Ed Drew: “Parenting isn’t complicated: love them, listen to them, keep them safe, and point them to Jesus”

Director of Faith in Kids, Ed Drew, focuses on the grace that Jesus brings as an antidote to the guilt parents feel

Ed, tell us where you came from and how you got to where you are now.

I was born in France while my parents were working there – my mum is Irish; my dad is English – and we moved to England when I was two. I grew up in a church-going home and remember being told, aged 11, that I could become a Christian. I thought, I didn’t realise it was possible not to be! So, I said, “I’m in.”

After school, I trained as an engineer and worked in a factory making washing powder — Daz, Bold and Fairy. I loved that job, and I still think of myself as an engineer at heart. It’s nice to be able to fix things, but I was always thinking that Jesus is better at fixing stuff than I am!

There were nights when I was dealing with 32 tons of the wrong washing powder, thinking, I’d rather lose my evening for Jesus than for this

I spent my summers on Christian holidays where I had become a Christian, given my first talk, and had my first real conversations about faith. Those experiences shaped me. I kept helping as a leader while working in the factory and often told friends I’d love to spend more time talking about Jesus. There were nights when I was dealing with 32 tons of the wrong washing powder, thinking, I’d rather lose my evening for Jesus than for this.