The 2026 Connexion Conference, which took place last week at High Leigh Conference Centre in Hoddesdon, has been rated as a great success. Among other activities, the Trustees were delighted to welcome Graham Kendrick, a renowned Christian songwriter, singer and worship leader, to run a workshop on Tuesday afternoon, followed by a special concert in the evening.

About Graham Kendrick

Graham has been described as a ‘father of modern worship music’ whose songs are ‘crammed full of poetic, divine, biblical truth’ that have ‘sculpted a view of God that has impacted generations.’ In short, Graham writes songs that help the church to sing.

Since the release of his first album in 1972 Graham has been at the forefront of contemporary Christian music in the UK having written and recorded over 450 songs, many of which are sung around the world.

Graham's newest release Where it Began takes him back to the days of narrative story telling, when coffee bars and folk clubs were his venue of choice and communicating the message of Jesus came through the 6 strings of his acoustic guitar and the crafted lyrics of his songs.

He is based in the UK and travels internationally participating in tours, festivals, conferences and training events, as a worship leader, speaker and performer.

He is an active advocate for the charity Compassion International, encouraging audiences worldwide to understand worship as a way of life, and true intimacy with God as sharing in the concerns of his heart and participating in his mission to the world. Compassion operates in over 27 nations and facilitates the support of over 1.3 million children.

Graham was one of the founders and the songwriter behind the global phenomenon March for Jesus, which mobilised millions of Christians to ‘take the walls off the church’ and bring praise, prayer and acts of goodwill and reconciliation on to the streets.

Speaking about his work, Graham says, ‘One of the jobs of the songwriter, is to take ancient truths and make them fresh. Not to change the truth, but culture changes, music styles and language changes. So in every generation there needs to be new songs. But the content of the songs must be the original gospel'.

Graham's long list of compositions include Shine Jesus Shine, Knowing You, The Servant King, God is Great, I am a Lighthouse, Jesus is King, Meekness and Majesty. His latest album Salvation Songs, is available to listen to on Spotify.

Click on the link below to see a short clip of Connexion members joining in with Shine Jesus Shine.

Connexion Conference - Shine Jesus Shine

Don't forget to book your places for the Conference 2026. The last day for booking is 30 September.

The Conference will run from Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 October 2026 at High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.

The theme this year is The Connexion - Our Identity in God, which will feature one talk each day by Connexion members:

Monday 26 October: The Connexion: Made in God's Image
Tuesday 27 October: The Connexion: Co-heirs with Christ
Wednesday 28 October: The Connexion: Ambassadors in the Spirit

Graham Kendrick, singer, worship songwriter and leader will be running an afternoon workshop on Tuesday, followed by an evening concert. 

Graham is well known for his ability to write 'songs that help a church to sing' - from established hymns, Shine Jesus Shine, Knowing You and The Servant King to new songs, Like a Tree and The Cross Has Spoken. His latest album, Salvation Songs, is available to listen to on Spotify.

All-age worship will take place each day, with prayer groups in the mornings. The Trustees AGM is scheduled for Monday and SLM AGM will take place on Tuesday. In between the various activities there will be plenty of chances to catch up with other Connexion members for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and refreshment breaks.

Youth Conference will run alongside the main event, this year led by Tim Dennick from Zion Community Church, St Ives, while younger children will be well taken care of and entertained by Jo Kennedy.

The Conference provides an ideal opportunity for the whole Connexion Community to come together for fellowship, friendship and fun. So book your place now!

Use the registration form below to reserve your place(s) by 30 September. Arrangements are flexible to suit individual preferences. You can attend the full three days, or just the dates of choice.  

Conference Booking Form 2026

A link to the planned Progamme is below, with a detailed itinerary for the three days.

Programme Conference 2026

Brenda Baldwin has contacted us to see if a video from the past might be unearthed:

"Dear Connexion Community

I wonder if anyone might have kept some of the old videos of conference events? 

In particular, I remember seeing a skit on Romeo and Juliet that Brian and I once did at the Conference in 2000, as part of a 'Talent Show' one evening.

We hammed it up terribly but it was good fun.  So, if anyone does have a copy, please get in touch. I’d love to see Brian on bended knee again!

If you can help, contact me directly by This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Thank you!"

Brenda 

It's time to book your places at the Connexion Conference, which runs from Monday 26 to Wednesday 28 October 2026 at the ever-popular High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.

This year's highlights include worship with Graham Kendrick, fellowship with our extended Connexion family and inspiring talks by Connexion speakers.

The theme this year is The Connexion - Our Identity in God, which will feature one talk each day:

Monday 26 October: The Connexion: Made in God's Image
Tuesday 27 October: The Connexion: Co-heirs with Christ
Wednesday 28 October: The Connexion: Ambassadors in the Spirit

Invited guest, Graham Kendrick, will be running an afternoon workshop on Tuesday, followed by an evening concert. 

Graham is a British singer, songwriter and Christian worship leader. He is noted for his ability to write 'songs that help a church to sing' - from established hymns, Shine Jesus Shine, Knowing You and The Servant King to new songs, Like a Tree and The Cross Has Spoken. His latest album, Salvation Songs, is available to listen to on Spotify.

As always, the Youth Conference will run alongside the main event, this year led by Tim Dennick from Zion Community Church, St Ives, while younger children will be well taken care of and entertained by Jo Kennedy.

All-age worship will take place each day, with prayer groups in the mornings. The Trustees AGM is scheduled for Monday and SLM AGM will take place on Tuesday. In between the various activities there will be plenty of chances to catch up with other Connexion members for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and refreshment breaks.

All in all it promises to be another great event with something for everybody to enjoy.

So get booking now!

Use the Booking Form below to reserve your place(s). Arrangements are flexible to suit individual preferences, either attending for the full three days, or just for the dates of choice. Please make your bookings as early as possible, and no later than 30 September.

Programme

Also below is a planned Progamme, which provides activity details and timings over the three days.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Conference Booking Form 2026

Programme Conference 2026

PS: If you'd like to learn more about Graham Kendrick's songs, visit his website: grahamkendrick.co.uk

The Conference wouldn't be the same without a bit of toe-tapping fun to round off the day.

And thanks, to Ben Goodman, who returned for another year by popular demand, all ages got
together on Tuesday evening to try out their Barn Dance skills!

The annual Conference is always a family affair, and an ideal event to bring churches and all
generations together at High Leigh Conference Centre, to join in prayer, worship, teaching and 
updates - plus a chance to catch up with the whole Connexion community!

We look forward to seeing you all again next October!

The Annual Conference took place this week from Monday 27 October, finishing today, Wednesday 29 October, at High Leigh Conference Centre in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.

High Leigh is a very popular location, providing lovely surroundings for the whole Connexion community to gather in friendship and fellowship. 

This year's programme was very much a Connexion family affair, including something for everyone during the days and evenings.

All-age worship sessions were led by Martin Brown from Hailsham Gospel Mission, Alex Shoderu from Rosedale Community Church and Ben Quant from Wormley Free Church, with help from the talented Conference Band.

Prayer groups came together each day and on Tuesday evening everyone enjoyed some Barn Dance fun, led by Barry Goodman, who came back for another year due to popular demand!. 

The Trustee and SLM AGMs took place on Monday and Tuesday, helping to keep everyone informed of what's happening within The Connexion, both at home and in Sierra Leone.

Children and young people were also entertained by Tim Dennick, from Zion Community Church, St Ives, who led the Youth Conference and Jo Kennedy, who kept the younger children happy and occupied. 

The theme of this year's Conference was Dwelling in Unity, which was conveyed in three key talks by inspiring speakers from within The Connexion community.

On Monday, Peter James from Turners Hill Free Church spoke on Made One Through Christ, Tuesday featured William McCann from The Chapel, Mortimer West End, speaking on Made One Through The Bible, concluding on Wednesday with Simon Allaby, from Bolney Village Church reflecting on how we are Made One Through The Spirit.

We look forward to sharing some pics of folk enjoying themselves - providing they were not enjoying themselves so much they didn't have time to take photos! - and hopefully, some recordings of the talks for those who were unable to be there in person.

What's absolutely certain is that this lovely community will be looking forward to getting together again for the next Conference in 2026!

For those who are less familiar with The Countess of Huntingdon’s Connexion, known as The Connexion, Ben Quant’s helpful summary about the Countess’ life and works, throws light on the subject.

The Countess in question was a genuine British countess, Selina, Countess of Huntingdon. She was born into a well-connected family, the Shirley family, in 1707, and later married Earl Theophilus Hastings, meaning that between them, they were two of the movers and shakers of their day. She was brought up an Anglican, indeed, she never wanted to leave the Church of England nor found another group of churches as she ended up doing.

Although she had always been religious, it wasn’t until 1738 that she truly found faith for herself, undergoing a deep and transforming conversion experience, and discovering the power and riches of God’s love, forgiveness and grace for herself. This filled her with an urgent calling to show others God’s love through caring for them and telling them about Jesus (or, enabling others to do so – she was restricted as a woman in a man’s world, one of the reasons she is not known so well today).

As a result of her work many in need were cared for and many became Christians. To support them she started opening new churches and training ministers in a Bible college that she set up (this moved from Wales to Cheshunt to buildings which are part of the current council offices at Bishop’s College, before moving to Cambridge where it eventually amalgamated with Westminster College). At this time she became a good friend of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, his brother and famous hymn writer Charles Wesley, and the great preacher of their day, George Whitefield.

This church planting project, however, got her into trouble with the Church of England, and she was ultimately given the choice of staying within the Church and stopping planting new churches, or leaving and continuing. Reluctantly she chose to leave, the importance to her of her mission being greater than her own denominational preference. This was when her Connexion was set up (a connected group of churches).

The Connexion continues today, defined we hope by our sense of family from shared roots and a desire to continue the Countess’ legacy of sharing Gods love through social care/action and communicating his love and invitation in relevant ways to the communities we are part of. 

Ben Quant

At last year’s 2024 Conference, Ben gave a talk entitled Selina and Us: The Countess’ Legacy. 

We look forward to hearing the talks at this year’s 2025 Conference, which will follow the theme of Dwelling in Unity. There will be one talk per day to explore relevant aspects, by inspiring speakers from The Connexion.

2025 Conference Talks

Monday 27 October: Made One Through Christ (Peter James)
Tuesday 28 October: Made One Through The Bible (William McCann)
Wednesday 29 October: Made One Through The Spirit (Simon Allaby)

Don't forget to book your places at the Connexion Conference by 30 September, which is the cut off date this year.

The Conference will run from Monday 27 to Wednesday 29 October 2025 at High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.

Once again the programme will be very much a Connexion family affair. As well as our usual Trustee and SLM AGMs, we have talks by Peter James (Turners Hill), William McCann (Mortimer West End) and Simon Allaby (Bolney), as well as all-age worship led by Martin Brown (Hailsham), Alex Shoderu (Rosedale) and Ben Quant (Wormley), with help from the wonderful Conference Band.

Monday evening looks forward to a time of celebration and worship together, and on Tuesday a Barn Dance led by Barry Goodman, who is back by popular demand. Tim Dennick (Zion, St Ives) will be leading Youth Conference and Jo Kennedy will lead the children's work. All in all, there's something for everyone!

The theme this year is Dwelling in Unity, which will feature one talk per day to explore relevant aspects, by inspiring speakers from The Connexion.

Talks

Monday 27 October: Made One Through Christ (Peter James)
Tuesday 28 October: Made One Through The Bible (William McCann)
Wednesday 29 October: Made One Through The Spirit (Simon Allaby)

Booking

Use the Booking Form below to reserve your place(s). Arrangements are flexible to suit individual preferences, either attending for the full three days, or just for the dates of choice. Please make your bookings as early as possible, and no later than 30 September.

Programme

Also check out the provisional progamme, also below, which provides details of the planned activities over the three days.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Conference Booking Form 2025

Provisional Programme Conference 2025

It's time to start booking your places at the Connexion Conference, which will run from Monday 27 to Wednesday 29 October 2025 at High Leigh Conference Centre, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.

The theme this year is Dwelling in Unity, which will feature one talk per day to explore relevant aspects, by inspiring speakers from The Connexion.

Talks

Monday 27 October: Made One Through Christ (Peter James)
Tuesday 28 October: Made One Through The Bible (speaker TBC)
Wednesday 29 October: Made One Through The Spirit (Simon Allaby)

This hugely popular three-day event will include worship and fellowship, Trustee and Sierra Leone Mission (SLM) AGMs, news from Connexion churches in the UK and a family barn dance. Plus, of course, plenty of free time to catch up with the whole Connexion community.

Booking

Use the Booking Form below to reserve your place(s). Arrangements are flexible to suit individual preferences, either attending for the full three days, or just for the dates of choice. Please make your bookings as early as possible, and no later than 30 September.

Programme

Also check out the provisional progamme, also below, which provides details of the planned activities over the three days.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Conference Booking Form 2025

Provisional Programme Conference 2025

It's time to put the dates in your diary for this year's Conference, which will run for three days from Monday 27 to Wednesday 29 October 2025. The location will again be at High Leigh Conference Centre in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.

We are all looking forward to this hugely popular event, which offers a perfect opportunity to bring the Connexion Community together to catch up and enjoy spending time together in lovely surroundings, for prayer, worship, learning, discussion, inspiration, fun and friendship. 

The Conference is open to all ages, with everyone catered for in a varied programme of activities and entertainment.

Arrangements also remain flexible to suit individual preferences. Visitors can attend for the full three days, or come for the dates of choice - either just for the day or to stay overnight.

Please put the dates in your diary (27-29 October) and encourage your friends to attend as well. We will be posting an official booking form on the website soon, together with this year's planned programme, and look forward to seeing you all again for another great event!