Who is it for? ▪ Speakers ▪ Programme ▪ Seminars ▪ Offering ▪ Booking ▪ FAQs
Thrive 2026
Our annual gathering, equipping us to build thriving churches that advance the kingdom.
Thrive is the annual gathering for the Salt & Light Advance family of churches. Gathering together as a wider family of churches is important! We catch sight of a bigger picture. We see that he’s called us to be a movement, together impacting our part of the world. We are inspired, taught and equipped and filled afresh with the Holy Spirit. We have the opportunity to deepen old friendships and create new ones. We eat, pray and worship together.
If you’re considering coming to Thrive for the first time, why not check out resources from Thrive 2025 and Thrive 2024 to get a feel for what we do?
Who is Thrive for?
Thrive is our annual gathering for all those keen to play their part in building thriving churches that advance the kingdom.
That includes people leading within the church, and people leading beyond the church, as well as people without formal leadership roles yet keen to pay their part.
Speakers and hosts
We’re working on speakers right now, and are delighted that our first speaker is already confirmed. Many more to follow!
Confirmed guest speaker:
Jonathon Conrathe
Jonathon is an evangelist, and Founder and Director of Mission24, an inter-denominational Christian ministry that burns with a vision to equip the Church and reach the world for Christ.
Confirmed guest speaker: Catherine Gladwell
Founder/CEO of Refugee Education, Catherine has led programmes in sixteen different countries for clients including UNICEF, UNHCR, and Save the Children. A regular speaker in the media, she will help us think about engaging with justice in God’s world.
Confirmed guest speaker:
Katherine Brown
Katherine works for Evangelical Alliance (as Being Human Engagement Lead), serves with Living Out, and serves in the leadership team at New Community Church Sidcup (Newfrontiers). She became a Christian at drama school and helps equip the church in evangelism and speaking into cultural issues, including sexuality and relationships.
Event hosts:
Rich and Anna Ellwood
Team leaders for the Salt & Light Advance family of churches, Rich and Anna spent many years in Brussels establishing a thriving and multicultural local church. As well as now leading Advance, they lead Witney Community Church.
Seminars
To help build an excellent range of equipping seminars we’re in discussion with Care for the Family, 24-7 Prayer/Wildfires, Refugee Education Network and Cinnamon Network, among others, so check back here for details as they’re confirmed!
Programme
The 2026 programme has yet to be finalised, this is the outline from last year, giving an idea of what to expect.
Friday 20th February
10.00am Doors open, refreshments*
10.30am Main session
12.30pm Lunch*
2.00pm Salt & Light Advance vision and updates
3.00pm Choice of seminars
4.00pm Refreshments*
4.30pm Choice of seminars
5.30pm Break
5:45pm Dinner* - opportunity to connect with old friends and new, over a spacious, excellent meal
7.00pm Delegate arrivals for evening session
7.30pm Main session
9.30pm End
Saturday 21st February
9.30am Doors open
9.45am Main session, with mid-morning refreshments*
12.30pm Lunch*
1.45pm Choice of seminars
3.00pm Closing session
4.30pm End
*All refreshments are included in the conference ticket.
Offering
God has initiated a new season in our family of churches - a season of working together more closely and more intentionally with a variety of joint initiatives and projects as we seek to journey together with shared vision and purpose. God is calling us into a fresh season of fruitfulness and thriving!
Please could you pray and reflect on how you could generously contribute to this? We will take an offering during Thrive to help us train leaders, disciple young people, support churches, impact other nations and see our towns and villages touched with the love of God.
Although each church that’s part of the Advance gives regularly to help cover everyday costs, this fresh season of building together needs further finances to really give it a boost. Please consider giving generously and joyfully to this offering.
Booking
Volunteers: Thrive 2026 will rely on a good team of volunteers. Would you like to get involved behind the scenes, with a team, and benefit from a discount? Volunteers will serve drinks and food, clear venues and manage the car park. Full training given.
Youth: We welcome Y12/Y13 youth to book, free of charge, to participate in Thrive. Other than nursing babies, we ask that children are not brought to Thrive. More on this below.
Car parking: There is an adeqaute amount of free car parking on-site, as long as we all maximize our occupancy by car-sharing. More on this below.
FAQs
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For many years previous Salt & Light leadership conferences ran as Friday to Sunday residential events. However, often leaders had to leave the event on Sunday morning to go back home to run church services, as Advance is a group of smaller churches in which Sunday gatherings often rely on key leaders.
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Thrive is one of our four main annual events. We welcome children and youth to the two Celebrations and to Wildfires, but unfortunately it is not feasible for us to offer childcare at Thrive, and we ask that children (other than nursing babies or Y12/13 youth) are not brought to the event.
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With 94 spaces on-site we anticipate adequate onsite parking for delegates, however, this is dependent on effective car-sharing. Please help your fellow delegates by car-sharing if at all possible.
Outside of Mon-Fri 8.00am-6.30pm there is also some on-street parking.
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All rooms being used for the event are acccessible by wheelchair, please let us know if you are likely to need to use the lift.
The prayer room will be available as a quieter space and there are a range of seating options throughout the building.
If you have differing capacity or needs which you would like support with please email events@advancechurches.uk
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For general terms and conditions, including discounts and accessibility, please visit https://advancechurches.uk/event-tc
For event-specific T&C please see the ChurchSuite sign up page.