Word Alive
Word Alive (previously known as New Word Alive[2]) is an annual evangelical Christian conference which originated through a partnership between the UK Christian organisations UCCF and Keswick Ministries. The conference is focussed on Bible teaching, corporate worship, and family time. The conference is a continuation of the former Word Alive event which ran within Spring Harvest. As well as attracting around 4000 guests, the conference has historically included the largest evangelical student conference in Europe.
 Word Alive is run by Christian Events | |
| Founded | 22 November 2007 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Hugh Palmer, Richard Cunningham, Jason Clarke, Nigel Beynon |
| Type | Christian Events is registered as a British charity and a private company, limited by guarantee with no share capital |
| Registration no. | 06434440 |
| Focus | Providing resources to the church in the UK to help them in their role of reaching out to the world with the Christian Faith. |
| Location |
|
| Origins | Spring Harvest Word Alive (1993 - 2007) |
Area served | United Kingdom / world |
| Method | Organising and running the annual conference, Word Alive |
Key people | Rev Hugh Palmer (chair) Rev Richard Cunningham Jason Clarke Nigel Beynon (company sec.) |
Revenue |  £ 816,343 (2011)[1] |
| Website | wordaliveevent |
Formerly called | New Word Alive |
Format
Word Alive is billed as "a Bible holiday week inspiring and refreshing the whole body".[3] There is a full adult programme throughout the day along with activities focussed for children and youth. There is also a specially tailored 'Student Track' conference which is one of the largest Christian student conferences in Europe. The Student Track joins the main programme for the morning Bible Readings, the centrepiece of Word Alive, during which the main speaker for the week gives an in-depth bible study.
There are a variety of sessions available throughout the day – Bible studies, seminars, activity groups and worship meetings – all designed to equip children, young people, students and adults to serve their church and reach the world with the good news of Jesus Christ. Later in the evening there is an 'After Hours' programme featuring contemporary worship, film nights, live interviews, comedy nights, gigs, as well as the highly anticipated cèilidh.
The majority of guests stay in the on-site accommodation (chalets) provided at the holiday centre, with options for either self-catering or dinner, bed and breakfast. There are also Day Visitor and Events Passes available for those wishing to stay off site in nearby hotels, B&B establishments or holiday cottages.
Venue
From 2008 to 2011 Word Alive was held at the Haven Holiday Park, Hafan y Mor, near Pwllheli in North Wales. From 2012 the conference moved to the Pontins site, Prestatyn Sands, North Wales.
"Situated between the rolling hills of North Wales and miles of award winning beaches, there is plenty to do in the local area: visit the majestic Conwy Castle, enjoy the fun of the Rhyl Water Park, or even plan a climb up Snowdon! Prestatyn Holiday Park itself also has plenty to offer, particularly for the children. As well as Captain Crocs Driving School and skate park, we also provide a Clownfish [inflatables] activity area and 5-a-side football and volleyball competitions every year."[4]
History
The first Word Alive event took place as part of Spring Harvest in 1993 and was a partnership between UCCF, Keswick Ministries, Spring Harvest and initially the Proclamation Trust. In 2007, it was announced that Word Alive would no longer be a part of Spring Harvest, and from 2008 would run independently (as New Word Alive) in Pwllheli, rather than Skegness.[5] Press releases explaining the split were released by UCCF,[6] Keswick Ministries and Bishop Pete Broadbent of the Spring Harvest leadership team.[7] The statements emphasise different factors leading up to the decision to cease working together. Following a subsequent statement by Pete Broadbent all sides accept that disagreements over Spring Harvest leadership team member Steve Chalke's view of the atonement played at least some part in the split.[8]
From 2008 until 2015 the conference was run over two separate weeks, with different speakers on each. From 2016 onwards Word Alive has been run for a single week only.
Main speakers and worship leaders
| Year | Dates | Main speakers | Worship leaders |
| 2008 | 7/4 – 11/4 | Don Carson, John Piper, Terry Virgo | Stuart Townend, Phatfish, Lou Fellingham |
| 2009 | 30/3 – 4/4 (Wk1) 4/4 – 9/4 (Wk2) | Vaughan Roberts (Wk1), Liam Goligher (Wk2); Don Carson, Terry Virgo, Krish Kandiah | Stuart Townend, Phatfish, Lou Fellingham (Wk1); Keith & Kristyn Getty (Wk2) |
| 2010 | 13/4 – 18/4 | Hugh Palmer, Jerry Bridges, Wayne Grudem, Rebecca Manley-Pippert, Richard Coekin | Stuart Townend, Sam Parker |
| 2011 | 10/4 – 15/4 | David Cook, Carl Trueman, Graham Daniels, Ben Kwoshi, Mike Reeves | Bob Kauflin |
| 2012 | 31/3 – 5/4 | Jonathan Lamb, Paul David Tripp, Rebecca Manley-Pippert, Richard Pratt, John Wyatt, William Taylor | Stuart Townend, Lewis Green |
| 2013 | 2/4 – 7/4 (Wk1) 7/4 – 12/4 (Wk2) | Christopher Ash, Bruce Ware, Dan Strange, Hugh Palmer (Wk1); Mark Dever, Os Guinness, Thabiti Anyabwile, Hugh Palmer (Wk2) | Colin Webster and Sojourn Music (Wk1); Nathan Tasker and Lewis Green (Wk2) |
| 2014 | 7/4 – 12/4 (Wk1) | Don Carson | Stuart Townend |
| 2015 | 28/3 – 2/4 (Wk1) 2/4 - 6/4 (Wk2) | David Cook | Stuart Townend |
| 2016 | 2/4 - 7/4 | Vaughan Roberts | Devon Kauflin, Christ Church Mayfair (led by Ben Slee) |
| 2017 | 8/4 - 13/4 | Ray Ortlund | Lou Fellingham, Olly Knight |
| 2018 | 5/4 - 12/4 | Mike Cain | Olly Knight, Ben Slee |
| 2019 | 13/4 – 18/4 | Hugh Palmer | Olly Knight, Ben Slee |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 | ||
| 2021 | Cancelled due to COVID-19 | ||
| 2022 | 9/4 – 14/4 | Conrad Mbewe | Olly Knight, Joyful Noise |
| 2023 | 1/4 – 6/4 | Paul Mallard | Olly Knight, Joyful Noise |
References
- Trustees' report and financial statements for the six months ended 31 May 2011
- 'New' was first dropped from the name for the 2014 conference. See https://wordaliveevent.org/download-file/documents/WordAlive2014Brochure.pdf
- New Word Alive 2012 brochure
- "About".
- Benn, Wallace. "Word Alive is alive!". Evangelicals Now, June 2007. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
- "Response from UCCF to the SPRING HARVEST decision to end the Word Alive Bible teaching week after 14 years". Retrieved 9 May 2008.
- "Pete Broadbent of Spring Harvest Makes a Statement About Word Alive". Retrieved 9 May 2008.
- "Peter Broadbent States Atonement Was a Factor in Spring Harvest Split". Retrieved 9 May 2008.