We are delighted to share that this event will be hosted by Justin Brierley, author of The Surprising Rebirth of Belief in God and host of the Re-enchanting podcast. Justin is widely recognised for his work in exploring faith, culture, and the big questions of our time.

One of our keynote addresses will be given by Bishop Mike Royal, representing the Church through the ChurchWorks Commission. Bishop Mike has served as General Secretary of Churches Together in England since March 2022. Prior to this, he was co-Chief Executive of the Cinnamon Network, a charity supporting churches across Britain and Ireland in their community engagement and social action initiatives.

We are delighted to announce that Stewart will be joining us on our Tackling Poverty Panel. Stewart is the CEO of CAP, a church based movement where a team of 350 specialistsbased in Bradford support nearly 3,000 mission workers across over 250 debt centres andnearly 900 affiliated churches. This movement helps tens of thousands of people on verylow incomes each year who are in financial vulnerability or distress to become resilient,debt free and to find Jesus. Working exclusively through churches CAP’s work brings orderwhere there is chaos, hope where there is fear and the warmth of the gospel into coldHomes.Stewart joined CAP in January 2024, following five years as CEO at Stewardship, where hebrought the organisation through a time of significant transformation and developmentincluding creating an award-winning philanthropy team and seeing annual giving increaseby 40%. He is also a council member of the Evangelical Alliance.

We are delighted to announce Rachel Lampard will be speaking on our Tackling Poverty Panel. Rachel Lampard has worked for the Methodist Church since 2000. Her current role helps to direct and deepen the Methodist Church’s engagement with social justice and social action. She initially joined the Methodist Church as Secretary for Parliamentary and Political Affairs and latterly as Joint Public Issues Team Leader from 2008 - 2021. She was a Commissioner with the Gambling Commission, responsible for regulating the gambling industry in the public interest, for 9 years.

Charles Kwaku-Odoi DL is Chief Executive of the Caribbean & African Health Network (CAHN), a leading national Black health organisation at the forefront of reducing health Inequalities and wider disparities. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Greater Manchester, an honorary member of the esteemed Faculty of Public Health (FPH), and the honorary Ecumenical Canon at Manchester Cathedral.

He has board roles including the NHS Race and Health Observatory; Manchester Foundation Trust Council of Governors; and Government SAGE Ethnicity Subgroup.

Charles was named in the Health Service Journal 50 most influential Black Asian and Minority Ethnic people in health in the UK for two years running (2022 & 2023).  Charles is a great advocate for equity and fairness across a range of important health and wellbeing issues for people of the Caribbean and African Diaspora. He is involved in work that influences the research, policy, and practice at regional and national levels. 

His special interest includes civic and democratic participation, blood & organ donation HIV, domestic violence, modern slavery and hate crime. Reading, walking, and football are his hobbies.

We can’t wait for Olivia to join us on our Wellbeing panel at the ChurchWork’s Summit. 
‍
Olivia is a ChurchWork’s Commissioner and has served as Executive Director of Elim Churches UK since 2018, guiding the charity’s strategic and operational work to strengthen Elim’s mission across the nation.

An ordained Elim Minister, she brings senior leadership experience from the NHS, the Anglican Church, and the wider third sector. Olivia has also led consultancy projects and launched community initiatives supporting the wellbeing of women and families through partnerships with churches, the NHS and local organisations.Before joining Elim’s National Leadership Team, she was Deputy Chief Officer for Operations at Sandwell and West Birmingham CCG, where she oversaw commissioning for mental health, disabilities, and long-term conditions.

Driven by her faith and passion for the local church, Olivia is committed to enabling Spirit-empowered communities to thrive and impact their communities.

We are thrilled that Rev’d Yinka will be part of our Children & Families Panel.

Yinka is part of the ChurchWork’s Commission and has been supporting our Children & Families work for several years. He has been the Senior Minister of The Gate, Reading, since 2005. With a breadth of experience nationally and internationally and as one of the founders of Barnabas Fellowship of Churches, a network with churches and projects in several nations, Yinka brings apostolic leadership to the church. During his ministry at The Gate, Yinka has spearheaded The Turning, the evangelistic street mission which began in 2016 and has now taken place in dozens of UK towns and cities, as well as further afield. In his profile Yinka explained he has a long history in equipping and training individuals in evangelism and mission, and a particular interest in the third part of our Union's Declaration of Principle.

Yinka served as President of the Baptist Union from 2020-21 and has been part of the Baptist Union Core Leadership Group.