2025 Conference

Have you ever read the words “Examine yourselves”, or “Let your light shine”, or even “Love your neighbour as yourself” and been unsure what loving yourself looks like? Or who or what your light or self is? We’ll spend some time seeking how to bring our whole, authentic selves to God and each other. We’ll do that by examining what we are, who we are, and who we want to be. By the end of the session, we hope to have gained better insight into ourselves and our values, and to have the tools to help us grow in the future. 

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

For a long time I didn’t know what to do with Genesis. The Eden account seemed irreconcilable with multiple branches of physical evidence. However, with one (small?) shift in interpretation, all incompatibilities can be resolved. The shift? That Adam was not the first Homo Sapiens, but the first to be called into a tribal covenant relationship with God. This impacts how we understand the text around the formation of Adam and Eve, the garden, and so on, but surprisingly, very little of our theology is affected by this shift. And Genesis has become exciting again! 

John likes to ask questions — of himself and others. He seeks to discover insight and meaning. And he is not shy to push the boundaries of possibility. His passion in studying the scriptures always orients towards the practical essence of Christ’s message. Professionally, John is a scientist entrepreneur, but he is a homebody and family man at his core. His favourite part of the week is playing with his grandkids, but he also enjoys rowing his scull, playing his 5-string bass, and sipping the occasional single malt. 

This workshop looks at boundaries from the perspective of treating ourselves and others with respect and dignity. For some of us, maintaining boundaries can feel very unloving and un-Christlike, and many of us live with muddled versions of boundaries that don’t work and which leave us feeling exhausted and resentful. We will talk about the importance of boundaries, how to create and maintain some of our own, and bust some of the common myths that people hold around boundaries. We will use Galatians 6, and Boundaries by Cloud & Townsend as reference materials. Be prepared for an interactive workshop! 

I have spent the last 14 years working on creating and maintaining boundaries – with myself and with others – in a way that has left me with more energy, and super-helpful clarity on where 

I end and others begin. I now describe myself as a “Recovering People Pleaser”. Now that I have a better understanding on boundaries, I see their use throughout Scripture, and especially by my prime example of all things behaviourally spiritual, Jesus Christ. 

A relationship with God is fundamental to our spiritual life, yet many find this challenging, seeing that he is Almighty, Omniscient and Omnipotent while we are finite and human. It was thought once that there is only one way, by reading the Bible, engaging in prayer and regular attendance at church. However, I have found that many others say they find this difficult, but are there alternatives? This workshop will enable us to discuss the challenges that we have encountered in developing our relationship with God as we learn from each other, how we feel about that relationship, and what can be done to improve 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. 

Conflict is a sad fact of our human lives.  How to avoid it in the first place may require different tactics to resolving it once it has started.  Yet the underlying principles are the same. Conflict often happens when the ‘space’ of a conversation or situation is restricted. When we take Jesus’ example of ‘holding space’ open for people and his wisdom for knowing who to hold space open for, we can find conflict turns into something generative from which to learn more about each other and about our relationships. This workshop will look at this idea of holding space and how we invite others into that space, while also asking them to hold space for us. 

 I belong to Handsworth ecclesia and I run the From the Platform podcast with my wife Naomi, where we look at Christadelphian culture and how to deal with complexity and hold open conversations. 

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.

Is there any difference between Membership and Fellowship, and does it matter? As Christadelphians we emphasise the significance of Membership, but we “disfellowship” someone when we don’t “dismember” them! Why be members or have fellowship anyway? Why not just attend? At what stage does attendance become fellowship and fellowship become membership? Can we have fellowship or membership by just attending on-line? So many questions, but what are the answers? Come along and shape those answers…… 

Anthony is married to Sally, who both attend the church in Maidenhead. He was baptised in 1979 at Kings Heath and then joined Cardiff Museum Place before being transferred to Maidenhead in 1982. Anthony is an active member of the church, believing in its importance in his own personal journey, enabling the spirit to shape him to be the “best version” of himself. 

“If working apart we are a force powerful to destabilise our planet, surely working together we are powerful enough to save it…cherish the natural world, because you’re a part of it and you depend on it”. Sir David Attenborough. What role does faith play in all this? In this practical session, we’ll draw on insights from technical, government and business leaders, indigenous and youth representatives to build a collective understanding of the climate crisis; we’ll explore personal and scriptural perspectives and sustainability examples, aiming to increase not just our awareness, but some extra inspiration to respond to such a challenge…

Raised in Australia by the coast, Martin formed an early appetite for the outdoors with his family – hiking, camping & cycling outback, blistering summers in the Riverland, even places like Solomon Islands and PNG. He qualified in engineering and his initial work in the energy sector took him offshore in the North Sea, and later in flood risk management across southern England. With further training in psychology, he’s since been working with a range of organisations – businesses, governments, not-for-profits (including Meal-a-Day Asia-Pac) – to help improve sustainable performance and strengthen community resilience. Martin currently lives in UK with his family and still strives to get outdoors whenever possible! Favourite AONBs like the Chilterns, Gower, Dorset, Devon, Cornwall … where would you recommend?

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. We’ll also do some role-playing in a safe setting to make a forgiveness mindset more real.

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 universe, with its intricate designs, form, textures, and colour. Art has ever been a way of giving God praise. Whether you already find delight and mindfulness in art, or would just like to try it out for the first time, this session will help you practise several general watercolour techniques and then incorporate those skills to capture a scene, flower or animal, using scripture to give us a prompt. 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 it 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 with, 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 with Psalms in particular – he was a confirmed prose enthusiast. So, join him on his discovery of this much loved and much misunderstood book. He is a member of the relentlessly 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! But, 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.

Being a mentor involves guiding someone in their Christian faith, helping them grow spiritually and personally. Jesus calls us to “make disciples of all nations” (Matt 28:19–20), which means mentoring is a role for everyone. It’s about knowing how best to share your experiences and support – “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thess 5:11). You don’t need to be perfect or have extensive biblical knowledge. What matters is a willing heart and the desire to share what God has done in your life, impacting another’s journey positively. Together we’ll look at fresh ways to help others navigate challenges and celebrate victories on their faith journey.

In his working life Simon has mentored colleagues across the globe, most recently in India. One of his mentees told her father: ‘he taught me how to think’. As a director of Williamsburg Christadelphian Foundation, he is an active mentor in their program. Simon works for Meal a Day UK and is a member of the lovely Christadelphian church in Ware.

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!

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