Renew Oxford June 2022

On Saturday 18th June, over 100 Christians from 20 churches in Oxford gathered for our first Renew Oxford event. Through a range of talks, interviews and breakout groups – all accompanied with prayer – we explored three key questions:

What is? What are the needs of our city, and how are churches currently making a difference?
What could be? What might be possible if we worked together and prayed together for the good of our city?
What will be? How can we develop a vision for our sector and our city? And what next steps is God asking us to take?

All the talks from the conference are now available, so click below to find the videos and accompanying resources.

Watch the videos from renew oxford 2022

In the coming weeks and months we will begin forming some plans for next steps, and will have information to share about some future events and initiatives. The best way to stay up to date is to join our Facebook page, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Here’s a short video, containing some highlights of the day:

Main Speakers

Our keynote speakers for Renew Oxford 2022 were:

Dr Russell Rook, OBE

Russell is a social entrepreneur and co-founder of the Good Faith Partnership, which brings together leaders from faith, politics, charity and commerce to incubate innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems. He has helped churches work with the government to resettle refugees, advance international religious freedom, launch YourNeighbour.org and deliver the ChurchWorks Commission for Covid Recovery.

Joy Johnston

Joy is a Senior Civil Servant, responsible for Volunteering and Tackling Loneliness in the Civil Society and Youth directorate at Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). She has held various volunteer roles in charities, including as a trustee, debt adviser, youth worker and church leader.

Marvin Rees

His election as Mayor in 2016 made Bristol the first major European city to have a Mayor of black African heritage. Marvin has declared Bristol a City of Hope, built on ambition, inclusion and social justice, themes that have featured prominently in his previous roles for Tearfund, Black Development Agency, and NHS Bristol’s Public Health team, Delivering Race Equality in Mental Health.

Lloyd Cooke

Lloyd is the Chief Executive of Saltbox, a charity in Stoke-on-Trent that facilitates partnership between churches, the public sector, and voluntary and community sectors. He is a national advisor for the Gather Movement and has previously been a national advisor for the Cinnamon Network. He is also a Methodist lay preacher, and chair of the Lichfield Cathedral Council.

Sheridan Voysey

Sheridan Voysey is an author, broadcaster, and regular presenter of Pause for Thought on BBC Radio 2’s Zoe Ball Breakfast Show. He is the author of eight books, including The Making of Us: Who We Can Become When Life’s Doesn’t Go as Planned, and his next multi-platform project, Friendship Lab, will explore the art and science of forming and deepening adult friendship.

Other contributors

In addition to our main speakers, we heard interviews and updates from a range of contributors, representing different sectors of city life, including: