Europe Conference and Global Gathering 2022 – Spain

Who doesn’t need help for the church-planting journey? Paul did according to Romans 15. He wrote the whole epistle to persuade the Roman church to provide just that help. And as we meditate on the gospel in Romans we hope that we will all be helped in the next step in our church-planting journey.

We will also help and be helped by each other as we encourage one another. And we are delighted to extend a welcome to the rest of our global family who will be attending in good numbers to express our deep solidarity and love in our global network. We will be offering many practical opportunities to develop mutually beneficial partnerships between our member churches.

EVENT SCHEDULE

Monday, 16 May

Pre-conference Retreat for Acts 29 Europe member and candidate churches

Pre-conference arrival and hotel check-in*

15:00-16:00 Drinks and snacks in foyer

Freetime 

19:00 Dinner**

Tuesday, 17 May

7:00-8:00 Breakfast

8:30-10:00 Europe Network members meeting (Part 1) 

10:00-10:30 Break

10.30-12:00 Europe Network members meeting (Part 2)

13:00 Lunch**

Main Conference begins

Main conference arrival and hotel check-in* 

14:30-16:00 Session 1

16:00-16:30 Break

16:30-18:00 Session 2

19:00 Dinner

Wednesday, 18 May

7:00-8:00 Breakfast

8:30-10:00 Session 3

10:00-10:30 Break

10:30-12:00 Session 4

13:00 Lunch

14:30-16:00 Session 5

16:00-16:30 Break

16:30-18:00 Session 6

19:00 Dinner

Thursday, 19 May

7:00-8:00 Breakfast

8:30-10:00 Session 7

10:00-11:00 Break (and check out before 11:00)

11:00-12:30 Session 8

13:00 Final lunch for all

14:00 Depart or stay on

*Hotel notice: All guests checking in before 15:00 will be accommodated according to availability

** Included for those who registered for the pre-conference

SPEAKERS

VP for Global Networks & Europe Network Director

PHILIP MOORE

Philip Moore is married to Rachel and they have 5 children. In 2006 Phillip moved to France to pastor a church in the Paris area. Since then, by God’s grace, the church has planted 3 daughter churches and trained and sent a couple to plant a church in the centre of Paris.
Europe Network Lead Team (Central Europe Regional Lead)

TOMÁŠ HENŽEL

Tomáš is married to Silvia and they have 3 children. He is a bi-vocational church planter in Slovakia. After replanting in Nitra, their family is planting out to Bratislava since the Summer of 2018. Tomáš leads a small network of planters in Slovakia longing to see Christ's glory imaged in many new churches in the region.
Pastor of Gracemount Community Church, Edinburgh, Scotland

ANDY PRIME

Andy Prime is pastor of Gracemount Community Church in Gracemount, Edinburgh.
The church is a plant from Niddrie Community Church, part of 20schemes and members with Acts29. Andy is married to Sarah and they have a son named Reuben.
Interesting fact: Sol Fenne, one of Andy's elders, leads the 20schemes band that will lead our times of praise at the conference.
Europe Network Lead Team (Iberian Peninsula Lead)

ALBERTO PUENTE NAVARRO

Alberto is married to Ashley and they have four children. He was born in Spain, but his family moved to the United States during his teen years. He and his brother, Francisco, planted Iglesia Bautista Fe de Sevilla in 2012 and he now serves as one of the pastors of the church.

LOCATION

Alicante, Spain

Grand Luxor Hotel
Partida del Moralet s/N
03502 Benidorm

Accommodation choices

All those attending the conference will stay at the Grand Luxor resort. We have made a large group reservation and negotiated the best rates possible.

Hotel

Prices per person, per night. Includes buffet breakfast, wifi and gym.

Ideal for those who want their own room, couples staying together, and those travelling alone who want to share to keep costs down.

  • € 50 Triple (Sharing in 1 bedroom with 2 small beds and a sofa bed)
  • € 65 Twin (Sharing in 1 bedroom with 2 small beds for 2 people)
  • € 65 double (Sharing in 1 bedroom 1 large bed for 2 people)
  • € 110 Single (sole occupancy of 1 double bedroom)

Villas

Prices per villa, per night. Includes buffet breakfast, wifi and gym.

Ideal for groups of 3 or more people who would like to keep costs down by staying together and sharing the cost between themselves.

  • € 160 Villa 4 persons: 2 twin bedrooms + 2 bathrooms + pool
  • € 180 Villa 5-6 persons: 1 double bedrooms + 2 twin bedroom + 2 bathroom

REGISTRATION

Pre-conference Retreat

Free for Europe Member and Candidate Churches

includes all meals and breaks during the pre-conference time

Main conference registration fee is:
€ 140 per person

includes all meals and breaks from 15:00 Tuesday until Lunch on Thursday and entrance to the main conference. It DOES NOT include accommodation.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do I need to be vaccinated?

On arrival, you must be able to provide evidence of either 1) a negative test, 2) vaccination or 3) recovered status. This applies to all persons 12 years of age and older. A lab test (PCE,PoC-PCR) us accepted as proof for having recovered from coronavirus, provided that the test os at least 28 days old and not older than 6 months. The full vaccination must have been received at least 14 days before arrival.

What other covid measures will be in place?

As we will have people travelling to Spain from all over the world, we want to do all we can to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus. Therefore in accordance with national and hotel regulations, all guests will be required to wear mask while inside in public areas. When seated to eat, masks may be removed but should be worn when moving around the restaurant. For more information read these 10 tips for enjoying your hotel stay safely and keep yourself up to date with the currently regulations in Spain as well as your country of departure and the countries you will transit through.

Do I need a visa to travel to Spain?

Whether you need a visa or not will depend on your nationality. Please check here to find out if you need a Schengen tourist Visa. Americans can currently enter Spain visa-free. If you do, we can provide you with an official letter of invitation. Please contact Ronell King as soon as possible. The whole visa process can take several weeks so please let us know ASAP.

Where is the nearest airport and how do I get from the airport to the hotel?

The nearest airport is Alicante–Elche Miguel Hernández Airport. It has the airport code ALC. The hotel is approx 40 min from the airport. A shuttle service will be available at peak times. This will incur an additional cost. We will inform you in due course about the cost and how you can reserve a seat. Taxis are available at the airport throughout the day, while the Alsa bus to Benidorm is available from 06:00 to 23:00. The cheapest option is to take the bus to Benidorm, and to take a short taxi journey from there to the Grand Luxor hotel (approx. 12 €). More info here.

Which meals are included in the price?

The 140€ conference fee includes all meals and breaks during the main conference. Starting with the afternoon coffee break on Tuesday and ending with lunch on Thursday. For every night you stay over the breakfast is included for the next day.

Can I come earlier to the conference or stay on?

Yes! The special rates that Acts 29 have negotiated for bed and breakfast are guaranteed from the Friday 13 – Friday 20 May. Please note that in the hotel this applies to reservations for the whole room and with the villas it applies to the whole villa. To get these rates, you must book through the Acts 29 booking page.

What weather can I expect and is there a dress code?

The average high temperature in May is 22ºC (71.6° Fahrenheit). We have no specific dress code at the conference. Most of the indoor spaces will be air-conditioned. Wear what you feel comfortable in. At evening dinner – please no beach wear.

Do I have to stay at the same hotel?

We have chosen this specific location in Spain because it allows a group our size to have accommodation and meetings in the one place. Our research has shown that the majority of people come to the conference to be able to network and meet up with other like-minded people. Staying over in the same place as we have the meetings is intended to facilitate this kind of networking.

The cost is still quite high for me, is there help available?

Yes! Scroll below to the section called sponsorship and fill in the form to apply for help.

Can I make a donation to help others attend the conference?

Yes! You can either scroll down to the sponsorship section and click on the link to make a donation using PayPal OR you can add a donation at the end of the booking process.

Is there a children’s programme?

Typically, we do not encourage young children to come to our conferences. If you are travelling with a baby, please let us know during the registration process so we can prepare your room accordingly.

Is the theme park open when we are there?

Due to the pandemic, the Terra Mítica theme park is currently closed. Guests do however have free access to the neighbouring Mundomar animal park.

Will there be books for sale?

*** Either Crossway or the Good Book Company ***

Are there any additional charges I should be aware of?

As we are a large group and in order to facilitate a quicker check-in and check-out, you will not be able to charge anything to your room. Additional drinks or meals purchased will have to be paid for at the time of purchase using a credit card. The Spa is not included. Entrance is €25 per Adult.

What is your cancellation policy?

A full refund will be given for bookings cancelled before 20 February 2022. Bookings cancelled between 21 Feb – 20 Mar will be given a 50% refund. Any cancellations made after 20 March cannot be refunded but the option will be given to donate your reservation to someone else. All cancellations will incur a 10 € admin fee.

In case of full cancellation by the hotel, all payments (minus transaction fees) will be reimbursed.

Should the worldwide covid situation deteriorate and it becomes apparent that the majority of booked guests cannot travel, we will work with the hotel to find an alternative date. All reservations will then carry over to the new date.

Registration will close on 5 May 2022

What if my flights are cancelled?

Travelling during this time with a global pandemic is challenging for us all. Guests, event organisers and hotels are all trying to minimise the risk of losing money. We therefore recommend that you take out travel insurance that will reimburse you if for whatever reason you are unable to travel.

Sponsorship

We want to make the conference accessible for as many planters and teams in Europe as possible. For some the cost is still very high and if that is you, we would like to all we can to help. To apply for a reduction on the cost of attending the conference, please fill in the form “Request Sponsorship”.

If you would like to give to this project, your gift will be used were most needed. Thank you!

We trust your question has been answered in the FAQs above. For all other enquires, please email Ronell King (Global Liaison and Events Organiser)
Email Ronell

Ronell King