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SPCK Authors At St Andrews Literature Festival
St Andrews Bookshop will be hosting their first ever annual Christian literature festival! We're thrilled that several of our authors will be speaking at the festival.
St Andrews Bookshop will be hosting their first ever annual Christian literature festival! We're thrilled that several of our authors will be speaking at the festival. Authors speaking are: Andy Bannister, Tola Doll Fisher, Simon Guillebaud, Bob Hartman, Claud Jackson, Paul Kerensa, Cathy Madavan, John McGinley, Rachael Newham, Amy Boucher Pye, Patrick Regan, and Lauren Windle.
Where: Great Missenden, the birthplace of St Andrews Bookshop
When: 21-22 June 2024
Speaking Events: To see the full programme of author talks, click here.
Scroll down to see information on all our author talks and how to book tickets.
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| June 22, 2024 | 11:00 am | High Street, Great Missenden |
Why do we find it so difficult to talk to our closest friends about what’s most important to us? Our true identity? Our hopes and dreams? Our true purpose and faith?
Andy Bannister struggled with that question himself. As a twentysomething, he operated as an Undercover Christian at his job. He knew it didn’t make sense, and he spent the following decades helping countless people find easy, natural ways to discuss the fundamental questions of life with the ones they love. Andy will be exploring:
– why you don’t need to be afraid or uncomfortable,
– the four questions that help people open up,
– the five steps to respond to tough questions,
– and how to effortlessly bring faith into a conversation.
It doesn’t need to be awkward. Let Andy help you find easy ways to talk about the true meaning of life with your friends and family.
Hosted by Andy Kind. Andy and Andy will discuss How to Talk About Jesus Without Looking Like an Idiot for around 30-40 minutes, afterwards there will be opportunity for Q&A and to buy books and have them signed by the author.
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| June 21, 2024 | 11:00 am | High Street, Great Missenden |
Join Tola Doll Fisher as she shares refreshingly candid stories from her own life, learning how to find joy in the messy, work-in-progress walk of (sometimes failing, but still standing) faith!
What do you do when life hasn’t turned out the way you expected? When it feels like everyone else has it together but you’re still figuring it out? And if God is meant to be your guide, why do you feel so lost? Tola Doll Fisher has asked these questions countless times and still doesn’t have the answers. But as she explains in this series of 100 ‘life lessons’ maybe that’s okay…
Hosted by Lauren Windle. Tola and Lauren will discuss Still Standing for around 30-40 minutes, afterwards there will be opportunity for Q&A and to buy books and have them signed by the author.
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| June 22, 2024 | 12:30 pm | High Street, Great Missenden |
Simon Guillebaud invites us to live the Christian life without compromise and without restraint; to live on full throttle and with utter abandonment to Christ.
Simon is the bestselling author of Choose Life a collection of 365 daily devotions. Join Simon as he shares the things he has learned through the council of the Holy Spirit and the books that he has read.
Hosted by Lauren Windle. Simon and Lauren will discuss Choose Life for around 30-40 minutes, afterwards there will be opportunity for Q&A and to buy books and have them signed by the author.
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| June 22, 2024 | 11:00 pm | High Street, Great Missenden |
Join storyteller extraordinaire Bob Hartman for a fun-packed, interactive retelling of some of the most beloved Bible stories.
Bob Hartman has been a professional storyteller for 30 years. An ordained minister, he has written over 70 books including his much loved Act Along Bible, for both children and adults, many of them retellings of Bible stories and passages. He is also the author of YouVersion’s Bible App for Kids, which has been downloaded over 100 million times. His passion is to help people of every age find their way into the Bible, engage with it, and discover the God who inspired it.
The venue will be one of the Churches in Great Missenden, the exact location will be given in early June 2024.
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| June 21, 2024 | 11:00 pm | High Street, Great Missenden |
Claud was just six years old when he first held a gun in his hands. Now, over twenty years later, he is returning to communities just like the one he grew up in, this time holding a Bible.
Guns to God is the incredible autobiography of Claud Jackson, a young boy who became a drug dealer and professional criminal before giving his life to God through the Alpha Course and later being called to become a Christian minister.
Hosted by Andy Kind. Claud and Andy will discuss Guns to God for around 30-40 minutes, afterwards there will be opportunity for Q&A and to buy books and have them signed by the author.
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| June 22, 2024 | 2:00 pm | High Street, Great Missenden |
Join funny man Paul Kerensa, author of Planet Protectors, for fantastic ideas for looking after the world – from cycling more and choosing fair-trade, to taking shorter showers and recycling. Children will love taking up a different challenge each week and be inspired to join the fight for the planet’s future as they learn about why it is so important to care for the environment and God’s creation.
There will be opportunity for a creative response and book signing at the end of the session.
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| June 22, 2024 | 11:00 am | High Street, Great Missenden |
Join bestselling author Cathy Madavan to discover how to make space for what matters most.
In a world obsessed with more, where potential is maximised, and busyness is glorified, another reality also exists: we all have limits – and many of us are living at the edge of them. Why Less Means More shows you how saying no to one thing might mean saying yes to something far better.
Come and hear from Cathy and think about what it would look like to pursue less success and more significance. To live with less complexity and more clarity? To chase less of the ‘extraordinary’ and celebrate more of the ‘ordinary’ moments that make up an extraordinary life?
Hosted by Lauren Windle. Cathy and Lauren will discuss Why Less Means More for around 30-40 minutes, afterwards there will be opportunity for Q&A and to buy books and have them signed by the author.
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| June 22, 2024 | 2:00 pm | High Street, Great Missenden |
What if what we are witnessing is not the decline of the Church but it’s rebirth? That’s what John McGinley, author of The Church of Tomorrow believes…
The rates of decline in church attendance and the ticking demographic timebomb show that business as usual will lead to extinction. But John McGinley believes that there are countless reasons to hope!
Join John McGinley as he shares stories of worshipping communities the world over which give us renewed confidence that, as always, God is doing a ‘new-old’ thing.
John will encourage us that the Church that is emerging amid times of uncertainty is growing, alive and demonstrating the qualities of the early church recorded in the New Testament, one that is more diverse, more spirit-filled, more confident in the Gospel, calling, equipping and sending people to make disciples in all nations.
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| June 21, 2024 | 12:30 pm | High Street, Great Missenden |
Amidst the profound struggles of depression and the haunting presence of suicidal thoughts, Rachael Newham discovered an unexpected path—one that led her to penning a book on joy. Through her tumultuous journey with mental health challenges, she unearthed a profound truth: genuine, enduring joy emerges when we bravely step into the realm of lament, openly acknowledging our pain before caring God.
Hosted by Patrick Regan. Rachael and Patrick will discuss And Yet for around 30-40 minutes, afterwards there will be opportunity for Q&A and to buy books and have them signed by the author.
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| June 22, 2024 | 9:30 am | High Street, Great Missenden |
Join Amy Boucher Pye as she explores how drawing close to Jesus in friendship releases His transformative love into our lives.
When Jesus walked the earth, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were some of his closest friends. He loved them just as they were but equally empowered them to become so much more. Here, Amy Boucher Pye unpacks the dynamics of this remarkable friendship, inviting you to be transformed by the same love that shaped their lives.
Hosted by Lauren Windle. Amy and Lauren will discuss Transforming Love for around 30-40 minutes, afterwards there will be opportunity for Q&A and to buy books and have them signed by the author.
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| June 21, 2024 | 2:00 pm | High Street, Great Missenden |
Come and hear bestselling author Patrick Regan discuss his latest book Brighter Days. Patrick will be sharing practical tips alongside stories of struggle and strength, Brighter Days is for all of us who want tools to invest in our emotional, mental, physical and spiritual health so we can look forward to a healthier and more hopeful future.
Hosted by Lynette Brooks (Kintsugi Hope). Patrick and Lynette will discuss Brighter Days for around 30-40 minutes, afterwards there will be opportunity for Q&A and to buy books and have them signed by the author.
| DATE | TIME | LOCATION |
|---|---|---|
| June 21, 2024 | 12:30 pm | High Street, Great Missenden |
Join author of Notes on Feminism Lauren Windle as she wrestles with the question ‘Is it possible to be a Christian and a feminist?’
‘Notes on Feminism’ is insightful and entertaining, offering readers a chance to wrestle with what it truly means to be a faithful feminist today. Lauren Windle draws together a wide range of voices on a subject that countless are wrestling with but few are brave enough to probe too deeply for fear of what they might find. This book isn’t here to tell you what to think. The views it presents are intended to inform, not form, your opinion on key topics, including: defining feminism, the lessons we teach boys, female preachers, a woman’s place in the household, beauty standards, and #ChurchToo.
Hosted by Wendy Grisham (Deputy CEO of SPCK). Lauren and Wendy will discuss Notes on Feminism for around 30-40 minutes, afterwards there will be opportunity for Q&A and to buy books and have them signed by the author.
