Reunited at Bible by the Beach (after 61 years!)

James Stileman  |  UK & Ireland
Date posted:  23 May 2026
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Reunited at Bible by the Beach (after 61 years!)

LtoR: en's book reviews editor, John Woods, with reunited friends Hazel Gordon and Linnet Smith.

Hazel Gordon and Linnet Smith left their Cheshire girls' school in 1965. They hadn’t seen each other for over 60 years until this year’s Bible by the Beach (BBTB) conference in Eastbourne over the Early May Bank Holiday.

They sat in a seafront hotel and talked for four hours without stopping. “It was a fitting conclusion to our first meeting,” said Hazel, “to attend the Sunday evening celebration service in the Congress Theatre. What a profound moment to stand together as we sang ‘From life’s first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny’. We felt so blessed to have had this remarkable opportunity – and to discover that the adventure of life has not yet stopped.”

The pair had reconnected on the phone shortly before BBTB as a result of Hazel doing online research for a family event, and agreed to meet in person at the Eastbourne Bible-teaching gathering.

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