AIF's 40th and Final Weekend at the Hayes

Melanie Carroll • October 21, 2025

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...

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Happy New Year! January —The Courage to Begin Again

By Melanie Carroll • January 1, 2026

JANUARY — The Courage to Begin Again January is a month often framed by fresh starts, renewed hopes, and the desire to step into the year with intention. For many interchurch families, however, the idea of “beginning again” is not simply about turning the page on a calendar; it is a rhythm woven into their very way of life. Interchurch families live at the intersection of traditions, expectations, and identities. As a result, the courage to begin again is not seasonal — it is habitual. Yet January gives us an opportunity to name that courage, honour it, and recognise the spiritual depth it carries. Beginning again may be as practical as shifting Sunday worship patterns because a child’s schedule has changed, or as emotional as revisiting conversations about belonging that have long been sources of tension. It may involve addressing unresolved experiences from last year — a moment when a priest or minister misunderstood your family dynamic, or when extended family expressed opinions about your choices to raise your children in both traditions. For some, beginning again may be choosing to return to church life after a season of being stretched thin or feeling spiritually exhausted. The idea of “courage” can sound dramatic, but for interchurch families it is often quiet, steady, and almost unnoticed. It is the courage of showing up in a church that is yours but not fully yours. It is the courage of continuing to pray for unity when you feel the strain of disunity most sharply. It is the courage of teaching children that they are not divided but doubly enriched, even when the world struggles to understand that reality. January invites us to reflect on the difference between courage as a moment and courage as a practice. A single moment of bravery can be powerful, but interchurch life asks for something more: a patient, ongoing willingness to step forward, again and again, even when the way is uncertain. Beginning again in this context is not naïve optimism; it is a spiritual discipline rooted in hope. For many interchurch families, hope is what sustains the courage to begin again. Hope that the churches we love will continue to grow closer. Hope that our children will be able to live out their faith identities freely and fully. Hope that our own callings — lay or ordained, formal or informal — will be recognised and supported in both of our traditions. January reminds us that these hopes need tending, and tending requires courage. Scripturally, we often turn to passages that speak of new beginnings — “Behold, I am doing a new thing” or “His mercies are new every morning.” But for interchurch families, it may be equally valuable to reflect on the stories where God’s people must take small, faithful steps into uncertain territory. Abraham setting out “not knowing where he was going.” Peter stepping onto the water with trembling confidence. The disciples returning again to the upper room to pray and wait when they did not know what God would do next. These moments resonate deeply with interchurch experience. Beginning again is not about control; it is about trust. It is about trusting God with your family’s decisions, your children’s spirituality, and your own dual belonging. It is about trusting that unity is not only a prayer but a promise — one that will unfold over time, even if we do not yet see the full picture. January also encourages us to reflect on the internal dimension of beginning again. Many interchurch families carry memories of past experiences — some beautiful, some painful. The courage to begin again includes the courage to forgive, to heal, to remain open. Unity in the home requires unity of heart, and unity of heart requires the bravery to keep loving generously across difference. Perhaps you find yourself this January feeling hopeful, or perhaps tired. Perhaps you are longing for clarity about church commitments, or simply grateful for the stability your family has found. Whatever this year begins with for you, hear this blessing: Your courage is seen. Your hope is holy. Your faithfulness is part of the very story of Christian unity that the whole Church longs for. As we enter 2026, may you find the gentle strength to begin again — not because January demands it, but because God is already ahead of you on the path, welcoming you into the year with grace. Melanie Carroll - Executive Officer

A Christmas & New Year Prayer

By Melanie Carroll • January 1, 2026

Eternal God, at Christmas we give you thanks for the gift of your Son, born among us to bring light into the world and to draw all people into your reconciling love. As the Association of Interchurch Families, we come before you as those who live daily across Christian traditions, seeking to hold together faith, family, and unity in Christ. We give thanks for the churches and friends who walk alongside us, support us, and share in this calling. At this turning of the year, we pray that the light of Christ, first seen in the manger, may continue to shape our shared life. Grant to your Church and all people a generosity of spirit, patience in difference, and a deepened commitment to the unity we share through birth and baptism. As one year ends and another begins, renew our common resolve to listen well, to learn from lived experience, and to bear faithful witness together to the truth that unity in Christ does not require uniformity, but is grounded in Love. May the joy and hope of Christmas remain with us in the year ahead, strengthening our partnerships, guiding our discernment, and drawing us ever more deeply into your peace. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, the Word made flesh, the light of the world, now and for ever. Amen.