Ministers’ Conferences (1982–‘86)
The Downs Bible Week was our main conference in the 80s but we also hosted other conferences for particular groups. Ministers’ conferences were held for church leaders from across the streams and denominations to explore some of the issues which God was impressing upon us around the topics of 
restoration in the church, Ephesians 4 ministries and so on. Our heart was to help equip the wider body of Christ and these conferences helped many leaders gain fresh vision. Some even said they were ‘ruined’ now that they had seen the beauty of what the restored church should be; their ministries were transformed.
Leaders and Twenties (1986-’88)
Other gatherings were more ‘in-house’ such as the Leaders’ and Twenties’ conferences held at the Pontins holiday camp in Camber (whose beach featured in the film Chariots of Fire!). One memorable prophecy was brought in 1989 through Alun Davies. God showed him truths for every decadal generation ending with ‘those in their crowning years’. This resulted Alun and June launching a highly effective and influential ministry ‘Crowning Years’, primarily in UK but also in India, which served the older generation and mobilised them to be active in mission. The prophetic has always been an important part of who we are, but more about this in another blog.
John Wimber
Late in 1984 Terry travelled to Mexico. Shortly before going a friend of ours, Geoff Shearn, then working for Kingsway Music, urged Terry to get to know John Wimber as he felt he was a man with a similar heart. So Terry travelled to Mexico via Anaheim in California in order to meet with John at the Vineyard Church which he had planted and was leading. Shortly after that meeting we received a phone call from California asking if someone could come and discuss the conference being planned at the Brighton Conference Centre. What conference? It seems that after Terry left John told his staff that he wanted to bless Terry and his stream of churches so instructed them to phone the BCC to see if there was a vacancy in the calendar during which he could hold a conference there. And so, in 1985, a friendship began with John that was rich and equipping when he held a conference ‘Healing in the Church’, a ministry that John himself had tenaciously pursued with God until he saw breakthrough and people being healed. He was now passionate to equip the church more widely to do the same.
It was a privilege to be alongside this humble man who was so far removed from the caricature of the American TV Christian celebrity. He called himself ‘just a little fat man going to heaven’! I found his attitude to money particularly refreshing (remembering he was American!). He refused to take any personal gifts since, he told me, he had seen too many ministries ship-wrecked through the lure of money.
He visited us on five occasions, each time filling the Conference Centre to its 4,500 capacity: 1985 Healing in the Church, 1986 Teach us to Pray, 1987 Evangelism, 1988 Spiritual Warfare, 1989 Worship. We also had the privilege of running conferences for him at the Docklands Arena in London, and at the Harrogate Conference Centre. Each time he would bring a large team who would help minister at the end of each session – he expected to see the Holy Spirit manifest himself in power. These teams also visited about 20 churches over the following weekend for mini-conferences.
We are so grateful to God for the friendship which grew with John. He had a great impact on the church in the UK both by what he taught and demonstrated but also by helping break down walls of suspicion between the streams and denominations.
The EGG Tour (1989-’90)
When God told us to close Downs at Plumpton in 1988 he told us to ‘take the Downs to the nation’. What did that mean? We felt the message of grace was key so for 18 months we ran the EGG (Enjoying God’s Grace) tour to 16 cities in the UK. These were a great blessing to thousands as not only did they enjoy Downs-style worship but also learnt the important doctrinal truths around living by grace rather than law. You can listen to the equivalent teaching here. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.
Leaders Conferences
In 1990 we began to hold bi-annual Leaders Conferences at the Brighton Conference Centre, but I will introduce these when we begin to move into the 90s.
Next time we will look at some of the impact of our regular leadership times of Prayer and Fasting that were also launched in the 80s.