KEC 2026
Main Speakers
Jim Samra
Jim Samra is a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, husband to Lisa and dad to four children. He has served as the senior pastor of Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan for the past twenty years. His main responsibility is listening to the Lord to guide him in shepherding the church.
Jim worked for several years as a mechanical engineer, but now he spends his time doing two of his favorite things: talking to God about people and talking to people about God.
Jim is the author of God Told Me; The Gift of Church; James, 1 & 2 Peter and Jude (Teach the Text Commentary Series); and Being Conformed to Christ in Community. He also authored the prophetic parable, Passage to the House of Power, the first book in the Scroll of Remembrance series. Access to Jim and Lisa’s work can be found at olivesandcoffee.com.
Mark Stephens
Mark lectures in New Testament at Sydney Missionary and Bible College. Prior to coming to SMBC, Mark taught the Bible to performing artists at Wesley Institute and Excelsia College, before serving a two-year stint as a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Public Christianity. He has written books and articles on the book of Revelation, humour in the Bible, as well as a book on how to think with humility and hospitality. Mark lives in the north-western suburbs of Sydney with his wife Linda, a children’s pastor, and their three children. They attend St Paul’s Anglican Church, Castle Hill where Mark serves as a preacher. Mark has also been an avid Parramatta Eels fan for the last 40 years.
Special Guests
Nancy Guthrie
Nancy Guthrie (MATS, Reformed Theological Seminary) teaches the Bible at her home church, Cornerstone Presbyterian Church, in Franklin, Tennessee, as well as at conferences around the country and internationally, including through her Biblical Theology Workshop for Women. She is the author of numerous books and the host of the Help Me Teach the Bible podcast from The Gospel Coalition. She and her husband founded Respite Retreats for couples who have faced the death of a child, and they’re cohosts of the GriefShare video series.
WATCH Philip’S WELCOME VIDEO
Nancy Guthrie
Born and bred in Tasmania, Anna has spent her adult years living in Canberra, Sydney, and a Southeast Asian mega-city. Now back in Sydney, Anna is thrilled to be teaching Biblical Greek at Sydney Missionary & Bible College, and pursuing research in Greek linguistics through a Fellowship with Mary Andrews College. Besides these happy pursuits, Anna spends her days taking care of her family (husband Derek and three school-aged kids), writing fiction and non-fiction, and doing as much walking and swimming in nature as possible. Anna and her family are members of City Light Church, Balmain.
WATCH Philip’S WELCOME VIDEO
John Lennox
John Lennox MA MMath PhD (Cambridge) MA DPhil (Oxford) DSc (Wales) MA Bioethics (Surrey) is Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford, Emeritus Fellow in Mathematics and the Philosophy of Science and Pastoral Advisor at Green Templeton College and former Associate Fellow at Saïd Business School.
John has written extensively on the interface between science, philosophy and theology, and recent titles include: Can Science Explain Everything? Where is God in a Coronavirus World? 2084: Artificial Intelligence and The Future of Humanity, and Cosmic Chemistry: Do God and Science Mix? He has also been involved in high-profile public debates with Richard Dawkins, Peter Singer and the late Christopher Hitchens. He has done many lectures, interviews and debates for the Veritas Forum, particularly in the USA. He is a Senior Fellow of the Trinity Forum.
John and actor Kevin Sorbo featured in a full-length documentary film entitled Against the Tide made by Pensmore Films and Kharis Productions. He recently did an invited interview with Dr Jordan Peterson.
He is married to Sally. They have three children and ten grandchildren and live near Oxford.
John will be joining us virtually, live from the UK on Friday night. In this interview, John will discuss the topic of ‘Christians & Worldliness’, looking at the most profound challenges Christians face in our culture and understanding where the opportunities for powerful Christian witness lies.
WATCH Glenn’S WELCOME VIDEOChildren’s Program Speakers
Quiz Worx
Quiz Worx loves sharing Jesus with kids everywhere! Most of the time we do that by performing our live, Bible based, engaging puppet shows in schools (bookings are now OPEN for Easter 2025 assemblies!) But over the Easter long weekend, we partner with KEC to bring wonderful truths about Jesus to the kids in the Primary Program. This year we will be looking at the Book of Acts and seeing that God’s mission for the Good News of Jesus to go the ends of the earth is unstoppable, and we are a part of that mission!
QuizWorx will be teaching the KEC Kids Primary Program.
WATCH Philip’S WELCOME VIDEO
Kohei Yamada
Kohei Yamada was born and raised in Japan. He had no contact with Christianity until age 21. However, the Lord brought him to Armidale and saved his life there. He finished uni and worked in an IT company in Japan for 2 years. Thanks to Covid, he married Grace via Zoom wedding (both were in separate countries!) and moved back to Armidale for MTS. Currently, he is studying at Sydney Missionary & Bible College and hoping to go back to Japan for God’s mission, where there is a great need for the gospel. His wife and two sweetest boys are his treasures. In his free time, he loves playing volleyball and reading/watching anime as a classic Japanese does.
Kohei will be teaching the KEC Kids Junior High Program.
WATCH Glenn’S WELCOME VIDEOJoshua Kim
Joshua Kim is currently studying his Masters of Divinity at Christ College. A long-awaited dream of his, having just finished his Electrical Engineering degree, Josh wasted no time in diving into formal theological training to eventually become a Biblical Scholar. He loves playing and listening to music as well as playing volleyball. He also has a keen passion for board games and debating about any topic, so he loves to strike a conversation about anything with anyone!
Joshua will be teaching the KEC Kids Senior High Program.
WATCH Glenn’S WELCOME VIDEO
Tim Edwards
Tim is currently studying at Moore Theological College while also serving as a student minister, working with youth and young adults, at Norwest Anglican Church.
Tim is married to his amazing wife Maddy, has a two-year-old son named Isaac, and a giant dog named Moseley. In addition to his family, Tim loves Jesus, talking to people about the Bible, and passionately supporting his favourite English football (soccer) team Crystal Palace.
Tim will be teaching the KEC Kids Junior High Program.
WATCH Glenn’S WELCOME VIDEOTim Edwards
Tim is currently studying at Moore Theological College while also serving as a student minister, working with youth and young adults, at Norwest Anglican Church.
Tim is married to his amazing wife Maddy, has a two-year-old son named Isaac, and a giant dog named Moseley. In addition to his family, Tim loves Jesus, talking to people about the Bible, and passionately supporting his favourite English football (soccer) team Crystal Palace.
Tim will be teaching the KEC Kids Junior High Program.
WATCH Glenn’S WELCOME VIDEO