Christian Conference Trust partners with Church Mission Society to provide a safe space for their workers to gather for fellowship and renewal.
They came away saying they felt rested, spiritually built up, and reset for the challenging contexts they were returning to.
Church Mission Society (CMS) believes that the edges are often where Jesus is already at work: among marginalised communities, beyond familiar expressions of church, and outside our own comfort zones. Across 45 countries, its people and partners serve in places shaped by conflict, poverty, isolation, and profound change.
That calling brings stories of hope and transformation, but it also carries a cost. When CMS brought mission partners from more than 15 countries together for its People in Mission Spring Conference at Highgate House, the gathering offered something that can be difficult to find in the midst of demanding ministry: time to rest, pray, listen, and be strengthened by one another.
We spoke with Laura Hayes from Church Mission Society about life at the edges, the importance of gathering in person, and what people carried home with them afterwards.
Laura Hayes, Fundraising and Communications Director at Church Mission Society.
A mission shaped at the edges
We don’t just need food; we need peace inside.
For CMS, the “edges” are not an abstract idea. They are real places, communities, and personal callings. Laura described three dimensions: the edges of society, where CMS works alongside refugees, people affected by conflict, and other marginalised groups; the edges of the existing church, where pioneers are reimagining what church can look like; and the edges of personal comfort, where following Jesus may involve danger, uncertainty, or sacrifice.
“We think the edges are where Jesus is calling us. God is already working there; we are simply joining in with where God is going.”
One story currently being carried by CMS comes from Lebanon. Against a backdrop of military conflict and widespread displacement, local churches and volunteers have remained alongside communities facing trauma and grief. One person, given the name Jad to protect his identity, has helped provide emergency supplies while continuing to share the hope of Jesus.
Taken in Beirut, Lebanon.
His words capture both the immediate need and the deeper longing at the heart of the work: “We don’t just need food; we need peace inside.”
CMS does not see mission as a quick intervention. Its aim is to nurture long-term movements, strengthen local churches and empower leaders who understand their own communities. That patient work can be deeply rewarding, but it can also be personally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically demanding.
“We are here to build the church and build the kingdom, and that takes time. We are looking for long-term transformation, not short, quick fixes.”
What people needed when they gathered
It is a critical necessity for us to gather people physically.
Some CMS mission partners serve in remote or isolated settings. Others live alongside communities where electricity, safe housing, or basic security can’t be taken for granted. Coming together at Highgate House gave them a marked change of pace and environment; a place where the practical details were cared for and they could concentrate on one another and on God.
A CMS worker in the Khlong Toei Slum within Bangkok, Thailand.
Laura said the gathering centred on three needs: communal solidarity, mutual encouragement, and most importantly, spiritual restoration. Alongside structured learning, the programme included morning and evening prayer, testimony, creative reflection, and one-to-one support from trauma-care volunteers.
“It is a critical necessity for us to gather people physically: to pray, to network, and to process what we have been through. We want to make sure the Holy Spirit runs throughout the programme.”
The atmosphere often changed during times of prayer, when people stood to share how they had seen God at work. Strategies and administration had their place, but testimonies shifted the focus back to the shared spiritual life beneath the work.
Laura recalled hearing about a young woman in Thailand who had been struggling with severe alcohol problems. After being welcomed into the home of CMS mission partners John and Elise and hearing their story of Jesus, she came to faith in an extraordinarily difficult setting.
“When we hear from the ground how lives are being transformed by Jesus, that is when it really comes alive.”
The conversations that cannot be scheduled
Some of the most valuable conference moments happened away from the formal programme. Around the dining table, people who had never met before found themselves sharing experiences that would have been difficult to uncover in a planned online meeting.
Laura remembered sitting with Alison, who had served in a church in Ukraine for ten years. She heard first-hand how life and ministry had changed during the war, and how Alison was supporting soldiers returning from the front line through mission and chaplaincy. Even something as simple as maintaining a regular rhythm of prayer could become a significant challenge in a conflict zone.
“These informal moments happen when you are together in conversation. When we are with people personally, there are insights you can pick up that you probably would not get on a Zoom meeting.”
Alison in Ukraine.
For Laura, whose UK-based work involves helping to tell the story of CMS, listening matters. Time at Highgate House meant sitting with brothers and sisters serving on the front line, hearing the detail of their everyday faithfulness and understanding their experiences more fully.
The residential setting also created a safe space for honesty. People could speak not only about progress and answered prayer, but about weariness, uncertainty, and situations that had not gone as hoped. With specialist support available, they were free to be vulnerable without needing to hold everything together.
“People can talk about vulnerability. They can talk about where we have failed, or where something is not going well, and name that in a safe space. People get weary; we have to be honest and authentic.”
A setting that quietly supports the purpose
They came away saying they felt rested, spiritually built up, and reset for the challenging contexts they were returning to.
For CMS, choosing a venue was about finding the right balance: high standards without unnecessary extravagance, flexibility without intrusion, and a setting suitable for mission partners as well as visiting supporters. Laura said the quality of the experience at Highgate House allowed the practical side of the conference to run almost unnoticed in the background.
“You make sure we are looked after really well, but it all runs in the background without us even noticing. You provide that safe structure for us.”
That matters because small practical problems can quickly draw attention away from the reason people have gathered. CMS wanted its people to be free to focus on Jesus, the Holy Spirit, theology, mission, and one another. Comfortable accommodation, good food, attentive service, and flexibility were not the purpose of the event, but they helped protect it.
“We don’t want to be distracted. We want to focus on mission, on Jesus, on the Holy Spirit, on our theology, and on our people.”
Returning rested and renewed
By the end of the conference, people were ready to return to very different contexts across the world. They had encountered new perspectives, heard from theologians & fellow practitioners, built relationships, and been reminded that CMS is not simply an institution but an active movement listening for where God is leading.
“They came away saying they felt rested, spiritually built up, and reset for the challenging contexts they were returning to. We listen to God, and He challenges us to move more boldly and trust more deeply.”
The Spring Conference also gave CMS confidence to return on a larger scale. Next Summer, the organisation plans to bring its major biennial gathering to Highgate House, taking over the whole centre and welcoming people in mission from around the world.
For Laura, the hope is that the next gathering will honour those people with the same combination of rest, encouragement, honest conversation, and spiritual renewal, giving them energy for the work ahead and space to draw deeply on the Holy Spirit.
“Jesus’ message does not change,” she said. “It still brings hope, love and transformation, in any context.”
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