Mark is the pastor of Christ Church Bromley. Mark trained at Oak Hill College and has served in ministry in London, and a number of places across South East England. He is excited to spend the weekend with Redeemer Croydon!
Mark's talk theme will be '1 Thessalonians: The Dynamic Reality of Church Family Life'
Mark is married to Lucy and they have three children. He grew up in a nominally atheist home but became a Christian as a student thanks to simple, clear talks explaining who Jesus really was (something you never hear anywhere else) and experiencing a standout church community of genuine love that's so different to everywhere else. He's since been involved in church ministry and church planting for over 20 years in both central and suburban London. He's passionate for Londoners to know Christ and be nourished and grow both in faith and love. Mark is a fan of football, jazz and burgers, in no particular order.
Servants of the Word (SOW) is in its eighth year of running part-time classes for pastors, evangelists, children’s workers and others, attracting students from a wide range of ages and nationalities (The Gambia, Senegal, Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea and Sierra Leone). This sort of training is desperately uncommon in the whole of West Africa, so there is a wide and exciting potential impact that SOW can have.
Currently SOW can only run part-time classes in rented classrooms, which makes it hard for many to attend regularly. But they have a bold vision for the future: work is underway to develop a residential site from which they can offer full-time courses. The new campus in a strategic location for the whole west Africa region. Courses offered will continue to train people for bible-teaching ministries, focusing on preaching and discipleship.
Jake grew up in Surrey in a church-going family. His great-grandfather lived in Croydon though. In his teens, thanks to the witness of friends & family, some challenging teaching and even a vivid dream, he came to realise the immensity of what Jesus had achieved on the Cross for Him. He's married to Emily, they're both teachers and he enjoys reading and climbing among other pursuits. They also keep chickens and love to share organic fresh eggs with those around them. Ask for a box!
