The Keswick Convention programme for 2019 will once again bring renowned speakers to talk about some of today’s most relevant issues. 

Among the contributors are the South Lakes MP Tim Farron who will be speaking on change in society and Rebecca McLaughlin, whose family is from Barrow, Cumbria. Rebecca is the author of “Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard questions for the World’s Largest Religion”. 

Tim Farron will hold the traditional Keswick Lecture on Thursday of week 3. Other contributors include Dai Hankey, former skate-boarder and DJ from Wales, a passionate abolitionist speaking on slavery today. Singer and Sony Radio Award winner, Gareth David Jones, based in Newcastle performs as part of the Keswick Unconventional programme. Gareth was the singer-songwriter in residence at The Mining Institute, Newcastle Upon Tyne and has written the album “The Usual Quarterly Days’ as a way of depicting mining life all the way back into the 14th century. 

From further afield, the Convention welcomes Havilah Dharamraj, Academic Dean and Professor of Old Testament at South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies in Bangalore, India and Ray Ortlund, pastor at Immanuel Church, Nashville USA. The theme for this year’s Convention is “Longing”, which will focus on human’s innate desire for God. 

James Robson, Ministry Director, said: “Our lives are filled with desires. We try and meet them through food, love, power and material goods. At the heart of our desire, however, is the longing for purpose and union with Christ. It is this that the theme of this year’s Convention will centre around. We have speakers from all walks of life exploring this theme. I am particularly looking forward to welcoming speakers such as John Wyatt, Professor of Ethics at the University of London, who will be exploring the issue of our humanness in the midst of robotics and artificial Intelligence. 

“It is going to be a very special summer, with much food for thought. While people from all
over the world travel to be part of the Convention, we particularly want to invite our
community here in Keswick and wider Cumbria to come along and explore the Christian
faith.” 

Another interesting aspect will be the expression of our faith through the creative arts in our
Keswick Unconventional programme. The Japenese artist, Kaori Homma, Associate Lecturer
at University of Arts London, for example, will be exhibiting her fire etchings and offering a
fire-etching workshop, open to everyone. 

This will be the 144th Keswick Convention and will take place across the Skiddaw Street and
Rawnsley/Derwent sites. More speakers to be confirmed soon. 

Bible Readers and worship leaders are as follows: 

Week 1, 13th – 19th July                     Week 2, 20th – 26th July
Bible Reader – John Risbridger         Bible Reader – Vaughan Roberts
Worship band – Colin Webster         Worship band – EMU Music 

Week 3, 27th – 2nd August
Bible Reader – Ray Ortlund
Worship band – Olly Knight and band