Visitors
Currently our Visitors are:
The Most Revd and Rt Hon John Sentamu, Archbishop of York (Senior Visitor)
John Tucker Mugabi Sentamu was born into Uganda's Buffalo clan on the 10th June 1949. Encouraged by English missionaries and teachers, he graduated in law from Makerere University, Kampala and is an Advocate of the High Court of Uganda. He practised Law both at the Bar and at the Bench before he came to the UK in 1974.
He read theology at Selwyn College Cambridge where he gained a Masters Degree and a Doctorate. He trained for ordination at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, then part of the Cambridge Federation of Theological Colleges. Following his ordination in 1979 he served as Assistant Chaplain at Selwyn College, Cambridge. From 1979-1982 he was Chaplain at HM Remand Centre Lachmere House and Curate of St Andrew's, Ham in the Diocese of Southwark.
Between 1982 and 1996 he served in six parishes in London. He was appointed Bishop for Stepney in 1996, Bishop for Birmingham in 2002 and was elected Archbishop of York in 2005. He is Primate of England and Metropolitan, a member of the House of Lords and a Privy Councillor.
From 1997 to 1999, Dr Sentamu was Adviser to the Stephen Lawrence Judicial Inquiry and he chaired the Damilola Taylor Murder Review, 2002. He has been the chairman of the NHS Haemoglobinopathy Screening Programme since 2001. He supported and advised workers affected by the closure of the Rover car plant in Birmingham and campaigned against guns, knives, drugs and gangs throughout the Midlands, after the killings of Charlene Ellis and Letisha Shakespeare and worked hard to ensure that their killers are brought to trial. Between 2002 and 2004 he was Chairman of the EC1 New Deal. He became President of Youth for Christ in 2004 and President of the YMCA in April 2005.
Dr Sentamu is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. His interests include music, cooking, reading, athletics, rugby and football. He is married to Margaret, and they have two grown-up children, Grace and Geoffrey.
http://www.dioceseofyork.org.uk
The Revd Eddie Gibbs, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California
Eddie Gibbs was born in Nottingham, England and came to a personal faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord at the age of 16. He was ordained in the Church of England in 1962, serving in a parish in Wandsworth, London. A year prior to ordination he was married to Renee.
They served as missionaries in Chile for five years, after which they returned to England and Eddie worked for The South American Missionary Society, the British and Foreign Bible Society and Mission England. In 1984 he went to Fuller Seminary, Pasadena, California as Assistant Professor, and he taught on Church Growth and Evangelism. He is currently Senior Professor of Church Growth and Fuller’s Ambassador to the Church. He has conducted church growth, leadership and evangelism seminars throughout North America and in many parts of the world, including the UK, Scandinavia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. He has also written thirteen books.
Eddie and Renee have been married for forty-five years and have one son, three daughters and five grandchildren.
http://www.fuller.edu
Dr Kent Hunter, Lutheran Church Consultant / Missiologist
Kent R. Hunter is Founder and President of Church Doctor Ministries. He has served as a pastor in Michigan & Indiana USA, and South Australia. In the past 31 years, Kent has consulted with 1,400 churches from 62 denominations, fellowships, and movements. He has worked with urban, rural, and suburban churches. He is the author of 30 books on the subject of church health, vitality, and the effectiveness of the church. Kent says his reason for being on this earth is to help Christians and churches become more effective for the Great Commission, to make disciples of all peoples. His passion is to come alongside pastors and church leaders to provide encouragement, direction and focus, and to turn challenges into opportunities for mission through the local church.Kent lives on a certified tree farm in northeast Indiana with his wife, Janet. They have two grown children, Laura and Jon.
http://www.churchdr.org
David Coffey, President of the World Baptist Alliance
David Coffey was born in 1941. He made a public commitment of his faith to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour at a Billy Graham Campaign and was baptized on 3 May 1959. David was led to train as an ordained Baptist Minister with the Baptist Union of Great Britain in 1967. He has held many posts including President of the European Baptist Federation, President, National Director of Evangelism and General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain. He retired from this last post in July 2006 and during his service he encouraged churches to become missionary congregations fit for the mission of God in the 21st century. He is currently the President for the World Baptist Alliance and serves in this capacity until 2010. During this Presidency he has laid great emphasis on the need to identify and develop emerging leaders for the global Baptist movement. David also has a passion for issues of religious liberty and encourages Baptists to be a ‘voice for the voiceless’ and pray and campaign for the persecuted church. He has a strong commitment to preaching and bible teaching.
David has been married to his ‘best friend’ Janet for 41 years and they have two adult children, Niki and Philip and four grandchildren. He is an enthusiastic soccer fan, a keen musician and a member of the Elgar Society.
http://www.bwanet.org