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," and is sponsored by Scripture Union. 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."
At Cross Connecting, (an organisation which is all about connecting Christians who come into contact with children and young people, particularly in the school setting), we were invited to exhibit at the conference, which gave us first-hand experience of what God is doing, not just at the conference, but across the country, as various stories emerged of young people engaging with church and the Christian community.
