Revd. Martin Dale

Retired and living in the Diocese of Lincoln
South Witham, Grantham , Lincolnshire NG33 5SL
+44 - 1572-767843

• Education: 1968-1972 Charterhouse 1973-1976 University of London, Chelsea College 1999-2001 Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford
• Experience: 1976 BSc. in Chemistry 1981 European Patent Attorney 1982 Chartered Patent Agent 1980-1994,Patent Attorney in Sandoz Patent Department in Basel, Switzerland 1994-1999 Head of the Group Patent Department of Reckitt and Colman 2001-2003 Curate in the Stiffkey-Bale Benefice and Briningham Association; 2004-2007 Priest in Charge in the Benefice of New Romney and Dymchurch (8 parishes) 2007-2010 Priest in Charge of the South West Framland Benefice (15 parishes!!) 2010-2022 Vicar of the East Marshland Benefice
• Comment to those looking at my sermons: Please pray before reading any of them to see if the Lord is speaking to you from what I have written. If so, give Him the glory - and do it!! If you have any comments that could constructively add to what I have said, please e-mail me at mndale@aol.com. It is a great encouragement when I hear from people.
• Sermon or series that made a difference: Series on Abraham Prayer (based on Richard Foster’s book on Prayer)
• Family: Wife Maddy Children Jonny, Chris and Jeremy
• What my parents think of my sermons: Sadly they (Arthur and Ludmilla Dale) have both died and never heard my sermons
• What my spouse (really) thinks of my sermons: This is an apocryphal story When we were moving house from Frisby on the Wreake, we were taking the bedroom apart. Under the bed I found two baskets. One with three eggs in and the other with £100. So I asked Maddy what were the tree eggs for. She smiled and said For every bad sermon I put an egg in the basket. I felt quite good. Three bad sermons in three years,. I started to feel happy. Then I asked. And what are the £100 for? She gave me a smile as only Vicar's wives can give she said. "Every time I got a dozen eggs I sold them!"
• Best advice given to me about preaching: 1. Ask the Lord what you feel he wants you to say in your sermon. 2. Write it down in a single sentence. 3. Once you have written the sermon ask yourself if each new idea or story in your sermon illuminates the point - or if it leads down a rabbit warren. If the latter - delete ruthlessly. Perhaps the mistranslation of 1 Cor. 13:1 (KJV) might not be so wide of the mark as one might think: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels but have not CLARITY, I am become as sounding
• Books that have had an impact: Christian Leaders of the 18th Century - JC Ryle Happiest People on Earth - Demos Shakharian The Heavenly Man - Brother Yun
• Hobbies: A Bernese Mountain dog! We have had three Bari, Teddy and now Hudson who is Teddy's nephew
• If I could Preach one more time, I would say...: We are here for the Great Commission (Mt 28:16-20)
• Something funny that happened while preaching: When preaching in St. Michael’s Catwick, a bird threatened to dive-bomb me!
• What I want on my tombstone: That his ambition in life was to be a faithful minister of the Lord Jesus Christ

• East Marshland Benefice, Diocese of Ely