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GATHER MOVEMENT SUMMIT 2026 - ONE LOVE
8-9 June 2026
Oxford Community Church
Groups discounts available |
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One of our key speakers this year is Peter McHugh, who is travelling from Australia to join us. He is the founding Pastor of Stairway Church in Melbourne, one of the largest missional churches in Australia. Peter has written several books on the biblical theme of oneness, and we are praying that he will speak prophetically into the current UK context. |
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Recordings from the event are out now!
Watch the sessions by Paul and Sarah Williams HERE |
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“Our Leadership gathering in Oxford looked at Leadership at the threshold aided by much wisdom from Paul and Sarah Williams. They made the case that we are in a period of sustained and destabilising change – entering a new era. They looked historically at how the Bible, and the church have approached significant change. This left me with a profound thought – this is a time of immense challenge for leaders – they either enable change or get run over by it.” - Steve Botham |
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Lancashire Summit - 20th January 2026
As part of this growing movement, the upcoming event in Blackburn is designed to: |
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Help civic and church leaders explore how we can collaborate more effectively for the wellbeing of our County.
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Consider the potential to ‘map’ Lancashire—both in terms of need and in recognising what churches and other faith communities are already contributing to public life.
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Highlight the work already happening through local churches and unity groups across the county as they serve their communities.
Contact Peter Lumsden at pjlumsden58@gmail.com |
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South West Peninsula Summit - 4th-5th February 2026
Christians Pursuing Social, Cultural and Spiritual Transformation together |
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This month, we get to know Paul Hildreth, Gather Movement’s expert on Place Reviews. Paul has an academic background in urban and regional development and has worked in local and national government, as well as on projects in Central and Eastern Europe. If you’d like to know more about what a Place Review is, have a look here.
What's your name, and where do you live?I'm Paul Hildreth, and I live in Reigate, Surrey.
If you were a chocolate bar, which one would you be?
I think I'm going to go for a Mars bar because it's made of different layers. And my contribution to Gather Movement in Understanding Place is about different layers as well – history, geography, and relationships – so there's some commonality there.
Why are you passionate about Unity?
There are so many denominations, but we all share core beliefs that we centre on. I think it's so important that we focus and come together around what is really important - our faith in Jesus. It is only by working together in unity across different churches, centred on what is really important, that we can really move forward. It seems to me to be the only effective way of sharing in the building of the kingdom of God on Earth.
What is one thing that excites you about place reviews?
Well, first of all, you find people in that town or city who are passionate about their place and know their church, but they don't always have a very good understanding of what's really distinctive about their town and city. And I don't really know or understand when I start in a place that is new to me. I think what's really satisfying about the Place Review process is the journey of understanding how history, geography, and the relationships of a place come together to shape an overall picture. You interview people, you visit and walk around places, and through that shared journey, you gain a much deeper understanding of what's special about the place, which is really helpful and important in enabling a unity movement to move forward.
What's your favourite part about working with Gather Movement?
The people! I really do enjoy being part of the Gather team. It was lovely to join a group of people who instantly understood what I was about. I came in with my cranky ideas and academic background, and the members of the Gather Movement team understood them immediately. And it's wonderful to meet amazing people as I go out and work in different places around the country.
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We’ve got a new platform to help you connect with all things Gather Movement related. |
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Manchester 2026 ICCT Gathering & The Launch of Intercultural City/Communities Ambassadors
At Gather Movement, we believe in the power of relational unity to bring whole city transformation. That’s why we are delighted to be partnering with the Intercultural Church and City Transformation (ICCT) Gathering as they prepare for their next national event in Manchester, 5–6 February 2026 at GoChurch MediaCityUK.
Following on from Leeds (2024) and London (2025), the Manchester Gathering will bring together networks, churches, and leaders who are passionate about seeing the Church reflect the cultural diversity of our towns, cities, and communities. Together we will explore what it means for unity and cultural diversity to strengthen mission, discipleship, and community renewal.
Click for more details and to register for the gathering |
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Ekklesia is an overnight conference for church leaders to explore together the raw and the real of church life. It’s a space to unpack some of the thinking and the practical ideas that help us effectively bring about Kingdom change. |
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Our Vision is to see a unified Church working together across every city and town, to see social, cultural and spiritual transformation across the UK. We are grateful to God for how far the Movement has come but we still have a long way to go.
Could you, or your unity group, help us to deliver this vision by becoming a Gather Movement Supporter?
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Posted: January 2026
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