Meet the Team

Laura Gallacher | Co-Founder

Laura serves the wider church as a Bible teacher and preacher, speaking at conferences, evangelistic events, local church theology initiatives, and speaker training. She works at St Aldates Church, Oxford specifically serving the postgraduate community alongside her husband Owen. After studying English Literature at university, Laura taught at a secondary school. She then studied theology and worked in undergraduate ministry, before several years at home with her three small children. Some of her recent teaching and writing has focused on the hermeneutics of Old Testament law, asking questions about the vocation of the people of God and the work of Christ and the Spirit. Laura is especially passionate about communication that connects, building community, engaging well with text, preaching to the margins and championing the people of God into Christlikeness.

Sharon Mac Wilmshurst | Co-Founder

Sharon works at Langham Preaching on the Europe & Caribbean Team and is also completing further theological study at Union School of Theology. Sharon previously studied English Literature & Education and worked as a primary school teacher. She completed a Master of Divinity at Gordon-Conwell Theology Seminary before serving as a pastor to undergraduate students at St. Ebbe’s Church, Oxford. Sharon is passionate about training leaders and others to teach God’s word. Her work involves teaching at preaching seminars, leading preaching clubs, and chairing the Langham Preaching Women’s Advisory Group, which seeks to equip women to teach the Bible. Her recent teaching focus has been upon the joy and challenges of preaching the Lament Psalms. Originally from Northern Ireland, Sharon, her husband Jez and their son currently live in Dublin.

Mark Meynell | Advisory Group

Mark is Director of the Europe & Caribbean Team for Langham Preaching and is also currently working on a Doctor of Ministry at Covenant Theological Seminary in St Louis, MO. As an ordained Anglican minister, Mark was on the senior ministry team for All Souls, Langham Place and until recently, he was also Chaplain to the Whitehall offices, London. Mark has also taught in a Ugandan seminary for four years and did student work at Christ Church, Fulwood and St Ebbe’s, Oxford. He has written several books, including A Wilderness of Mirrors (Zondervan, 2015) and When Darkness Seems My Closest Friend (IVP, 2018). Mark is passionately concerned to cross the bridge between the Bible’s world and the contemporary world in preaching. He is married to Rachel and they have two grownup children. He blogs at markmeynell.net.

Simon Ponsonby | Advisory Group

Simon is Pastor of Theology at St Aldates church, teaching, writing and serving the wider church as conference speaker and Bible teacher. He has been an associate Tutor at Wycliffe Hall for several years and overseeing a practical ministry programme Scandinavian Lutheran ministers. Previously, Simon trained for Anglican ordination at Trinity College Bristol, where he earned undergrad and research degrees in Theology. Simon served a curacy in inner city Bradford before his appointment as the Oxford Evangelical Pastorate Chaplain, running a vibrant chaplaincy evangelising and discipling Oxford undergraduates. Simon has written a number of books on Doctrine, Pastoral Theology and Biblical Commentary; his favourite is his book Celebrating Jesus. His main focus is to see God’s Church loving God’s word and filled with his Spirit. Simon is married to Tiffany, a school teacher, artist & mother of their two grown up sons Joel and Nathanael.  

Clare Williams | Prisca Team

Clare is the founder of Get Real, a Christian apologetics organisation which addresses questions about Christianity, particularly from the black community. She has a degree in English Literature and Language from Oxford University, and she completed postgraduate training in theology at Wycliffe Hall. During her 10-year teaching career in South East London, Clare achieved an MA in Leadership, and she is now pursuing a second Masters in Culture, Diaspora and Ethnicity at Birkbeck, University of London. She enjoys engaging with questions of culture, truth, identity, and the gospel and using the Bible effectively in evangelistic preaching.

Jitesh Patel | Prisca Team

Jitesh is Assistant Director & Lecturer in Theology at St Mellitus College East Midlands, and Associate Vicar at Holy Trinity Leicester. He is the convener of the New Wine Preaching Conferences that have seen hundreds of preachers across the nation inspired and equipped for the preaching ministry. As well as being a seasoned preacher he is passionate about seeing new preachers raised up, and most of his current church ministry is devoted to preaching and raising others to preach. His doctoral research explores the relationship between Postmodern epistemology and the Charismatic Movement. Jitesh and his wife, have recently had the joy of becoming parents to a baby daughter, Jemimah.

Jonathan Thomas | Prisca Team

Jonathan is the pastor of Cornerstone Church, Abergavenny, preaches at various conferences and is a regular contributor on BBC Radio Wales and Radio 4. Previously, Jonathan gained a Masters with a focus on preaching and has been a pastor in two churches in Wales . In his desire to learn how to preach more effectively, Jonathan has researched and taught in the area of the work of the Spirit in preaching, and the training methods of a Welshman in America called Gwyn Walters (Gordon-Conwell). Jonathan is married to Rebecca and is the father of 3 boys.

Ollie Lansdowne | Prisca Team

Ollie works in London as a Student Minister at All Souls, Langham Place and is also a foster carer with Camden Council. He previously worked for UCCF in Oxford, and it was during that time that he began his long-term study of the book of Isaiah. Ollie's preparation for preaching includes opening up a passage alongside sermons from across Church history. His desire for preaching is to see the Spirit teach, rebuke, correct and train the body of Christ, in a present day context. Ollie and his wife live in London.

Sophie Bannister | Prisca Team

Sophie is an Anglican clergywoman. After studying English Literature, she worked in the City of London running leadership and management training for a 'big five' law firm. Sophie then trained for ordination at Ridley Hall and Oak Hill College, and her MA dissertation focussed on the narrative function of the disciples in the gospels. After a curacy spent back in the City, she is currently serving with her (also ordained) husband in parish ministry. She also serves on The Junia Network committee (www.thejunianetwork.org.uk), which exists to support and advocate for ordained Anglican evangelical women. Sophie is interested in the difference charismatic theology makes in expository preaching. She and her husband live with their two young children in Spalding, Lincolnshire.