Farewell to Swanwick: AIF’s 40th and Final Weekend at The Hayes

The weekend of the 10th-12th October 2025 marked a momentous occasion for the Association of Interchurch Families (AIF). For forty years, The Hayes Conference Centre at Swanwick has been the spiritual and communal home for the Association’s annual weekend. This year’s gathering was both a celebration and a farewell — the 40th AIF weekend at Swanwick, and also the last one to be held there; and the theme of Nicaea, invited deep reflection on how the early church still speaks into the lives of interchurch families today — families who embody, in daily life, the hope of Christian unity.

Forty Years at Swanwick – An Ending and a Beginning

For decades, The Hayes has offered not only hospitality but also a sense of belonging. The familiar rooms, long dining tables, and tree-lined paths have witnessed countless conversations, worship, tears, laughter, and new friendships across denominational lines.

As one participant put it, “Swanwick feels like part of our story — the backdrop to our becoming a community.”

This year, the atmosphere was rich with gratitude and gentle sorrow. Saying farewell to The Hayes felt like closing a well-loved chapter. Yet, as in all endings, there was also the quiet stir of anticipation — of wondering what the next chapter might hold for AIF gatherings and for the families who continue to shape its future.

Exploring Nicaea – Unity, Diversity, and Shared Faith

The choice of Nicaea as this year’s theme was striking. The Council of Nicaea (325 CE) stands as a defining moment in Christian history — when representatives of a divided church sought to articulate a shared confession of faith.

For interchurch families, this ancient story resonates strongly. The questions that faced the bishops of Nicaea — about unity, difference, and the language of faith — are echoed in the lived experience of couples and families navigating life between traditions.

What does it mean to confess “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” when your family worships in two denominations? How do you live the creed when its words are shared but its expressions differ?

Throughout the weekend, participants wrestled with these questions — connecting theological reflection to the daily practice of interchurch life.

Our Speakers: Revd Dr Jennifer Cooper and Revd Prof Mark Chapman

The theological input came from two distinguished and engaging speakers.

•             Revd Dr Jennifer Cooper brought warmth, depth, and accessibility, using the running themes of Stability, Unity and Pilgrimage  helped participants connect complex doctrines to the ordinary patterns of interchurch living. She explored how the Nicene faith — particularly its understanding of relationship and communion — speaks powerfully into the experience of shared but sometimes divided faith within families.

•             Revd Prof Mark Chapman offered rich historical and theological insight, tracing how the decisions and debates of Nicaea have shaped Christian thought and unity ever since. He invited reflection on how creeds can be both a source of unity and, at times, of tension — and how interchurch families, in their lived witness, can help reimagine that unity today, as their part of 'the step on the way' that are the Creeds..

Together they grounded the weekend in thoughtful theology while opening imaginative and pastoral pathways forward.

Generations of Interchurch Life – The YAG Legacy

One of the most moving and hopeful aspects of this year’s weekend was the presence of two adults who had grown up in the Association of Interchurch Families, returning as part of the community that first helped shape their faith. Both had been part of the Young AIF (YAG) group in their teenage years, and their contributions brought depth, memory, and fresh insight.

They spoke candidly about how being raised in interchurch households had shaped their faith — how they learned to pray, to question, and to hold multiple traditions with respect and affection. Even now, as adults who may worship within a single denomination, both shared that they continue to feel interchurch: carrying within themselves a sense of belonging to more than one tradition.

Their reflections reminded the community that being interchurch is not only a matter for couples, but a lifelong identity and inheritance. The children of interchurch families carry forward a unique ecumenical gift — one that could shape the future of Christian unity in subtle but profound ways.

As one of them observed, “It doesn’t stop with our parents’ marriage — being interchurch becomes part of who we are.”

Stories of a third YAG member highlighted how for some Interchurch Children they continue to worship within multiple churches, seeing no favour in choosing just one - their tradition and faith choice is indeed ecumenical and Interchurch, and this was reflected too by the Executive Officer of AIF who is herself from an Interchurch family and also lives out that rich heritage.

Their presence at this final Swanwick weekend felt deeply symbolic: a reminder that the AIF story continues through new generations, who embody the unity that others have long prayed and worked for.

Worship, Conversation, and Farewell

The weekend blended reflection and worship, learning and community.

•             Small groups explored different aspects of the Nicene Creed, considering how ancient affirmations might find new life in interchurch homes.

•             Times of prayer drew on varied traditions — celebrating unity in diversity.

•             Shared meals and quiet conversations wove together a tapestry of memory and belonging.

 A closing act of worship and reflection offered space for gratitude and hope.

 Many voiced thanks for what Swanwick had given, alongside trust that the same Spirit who has gathered AIF here for forty years will go ahead into whatever comes next.

Looking Ahead – Carrying the Spirit Forward

As the Association looks toward new venues and new patterns of gathering, the spirit of Swanwick remains. Its legacy is not confined to a location but lives on in the relationships, faith, and imagination of interchurch families themselves.

The weekend’s conversations suggested a renewed sense of purpose:

•             To keep creating spaces of belonging for those who live faith across traditions.

•             To continue theological reflection rooted in real family life.

•             To ensure that future generations, like those returning YAG members, find encouragement and a community that understands their unique experience.

Final Thoughts

The 40th AIF Weekend at Swanwick was both a celebration of all that has been and a commissioning for all that will be. The Council of Nicaea called the early church to discern its unity amid diversity; Interchurch families live that same challenge daily, in love and in hope.

As AIF moves on from The Hayes, the prayer remains the same — that in our shared life, our differences might become gifts, and that together we may reflect something of the deep, reconciling love at the heart of the creed we still dare to say:

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth...