Our Inaugural Leadership Conference

I have always wanted to be able to use the word inaugural before, but haven’t really had the opportunity, until recently! And that is because Step had the pleasure of hosting its “inaugural” Leadership Conference on Thursday 2nd February at Vineyard Church!

After years of dreaming, and months of planning, it was with much excitement that we opened the doors to almost seventy students from six different local schools to an all-day conference focusing on leadership. We had all the usual things you would expect from a conference – lanyards (!), refreshments, goody bags and plenty of tasty sandwiches, but the conference was so much more than all those trappings.  Rather it was an opportunity for our young leaders to gather and hear from some of the best local Christian leaders on a range of inspiring topics.

We kicked off the day all together with a classic Step icebreaker, led by Geoff, who was a pro at leading the students in a game of “swap the ball” (ask him!!) that involved logic and lateral thinking, before the students headed off in smaller groups to three different sessions.

Jon and Andrea Taylor Cummings from “The 4 habits,” led a session called “How to get along well with people (even those different from you)” where they explored the idea that we all have an “emotional bank account” and whenever we communicate , no matter what our intention, we can either leave good deposits or bad deposits, and we must always be willing to understand someone else’s viewpoint rather than assuming everyone thinks the same as us.  Check out their fantastic resources here: “https://the4habits.com/

Richard Garnett, an ex-Shakespearean actor and founder of a large communications business (https://gsbcomms.co.uk) coached the students through a session called “How to make an impact (and fake charisma).” He took the students through some simple but effective speaking and listening activities which saw them break into pairs and chat to each other at length. New friendships were formed, and connections made.

And finally, Sandra Thompson, a retired PWC partner and church leader, Trevor Withers, helped the students explore how to be emotionally and physically resilient, in their session called “How to Thrive as a leader (and in everything else)”. Students learnt about the cycle of Thrive, Survive, Burnout and Renewal and then had a chance to fill a jam jar with stones, pebbles, and sand as a visual reminder of what to prioritise and what can get in the way.

It was a fantastic day, and such a beautiful example of the Body of Christ working together seamlessly, playing to each other’s strengths, and helping each other out wherever possible. Even the smaller details were successful, including the Marks and Spencer’s sandwiches, which went down a treat, Chris’s photo montage at the end of the day, and the boost bars we handed out as the students left! And when the team finally sat down together to reflect on the day, it was with a sense of gratitude and satisfaction. God had clearly been at work, and we knew many good seeds had been sown in His name.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this day possible, all our guest speakers, the valiant Step volunteers, the Step team, who worked tirelessly throughout day. And of course, there were several people helping behind the scenes, including Terrie and Louise, Danny and Allen from Vineyard Church, and of course St Paul’s Church whose generous donation helped subsidise the event. We are so grateful to each and every one of you! And finally, we are so grateful to God for the vision for this day and for helping us bring it all to fruition and with such success.

This was the verse God gave me as we prayed on the morning of the conference, and we will continue to pray it as we plan for our Leadership Conference in 2024!

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us and establish the work of our hands for us; Yes, establish the work of our hands. Psalm 90:17

Amy