TEAM

Throughout the conference you will hear from a wide range of speakers, including experienced youthwork practitioners from both church-based and organisational backgrounds. Our speakers will share with you their knowledge and skills as they lead seminars on a variety of issues surrounding youthwork.

Within Main Sessions and Soul Sessions, the speakers will seek to inspire, challenge and stretch you, not only in relation to the youthwork that you do, but also in your personal faith and relationship with God.

Steve Chalke

Steve is the founder of Oasis Global and Faithworks. His other roles include being a member of the Spring Harvest Leadership Team, founder of Parentalk and church.co.uk, CEO of Oasis' Academy Schools, chair of Stop the Traffik and UN GIFT special advisor on community action against human trafficking.

Chris Curtis

Chris works in Luton for LCET, a local schools charity. He's part of the team launching Schoolswork.co.uk and is passionate about developing more creative and effective input into schools. Chris writes regularly for Youthwork magazine.

Paul Ewing

Paul is a TV presenter who has worked on over 250 television shows, including educational schools programmes, and even children's TV programme Tikkabilla! He has previously worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and in 2007 his band won the Indy Awards best soul funk act.

Ajith Fernando

Ajith has been the national director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka since 1976. In addition to lecturing and speaking at conferences in Sri Lanka, Asia-Pacific and North America, Ajith is the author of eleven books.

Nancy Goudie

Nancy and her husband Ray are directors of NGM, an international pioneering youth ministry working with young people to train them in evangelism, church planting and the media. She is also an author of four books, and leads spiritual health weekends.

Gerard Kelly

Gerard is the senior pastor of Crossroads International Church in Amsterdam. He is a writer and poet, and runs the Bless network, a UK agency that works with churches on mainland Europe, and helps people to ‘live for others' through missional engagement.

Mike Pilavachi

Mike is founder and pastor of Soul Survivor Watford, a congregation aiming to reach out to the young people of Watford, and he is also the founder and leader of Soul Survivor. Mike is an author and international speaker.

Jill Rowe

Jill is a qualified teacher and youth and community worker. She is now the church and community development director at Oasis, and is on the Oasis Leadership Team. She writes a bi-monthly column in Youthwork magazine and speaks at a range of national events.

Russell Rook

Russell is director of ALOVE, the Salvation Army for a new generation and is also a member of the Spring Harvest Leadership Team.

Worship

Ben Cantelon

Ben is originally from Canada, and is now the worship director for Soul Survivor church in Watford, where he heads up the worship, as well as leading worship at a number of festivals and events. Ben's first studio recording was released last summer.