Former Ripon vicar turned bishop, the Rt Revd Mark Tanner, is to lead a weekend for men from across the Yorkshire Dales early next year.
Bishop Mark, who is now the Bishop Berwick in the Diocese of Newcastle, but was the Vicar of Holy Trinity Church Ripon will be the speaker at a ‘Men of the Dales’ weekend from February 1-3 aimed at encouraging Christian men in their faith, many of who may be from smaller churches and more isolated situations.
“What we’re going to be exploring”, said Bishop Mark, “is that issue of how do you stay faithful in the long run to who God calls you to be and to God himself.”
The weekend, taking place at Wydale Hall near Scarborough, is the idea of a group of men from Bishop Mark’s former parish. Holy Trinity Ripon.
“Men of the Dales came out of Holy Trinity Church, initially,” said one of the organising team, Barry Crompton.
“We have had the privilege of going away together as a group of men on several occasions and have seen the benefits in terms of spiritual refreshing and in stronger relationships within our church community.
“We wanted to find a way of sharing that blessing with the wider church.”
The weekend is the second such event to take place and organisers say it is already attracting bookings from Richmond, York and Malton as well as a larger core group from Ripon and the surrounding area.
“There are lots of guys, particularly in the smaller churches across Yorkshire & the Dales who would love to meet together for fellowship, to enjoy worshipping together and then return home refreshed, renewed and encouraged, ready to serve. That is what Men of the Dales is all about. Our strap line is ‘Uniting, Building & Worshipping Together’,” added Barry.
"But it won’t be all work. Saturday evening we plan to have live entertainment in the bar and on Saturday afternoon there will be an opportunity to relax or head out across the moors or into Scarborough for an extra dose of fish & chips, " he added.
Anyone wanting to find out more about ‘Men of the Dale’s can visit www.menofthedales.com which includes full information, online booking form and videos with more information.