Below are a few pics from the 2021 Conference, kindly snapped by Esther!
Conference talks by John McGinley covering the theme of Everything has Changed: Our Missional Context
Gathering together with the band for family worship
Connexion Youth groups coming together for prayer - and a few challenges!
The theme of this year's Conference was aptly entitled 'An Unchanging Gospel in a Changing World'.
In his opening welcome, President Ken Hart highlighted how over the past two years so many things have changed, resulting from the pandemic. Offering encouragement for each of us to help one another and move forward in unity, understanding the truth and ready to fight the battles that exist in this world.
To view Ken's full talk, click on the YouTube link below.
This year's invited speaker, John McGinley, has 25 years experience in church leadership and is the Executive Director of Myriad and New Wine Director of Church Planting. Over the three days, John expanded on the theme of 'An Unchanging Gospel in a Changing World' in three encouraging and entertaining sessions: 'Everything has changed: understanding our missional context', 'Nothing has changed: the call to make disciples' and 'Making changes: restoring missional confidence'.
Click on the YouTube links below to hear each of John's inspirational talks. (NB - apologies that the second recording is missing a few minutes at the end - but happily John gives a recap in the third session!)
Talk 1: Everything has Changed: Understanding our Missional Context
Talk 2: Nothing has Changed: The Call to Make Disciples
Talk 3: Making Changes: Restoring Missional Confidence
Members of the Connexion community have enjoyed coming together again for the 2021 Conference. Having been cancelled twice due to the Covid pandemic, this has made it an even more special event!
The Connexion Conference is the main event of the year for our church members to share in worship, prayer and teaching. It creates a wonderful opportunity for the people who form our network of 22 churches to keep in touch and make new friendships.
This year we were delighted to welcome John McGinley as the Key Speaker. Over the three days John’s teaching embraced the theme of 'An Unchanging Gospel in a Changing World'
The three sessions included 'Everything has changed: understanding our missional context', 'Nothing has changed: the call to make disciples' and 'Making changes: restoring missional confidence'.
John led Holy Trinity Church in Leicester for 11 years, where he oversaw the development of missional communities and church planting teams. He then went on to take on new challenges as Head of Church Planting Development for New Wine and the Development Enabler for the Archbishop’s College of Evangelists.
John is the author of Mission Shaped Grace and Mission Shaped Living, which voice his desire to equip people to be confident disciples, who inspire others to become new disciples of Jesus.
In addition to John’s teaching the Conference agenda included prayer groups and family worship, reports from the Trustees and news updates from the Sierra Leone Mission – which is a passion rooted in every member's heart.
Paul Woodbridge led a special 'Pastor to the Pastors' session the enable our ministers to share news and ideas between churches and our youth and young children were fully occupied with group activities.
Free time gave everyone a chance to catch up with old friends over a cup of coffee and some delicious cakes, and the Countess Maze after-dinner entertainment on Tuesday offered a challenging (and likely amusing) variation on the popular Crystal Maze TV series.
We look forward to receiving some photos and hearing more news following the event – and look ahead to the next Conference in 2022!
If you haven't already booked your place for the 2021 Conference, which takes place from Monday 25 to Wednesday 27 October, please do so now! - a link to the booking form is below.
Trustee, Ben Quant has asked if as many bookings as possible can be recorded by the end of September to give him a true sense of expected numbers.
A schedule and timetable have now been drawn up (though these could be subject to some alteration, depending on attendance numbers).
After arrival and lunch, the Conference will open with the President's Welcome, which will be followed by the first of John McGinley's talks.
After dinner there will be a session with Paul Woodbridge 'Pastor to the Pastors' to share news from our Connexion churches.
The day begins with prayer groups and family worship, followed by John McGinley's second talk and the Trustees' AGM.
After lunch, the Sierra Leone Mission will be speaking about 'Exciting News!' (that sounds good!). This will be followed by tea and some free time to mingle and catch up with old friends - and if the weather is good, a chance to sit out on the lovely terraces at High Leigh.
After dinner you can look forward to the Crystal... (sorry) Countess Maze!
This is the final day of the Conference, opening with prayer groups, followed by John McGinley's third talk.
After coffee there will be a Worship Service for all the family, with some feedback from the children and youth groups about what they've been getting up to.
The Conference will officially close after lunch on Wednesday. As always, everyone will have enjoyed a wonderful time! - possibly even more so this year having been apart from friends for nearly two years!
Click here for the full Conference Timetable
As time is pressing on, we would be grateful for bookings to be made before the end of the month (30 September). Having numbers in advance will be extremely valuable in making the event the best it can be!
Please complete the Conference Booking Form and return by 30 September to reserve your places and accommodation. Either post the completed booking form to the address (at the bottom of the form) or email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Conference dates are Monday 25 - Wednesday 27 October. It is possible to attend the whole event or on selected days. The booking form shows prices for overnight accommodation and also the costs for day visitors and meals.
We look forward to seeing you there!
The schedule and timings have now been drawn up for the 2021 Conference, which takes place from Monday 25 to Wednesday 27 October (though please bear in mind that the timetable is provisional at this stage).
This brief outline is followed by a link to the full Conference Timetable and the Conference Booking Form.
After arrival and lunch, the Conference will open with the President's Welcome, which will be followed by the first of John McGinley's talks.
After dinner there will be a session with Paul Woodbridge 'Pastor to the Pastors' to share news from our Connexion churches.
The day begins with prayer groups and family worship, followed by John McGinley's second talk and the Trustees' AGM.
After lunch, the Sierra Leone Mission will be speaking about 'Exciting News!' (that sounds good!). This will be followed by tea and some free time to mingle and catch up with old friends - and if the weather is good, a chance to sit out on the lovely terraces at High Leigh.
After dinner you can look forward to the Crystal... (sorry) Countess Maze!
This is the final day of the Conference, opening with prayer groups, followed by John McGinley's third talk.
After coffee there will be a Worship Service for all the family, with some feedback from the children and youth groups about what they've been getting up to.
The Conference will officially close after lunch on Wednesday. As always, everyone will have enjoyed a wonderful time! - possibly even more so this year having been apart from friends for nearly two years!
Click here for the full Conference Timetable
As time is pressing on, we would be grateful for bookings to be made before the end of the month (30 September). Having numbers in advance will be extremely valuable in making the event the best it can be!
Please complete the Conference Booking Form and return by 30 September to reserve your places and accommodation. Either post the completed booking form to the address (at the bottom of the form) or email to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Conference dates are Monday 25 - Wednesday 27 October. It is possible to attend the whole event or on selected days. The booking form shows prices for overnight accommodation and also the costs for day visitors and meals.
We are delighted to welcome John McGinley as the Key Speaker at the 2021 Conference, which takes place from Monday 25 to Wednesday 27 October.
Over the three days John will be speaking on the theme:
'An Unchanging Gospel in a Changing World'
Session 1
'Everything has changed: understanding our missional context'
Session 2
'Nothing has changed: the call to make disciples'
Session 3
'Making changes: restoring missional confidence'
John recently concluded his position as the Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Leicester, where he led the church for 11 years and oversaw the development of missional communities and church planting teams. He will still remain as part of the team at Leicester, but in addition has taken on two new challenges as Head of Church Planting Development for New Wine and the Development Enabler for the Archbishop’s College of Evangelists.
John is the author of Mission Shaped Grace and Mission Shaped Living, which give voice to his desire to inspire confidence and equip people to be disciples that go on to make new disciples of Jesus Christ. He is married to Bridget and they have two grown-up daughters (as well as a slightly mad springer spaniel!).
In addition to his passion for evangelism, John also has a great love of sport. He is a season ticket holder at Leicester City FC (although it has to be admitted that he is actually a life-long supporter of Liverpool FC).
John's presence at the 2021 Conference will be a great blessing for our Connexion members, bringing enlightenment and inspiration!
Complete the Conference Booking Form now to reserve your places and accommodation. The event runs from 11am Monday 25 October to lunchtime on Wednesday 27 October. As in previous years, the venue is High Leigh Conference Centre in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, which has excellent facilities set in beautiful grounds.
Click here for Conference Booking Form
It is a hugely popular event and a wonderful way for the Connexion Community to come together. The Conference provides opportunities for prayer, worship, learning, discussion, inspiration, friendship and fun!
There will be a programme of activities for young children and the Youth Conference for teenagers will run alongside the main Conference.
We look forward to seeing you there!.
Book now for the Annual Conference, which takes place from Monday 25 to Wednesday 27 October at High Leigh Conference Centre in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.
The Conference is a hugely popular event, providing a highly enjoyable way for the Connexion Community to come together for prayer, worship, learning, discussion, inspiration, fun and friendship.
The 2021 gathering will be the 199th event, and following such difficult times over the past year and a half, the occasion promises to be better than ever!
We will be delighted to welcome this year's Conference Speaker, John McGinley.
John has a great passion for evangelism and is well-known for his ability to inspire confidence, equipping people for discipleship - and to make new disciples of Jesus.
Without doubt, John's presence at the 2021 Conference will be a great blessing for our Connexion members, bringing enlightenment, entertainment and encouragement!
The Youth Conference will run alongside the main conference, as in previous years, and a programme of activities will be organised to amuse and inspire the younger children.
Please complete the Conference Booking Form as soon as possible to reserve your places.
Conference dates are Monday 25 - Wednesday 27 October, and it is possible to attend the whole event or on selected days. The form shows prices for overnight accommodation and also the costs for day visitors and meals.
We look forward to seeing you there!
We are looking forward to this year's Annual Conference, which will take place from Monday 25 to Wednesday 27 October at High Leigh Conference Centre in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.
The Conference is a hugely popular event, providing a highly enjoyable way for the Connexion Community to come together for prayer, worship, learning, discussion, inspiration, fun and friendship. The 2021 gathering will be the 199th event, and following such difficult times over the past year and a half, the occasion promises to be better than ever!
We are also delighted to announce that the Speaker at this year's Conference will be John McGinley.
John has a great passion for evangelism. He recently concluded his position as the Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Leicester, where he led the church for 11 years and oversaw the development of missional communities and church planting teams. He will still remain as part of the team at Leicester, but in addition has taken on two new challenges as Head of Church Planting Development for New Wine and the Development Enabler for the Archbishop’s College of Evangelists.
As the author of Mission Shaped Grace and Mission Shaped Living, John voices his desire to inspire confidence and equip people to be disciples who go on to make new disciples of Jesus Christ. He is married to Bridget and they have two grown-up daughters (as well as a slightly mad springer spaniel).
We feel sure that John's presence at the 2021 Conference will be a great blessing for our Connexion members, bringing enlightenment and inspiration.
It is also planned for The Youth Conference to run alongside the main conference, and a programme of activities will be organised to amuse and inspire the younger children.
Please put the dates in your diary: Monday 25 - Wednesday 27 October. We are currently putting together the Booking Form with accommodation prices, and this will shortly be posted up and circulated to our churches.
Watch this space - we look forward to seeing you there!
We are delighted to announce that the Speaker at this year's conference will be John McGinley.
John recently concluded his position as the Vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Leicester, where he led the church for 11 years and oversaw the development of missional communities and church planting teams. He will still remain as part of the team at Leicester, but in addition has taken on two new challenges as Head of Church Planting Development for New Wine and the Development Enabler for the Archbishop’s College of Evangelists.
John is the author of Mission Shaped Grace and Mission Shaped Living which give voice to his desire to inspire confidence and equip people to be disciples who go on to make new disciples of Jesus Christ. He is married to Bridget and they have two grown-up daughters (as well as a slightly mad springer spaniel).
In addition to his passion for evangelism, John also has a great love of sport. He is a season ticket holder at Leicester City FC (although it has to be admitted that he is actually a life-long supporter of Liverpool FC).
His presence at the 2021 Conference will be a great blessing for our Connexion members, bringing enlightenment and inspiration.
Lockdown restrictions made it impossible for The Connexion to meet over Easter this year as is usually the case, but God willing, the three-day event has been scheduled for Monday 25 to Wednesday 27 October at High Leigh Conference Centre in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.
The Conference is a hugely popular event and a wonderful way for the Connexion Community to come together from all corners of the nation to celebrate in prayer, worship, learning, discussion, inspiration, fun and friendship.
It is also planned for The Youth Conference to run alongside the main conference, and a programme of activities will be organised to amuse and inspire the younger children.
The 2021 gathering will be the 199th event, and following such difficult times, we hope it will be possible to make the occasion better than ever.
Please put the dates in your diary. A Conference Booking Form and detailed schedule will be posted up when final arrangements have been confirmed.
Dates have been set for an October gathering of our 2021 Annual Conference. Lockdown restrictions have made it impossible to meet over Easter this year, but God willing, the three-day event will go ahead from Monday 25 to Wednesday 27 October at High Leigh Conference Centre in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.
The Annual Conference is an enjoyable way for the Connexion Community to come together for prayer, worship, learning, discussion, inspiration, fun and friendship. The 2021 gathering will be the 199th event, and following such difficult times, we hope it will be possible to make the occasion better than ever.
It is also planned for The Youth Conference to run alongside the main conference, and a programme of activities will be organised to amuse and inspire the younger children.
Booking details and a full schedule will follow, but in the meantime, please put these dates in your diary!