Stoke Poges Men's Group
Time set aside for men to encourage and be encouraged.
A big welcome from the Stoke Poges Men’s Group. If you have not been to one of our events, then please read on to find out what you are missing! During the year we run curry nights, dinners, Saturday morning breakfasts, activity evenings (skittles etc.) and visits to interesting venues. There is something for everyone! We are not an exclusive group but very inclusive and guys from a wide area (not just from Stoke Poges) come along to our events. We are open to everyone – guys of all faiths and none are always given a very warm welcome.
At some of our events we invite a special guest who will give a talk on a specific topic, and during their talk they will usually share something of their Christian faith and how it has guided and influenced them during their lives.
Our group is affiliated to a UK organisation called Christian Vision for Men who run an annual conference for men and support men’s groups throughout the UK.
Curry Night - Tuesday 21st March 2023
For our next event, we are making a return visit to the Memories of India restaurant in Farnham Common for a Curry Night. Even if you are a little wary of eating curry, you can be assured that the menu will have been carefully chosen so that there is something for everyone. We will commence at 7:30pm with drinks from the bar and start our 2-course buffet at 8pm. Our speaker is Graham “Swanny” Swann, a guy who runs a tattoo studio in Loughborough and who also visits schools, churches and prisons sharing his Christian testimony. When he was growing up, he experienced systematic abuse which set the stage for a man controlled by alcohol and violence. He found himself in an unbreakable emotional prison, until hope broke in and he began an incredible journey of restoration. Graham is based at the Beacon Christian Centre in Loughborough where he is involved in local community projects and contributes to a long term mission project in Uganda. In 2013, he published his life story “Prison without Bars”, a journey from brokenness to wholeness, from hopelessness to hope. The book is not a mild pastiche of cuddly platitudes; it is real, gusty, hard hitting, but its also loving, tender and warm. Please join us to hear Swanny’s fascinating testimony and after his talk there will be a question and answer session and the evening should finish at approximately 10:15pm.
Men’s Breakfast - Saturday 20th May 2023
Our following event is a Men’s Breakfast. There is no better way to start your weekend than with a hearty cooked breakfast, and if that appeals to you, then why not plan to join us for some good food, good company and to hear a really interesting talk. The venue will be the Oak Room at the South Buckinghamshire Golf Club (in Park Road, Stoke Poges) and coffee/tea will be available from 8:15am and our food served from 8:30am. Our speaker will be David Campanale, a multi-award winning television journalist who worked for BBC News both as a broadcaster and producer for 30 years, beginning when communism ended in Eastern Europe. As an international journalist, he was responsible for a series of “firsts”, from secret filming behind the Iron Curtain under Communism; to showing that Russia had illicitly sent its tanks into eastern Ukraine; the first English language television interview with Pakistani death-row Catholic, Asia Bibi; and a multiple award-winning investigation into the rape and torture of Muslim Uyghur women in Xinjiang. Volunteering has always been an important part of his life and this has included serving as a director of the Christian international disaster relief and development charity, Tearfund. He’s also been a Director of the London Youth Games, which has mobilised one third of a million schoolchildren into competitive sport in the capital. He and his wife raised their two sons in Kingston-upon-Thames and has been closely involved in the community there, serving eight years as a local councillor. He is half-Italian and loves being in the kitchen and spending time with his family celebrating the good things of life. Following his talk, David will take questions and we plan to finish by 10:15am.
We would be delighted if you could join us at one or both of the above events. If you would like more information or to register your interest, contact Tony or Nigel:
Tony Shortman: 01844-350014 or email: tony-mavis[at]shortman.eclipse.co.uk
Nigel Lowe: 07973-349721 or email: nigelatsuchlowe[at]gmail.com
Facebook: If you’d like to join us on Facebook here is the link to our group.
Our November 2022 dinner:
