28 Feb - 2 March 2025
Jamie Grant
Our speaker for 2025 is Jamie Grant. He is vice principal and lecturer in Biblical Studies at Highland Theological College. He has written widely but his commitment to Scotland doesn’t bring him south of the border very often.
He is passionate for the scriptures and has been key in establishing a university and seminary serving the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Jamie seeks to play his part in equipping the church with leaders at all levels who long to see the church strengthened, reaching people for the gospel and glorifying God.
Jamie will be bringing a word of encouragement to our next Men of the Dales weekend:
“How does one find hope in the midst of lament? This is not an easy question to answer constructively. It is much easier to express how one does not – or at least should not – resort to finding a superficial substitute for hope in dark circumstances. The Christian believer should not move from lament to hope quickly or lightly or unthinkingly or out of the crushingly stupid social pressure to be “fine” because anything other than “fine” is somehow a failure of faith. There is hope to be found in and from lament … but we find it carefully, thoughtfully and through theological honesty.”
10 - 12 Nov 2023
Ian Paul
Blogger, gardener & teacher
Ian started his working life with Mars Confectionery in Slough. Later he trained for full time ministry at St John's college in Nottingham and after a period of parish ministry has been involved in teaching and wrestling with the big issues ever since.
Ian is best known as the author of the Psephizo blog and as a speaker at many conferences including New Wine , The Keswick Convention & Spring Harvest. Ian is also the director of publishing at Grove Books.
​
And as he states on his blog he loves spending time in his garden and eating chocolate & cake (who doesn't!!).
25 - 27 March 2022
Nick Moore
Theologian, linguist & all -round nice chap
​
Grown up in Durham, worked in France, met his wife in Paris and now back in Durham teaching newbies how to wear the collars the wrong way around.
Nick is a senior theologian at Cranmer Hall in Durham. But don't let that put you off. His wife will tell you that nobody notices he is clever at all!!
1 - 3 February 2019
Mark Tanner
Pastor, biker, bishop (but don't tell anyone), mathematician and our main speaker
​
Maths may not be at the centre of most peoples lives but it has been an important part of Mark's journey. A love of Jesus and Maths took Mark to Oxford where he also met his lovely wife, Lindsay and from then on his path was set...
​
Youth work in the church followed quickly by ordination (and marriage) meant that Mark has been able to follow his passion for serving the church and sharing Jesus. A curacy on the Wirral was followed by time serving as a vicar in both Doncaster and Ripon (heading north all the time), this was followed by 5 years as warden at St John's College in Durham.
​
Following directly in the footsteps of Thomas Sparke, died 1572, Mark was consecrated Bishop of Berwick in October 2018 (they obviously had to wait a long time to find the right person).
​
When not being a bish' Mark is a regular rider for blood bikes and loves fiddling around with old land rovers, so, the easiest question to get Mark talking?
​
If you had a choice of a 1958 long wheel base Land Rover with a safari roof or 1982 GL500 Silver Wing which would it be?
​
Mark & Lindsay have two children, Jonathan and Pippa.
3 - 5 March 2017
Paul Blackham
Theologian, evangelist, really nice guy and our main speaker
​
Paul was born into an evangelical Christian home near Preston. "My Dad is a Methodist local preacher, and I followed in his footsteps, beginning to train as a local preacher when I was fourteen. As I grew up, I saw many people become Christians in our home, and this gave me a deep confidence in the power of the gospel".
​
Paul studied theology at Kings College London and did a PhD on the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in the writings of puritan writer and Congregationalist Thomas Goodwin. "I went with a conviction that the Word of God could not be out-argued or undermined so long as we begin and end with Christ Jesus."
​
Whilst finishing his PhD Paul also lectured in Greek and Hebrew and went along to Speakers Corner in London with his wife, Liz. Paul engaged with radical Muslim speakers and arguments against the Bible from every angle which further built his unshakeable trust in the power of the Word of God and of Jesus being at the centre of every page.
​
In 1995, Paul trained to be a Church of England minister at Oak Hill theological college, North London before joining All Souls Church, Langham Place, London as an Associate Minister (Theology). Paul is the author of the Book by Book teaching series which he co-hosts with Richard Bewes (formerly All Souls Langham Place) and is the Chief Executive of Biblical Frameworks.
​
In early 2008, Paul and his family moved to Lancashire, where he led an exciting church plant based around a farm shop, in the autumn of 2014 he moved to lead a new church plant in Neath, South Wales where he now lives and in the spring, 2017, Paul and his family will be moving to London to work on an exciting new church plant in the centre of London.
​
Paul and Liz have two sons, Jonathan and Paul and a daughter, Anna.