Advance 2026

ADVANCE 2026: Kindling The Flame

We are delighted to invite you to ADVANCE 2026: ‘Kindling The Flame’ at The Nightingale Centre, Great Hucklow, 20-23^rd July 2026. This is a gathering of active Unitarian ministers for spiritual nourishment, collegiality, connection and learning.

In March 2025, we held our long-awaited pilot ‘Advance 2025’ gathering, with a group of active ministers coming together for a time of transformation under the theme “Thriving Ministers, Thriving Churches”. This pilot gathering allowed us to experiment, to hear everyone’s voices, and learn as we travelled through these precious three days together. Here’s some of the feedback we received:

• “Thank you for all the love, effort and vision that went into organising the event. I learned a lot, rested a lot, was fed in body and soul - who can ask for anything more?”
• “Superb - it met a long-identified need with grace and love.”
• “Powerful, successful, a quiet revolution in ministerial support.”

WHAT IS ADVANCE 2026?

We hope very much that you can join us for Advance 2026 as part of your continuing professional development. Our theme will be ‘Kindling The Flame’, drawing inspiration from Rev. Cliff Reed’s hymn, which begins:

“The flame of love is kindled, we open wide our hearts,

that it may burn within us, fuel us to do our parts.

Community needs building, a Commonwealth of Earth,

we ask for strength to build it - a new world come to birth.”

Advance 2026 will be a gathering of active Unitarian ministers for spiritual nourishment, collegiality, connection and learning, enabling thriving ministry and congregations. There will be a mix of time for: prayer, meditation and spirituality; learning, training and sharing ideas; personal reflection and development; and building collegiality and mutual support.

WHO’S THIS FOR?

There are 50 active ministers on the GA Roll eligible to attend and due to accommodation limitations at the venue we can only offer 25 places, so please book ASAP to avoid disappointment. We will be allocating places on a first-come, first-served basis, and then having a reserve list. We are inviting all active (i.e. non-retired) ministers on the GA Roll who have completed probation and are therefore no longer eligible to attend ‘Ministry In The Making’.

THE COST

The cost for Advance 2026 is £300 per person, with 50% funded by the GA. If you are concerned about securing the £150 funding from your congregation or district to enable you to attend, please get in touch. In the most recent edition of the ‘Unitarian Leadership’ newsletter, the GA urged our congregations and districts to support all of our active ministers in attending Advance 2026 as part of their essential Continuing Professional Development (CPD) - for the benefit of our ministers, congregations and beloved Unitarian & Free Christian movement.

WHO’S RUNNING IT AND WHAT WILL IT BE LIKE?

ADVANCE 2026 is being organised by a leadership team, made up of:

• Simon Bland (Ministry & Congregational Support Officer, GA)
• Rev. Rory Castle Jones (Minister of Gellionnen & Graig Unitarian Church, Ministry & Leadership Development Officer, GA)
• Rev. Laura Dobson (Minister of Chorlton Unitarians and with the Unitarian Transformers project)
• Rev. Melda Grantham (Tutor/Assessor, Unitarian College)
• Rev. Ant Howe (Senior Tutor, Unitarian College, and President of the Ministerial Fellowship)
  
  

WHAT’S THE PROGRAMME?

• Worship – a diverse range of forms worship in the chapel, centre and outdoors (weather permitting!)
• Engagement Groups – small facilitated groups meeting daily over the course of the gathering for deeper sharing and connection
• Social Time – for relaxation, connection and sharing
• Credo Walks – 1 to 1 walks for sharing and connection
• Open Space – sessions to be offered, facilitated and led by attendees, based on ‘Art of Hosting’ principles
• Facilitated Sessions – led by the leadership team on the theme ‘Kindling The Flame’
• Pilgrimage – a mini-pilgrimage to a local church, Holy Well, or other sacred site

What else would you like to see? Please let us know (rcastlejones@unitarian.org.uk).

We are so excited to be organising this gathering for active Unitarian ministers and we can’t wait to see you there.

Yours faithfully,

Ant, Laura, Melda, Rory and Simon

Your Leadership Team