful way of being in the moment and enjoying fellowship together.Art materials will be provided, but if you already have your own painting equipment please bring them along.

Marian (Ware ecclesia) is a retired RSPB Teacher Naturalist and former primary school Learning Support Assistant.  A wife, mum to three and Nanny to four, she is a self-taught artist and digital photographer of natural things which convey form and colour and the beauty of God’s creation.  Her Facebook posts of images from her walks and holidays in the UK bring God’s creation to the restful delight of many.

Faith, doubt, joy, anger, loneliness, revenge, depression.  The deep and varied poetry of the book of Psalms sits alongside the more logical prose that makes up so much of the rest of the Bible.  It gives voice to the innermost feelings of multiple authors, writing over several hundred years.  

To start, we shall unpick the book to see how it actually works: its themes, structures and how the Jews themselves use it.  Then, we shall look at specific Psalms, diving deeper into how prayer works, how it  shaped the poetry of this book and how it can help us too.  

Jim is notably ill-equipped to talk about Psalms.  Despite having a degree in English Literature, he struggles with poetry in general and Psalms in particular – he is a confirmed prose enthusiast.  So, join him on his discovery of this much loved and much misunderstood book.  He is a member of the hopelessly poetry-loving Guildford Christadelphian Church

Jesus modelled how important prayer is to his followers by the way he lived, yet how many of us feel like we can’t live life without prayer? Is prayer integral to our discipleship?

From a recent survey, 95% of over 160 participants feel prayer is essential, but one in three are unsure how to go about it. This workshop aims to offer ideas and inspiration to tackle the main challenges people identified. 

We will look at how to use structure, mitigate distractions and find time within our busy lives whilst exploring thoughts on the Lord’s prayer.

Helen and Miranda share a passion for prayer. Not that it makes us experts or that we’re pretending our prayer lives are amazing!  Yet, we have been blessed with a journey we’ve been able to walk on together with God and learn more about the blessings a deeper life of prayer can bring. Having read widely on the subject of prayer, we have discovered that it is a universally challenging topic and one that rarely gets talked about within our community.  We both live in Worcester with our (slightly crazy) families and love belonging to our new(ish) ecclesia in Droitwich.

How should we understand the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in light of Bible teaching, the promises to Abraham, the messages of the prophets, the teaching of Jesus, and the understandings of the Early Church? We will provide some historical perspectives on how these issues have been understood, especially in our Christadelphian community. Participants will be invited to share their experiences of Israelis and Palestinians. We will examine relevant Biblical passages, but this is a subject that could take weeks, so handouts will offer suggestions for further study and examination

Averil and Ian are retired schoolteachers. Averil taught general subjects in primary school, Ian taught Latin and Greek, and both also taught Religious Education. Averil enjoys gardening, jigsaws, reading, and doing historical and Biblical research. Ian enjoys reading, photography, history, and researching and writing about Greek inscriptions. They like travel and archaeology. Both are involved in helping refugees and victims of war and injustice. They have two daughters and five grandchildren and appreciate spending time in family activities.  Over the years, they have run workshops on many topics, seeking to encourage careful Biblical analysis along with spiritual application of Biblical principles. They are happy to be members of Edinburgh Ecclesia.

To ensure that everyone feels safe and included in our churches, it’s important we have an understanding of neurodiversity. This workshop provides an introduction to the topic, with a focus on dyslexia, ADHD and autism. We’ll consider the challenges and strengths associated with being neurodivergent, some potential impacts on faith, and how individuals and churches can provide support. There will be a mixture of presentation and interactive formats. A key aim is to model neuro-affirming practices, so you’ll be free to choose your own level of participation, and there’ll be opportunities to move around and fidget. This workshop is geared towards beginners, but anyone with experience and insights is also welcome.

I have been surrounded by neurodivergent friends and relations throughout my life, including my Dad, my husband and my 3 children. I have recently become convinced that I’m autistic myself.

For over 25 years I have had the pleasure of teaching many neurodivergent children and adults in my work as a music teacher.

I’ve been passionate about inclusivity in our community for as long as I can remember. I have written two articles on dyslexia for The Christadelphian, and one on ‘The inclusive ecclesia’ for Faith Alive. I’ve also recorded a few podcasts, including one about my experiences of spiritual isolation as a parent of young children. Since 2020, I have been editor of The Word, the CSSU magazine for age 11+.

Singing and worship are baked into Hoddesdon’s DNA, both at the Conference itself and in the numerous song books that have been published over the years. This session will be focused on singing together as a choir. Come along and be ready to take part and to prepare to deliver a song or two at the praise session on Saturday evening. You don’t need to be a professional or to have operatic vocal chords – just a willingness to throw yourself into it!

James M has been singing (not necessarily in tune!) since he was a nipper and was a member of Nairobi youth choir and various choirs throughout his school days before singing in choirs as an adult including, currently, the Oxford Bach choir. All of which preamble is to say that singing is a wonderful, God-given blessing, that all of us are capable of and can enjoy and which the church is called to do as part of its worship. I am fortunate to be a member of Oxford meeting

James R, well he just muddles along!

Our understanding of the early churches often begins and ends with what we read in the New Testament. This will take the story forward into the 2nd to 4th centuries CE, when the New Testament texts are multiple and diverse.  It was not clear in a post-apostolic age where authority lay; church leaders were wrestling with issues of interpretation and practice that have had long-term effects on our understanding of the message of Christ and the apostles.  We ask the question, was gospel truth compromised, or preserved? 

With a degree in Medieval and Modern History, I trained as an archivist at the Bodleian Library, Oxford, and worked for 35 years as a curator of county collections of manuscripts (10th-20th centuries).  This gave me a passion for interpreting the source materials of history, and since retirement I am enjoying applying my love of history and manuscripts to biblical studies.  I am a member of Newbury ecclesia

As usual, there will be an option on the Saturday afternoon to chill and “declutter” and go for a guided walk through the countryside.