John Pritchard retired as Bishop of Oxford in October 2014. Previously he was Bishop of Jarrow, Archdeacon of Canterbury and Warden of Cranmer Hall, Durham. His only ambition was to be a vicar, which he was in Taunton for eight happy years. Writer of many popular and practical books including The Intercessions Handbook, How to Explain Your Faith and How to Pray.
President of St Mellitus College and Bishop of Kensington. Graham was a curate in Exeter, Chaplain of Jesus College Oxford, and tutor in Historical Theology at Wycliffe Hall, where he eventually became Vice Principal. In 2005 he helped found St Paul’s Theological Centre, which is now part of St Mellitus College. He mainly teaches historical theology, particularly specialising in the Patristic and Reformation periods. Author of many articles and several books, including The Power of the Cross , The Provocative Church and Spiritual Fitness: Christian Character in a Consumer Culture.
A former officer in the Royal Engineers who served in Cyprus and in the Territorial Army before he was ordained as a priest and has been appointed Principal of St Padarn’s Institute, a new centre for ministry training in Wales. A senior reviewer of theological education institutions for the Church of England House of Bishops and has been a lecturer in New Testament at St Mellitus College. As a Vicar Dr Duff founded and chaired Widnes Street Pastors. Dr Duff’s journey from soldier to academic began 25 years ago when he left the regulars to study Maths and Theology at Cambridge University. Following graduation, he transferred to Oxford University where he obtained a Masters and a Doctorate in Theology.
Rev David Runcorn has worked variously as a writer, speaker, theological teacher, retreat leader and spiritual guide. He is the author of a number of books including The Spirituality Workbook – a guide for pilgrims, explorers and seekers and Fear and Trust – God-centred leadership. He presently works as a Director of Ordinands and Warden of Readers in the Diocese of Gloucester. His lecture will be based on his Grove booklet by the same name.
Casey Strine received his DPhil from the University of Oxford in 2011; the book emerging from his thesis was awarded the Manfred Lautenschläger Award for Theological Promise in 2015. Casey Strine joined the University of Sheffield in 2013 as Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow and in 2016 became Lecturer in Ancient Near Eastern History and Literature. Strine studies the history, literature, and cultures of the ancient Near East (the area now known as the Middle East) with a specialization in ancient Israel and Judah, the two societies that produced the texts known to most as the Old Testament. He is currently working on a book that interprets the ancestral narrative in Genesis 12–50 by looking at the involuntary migrations experiences by all its main characters.
Gillian Hovell is an ancient historian and an archaeologist. She previously worked at BBC Television and is an award-winning freelance writer, author, and public speaker, specializing in archaeology and ancient history. Gillian is actively involved in digs at major sites in the UK and abroad, and she also regularly lectures across the United Kingdom. Gillian graduated in Latin and Ancient History from Exeter University. She looks forward to sharing how archaeological finds and sites are full of human life and passion, and that history and archaeology are not just about the past; they’re everywhere, and they add colour, depth and meaning to our lives and faith today.
There is more information available on Gillian’s website,