With efforts to find a new venue proving difficult, the hard decision has been made to cancel popular Bible conference Word Alive in 2025.
Since the shock closure of their venue, Pontyns Holiday Park, in November 2023, Word Alive Trustees and Director Nigel Beynon have been searching for an alternative site to host the conference. Being unable to find a ‘like for like’ replacement, however, has prevented them from planning for next year and ultimately led to the decision to cancel Word Alive for the second year running.
‘Large holiday parks are either unavailable or too expensive or both. University campuses don’t have accommodation available at Easter,’ Nigel shared with en. ‘That has meant we’ve been unable to start planning for 2025 and so reluctantly concluded we wouldn’t be able to hold one then.’
When asked if this two-year break would throw up worries for the long-term viability of the conference, Nigel commented: ‘We are looking at other possibilities which mean changing some aspects of Word Alive. So, it could be at a smaller holiday park, but we run two consecutive events. Or it could be at a conference centre and guests organise their own accommodation in the local area. We’ve been pursuing both of those options.’
Word Alive typically draws around 4,500 attendees and focuses on resourcing churches and individuals for mission in their contexts. It has run for 17 years and had a large impact on the wider UK church across that time – particularly among students. The University and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF) were one of the founding partners of Word Alive in the 1990s and, over the years, thousands of students from Christian Unions have attended. ‘We’re particularly sad to lose our Leadership Network gatherings at Word Alive, which have sought to strengthen Christians in music, art, theology, law, science, politics and teaching,’ said Pete Dray, UCCF's Director of Creative Evangelism, ‘As Word Alive’s long-term future is discussed, we’re actively considering how we might ensure students have similar opportunities to benefit in these areas.’
The Word Alive Trustees are meeting in mid-May to discuss possibilities and options available. Nigel asks: ‘Please pray for great wisdom and discernment, for them to know how the Lord is leading us.’
