Reflecting on the 'Hand in Hand' conference
Matt Wan
With over 700 children’s workers gathering at the recent Hand in Hand conference 2026, there was a clear buzz and excitement about what God is doing in the lives of young people across the UK, as conference delegates came together to explore the theme of “Kingdom Builders”.
Hand in Hand describes itself as "the national children and family ministry conference." Its website says: "For over 25 years the Hand in Hand conference has been strengthening children’s and family ministry in this nation working in the areas of children’s and family ministry in church, whether a professional or volunteer. It aims to provide Biblical insight, basic training, deeper insight into new thinking and practical ideas for the ministry as well as times for prayer, worship and personal refreshment. Over 50 organisations, ministries and denominations come together with some of the leading practitioners in our nation to offer sessions and exhibit their resources at each conference."
In all things, God at work...
Matt Wan
At Bible By The Beach, we had the pleasure of welcoming 1,700 people to Eastbourne at our annual May conference!
Our overall theme of the year was “In all things, God at work”, exploring together what it means to live in light of the reality of a sovereign God involved in the world He made. Through a combination of main meetings, seminars with various speakers and leaders, and sung worship lead by Emu music, many were able to grow in their understanding and love for God, which was most encouraging. Our prayer is that all who attended this conference will go back to their front lines and boldly live out their faith in Jesus, knowing that He is sovereign over all things.