The founder of Children Can and the head of the Hand in Hand Conference shares some of his thoughts on parental legacies – firstly his parents’ and then his own
Olly, thanks of talking to Premier NexGen, we’re keen to know about your upbringing, especially in terms of faith, what was it like?
I was born into a non-Christian home. My Dad was a nominal Jew, raised orthodox in Sudan he moved to the UK and had long since left the synagogue behind. My Mum, a gentile, would have called herself a Christian, but this was more a matter of culture than heart submission to the Lord. More a wedding and funeral follower than a devoted disciple of Christ. That all changed when I was 4 years. Both my parents became Christians around the same time attending church became a regular part of our lives.
How did that impact your life and faith?
Well, we never prayed at home together, opened the Bible, or talked about God. We did none of the ‘at home’ things Christian families would normally do, but my parents did throw themselves fully into the life of the church community. By the time I turned 10 my dad was on his way to train for the Anglican ministry (a fact that did not go down well with his father, but that’s a story for another time!).
Despite the lack of overt religious instruction in the home, my parents’ lives became a living sermon for me
Despite the lack of overt religious instruction in the home, their lives became a living sermon for me. My Dad’s temper was tempered, my Mum’s love for others grew. Both of them shone Jesus with every increasing impact. Their faith was real to them, and with a clear ‘before’ and ‘after’ moment in both their lives the difference in the home was tangible. That’s not to say that my parents were perfect, but their imperfect pursuit of God revealed His perfection.
We never missed a Sunday at church (we even found a church to go to when on holiday overseas). So, when I turned 8 it was clear to me that I wanted to be a Christ-follower too. I wanted my sins to be forgiven and to know God. I continued to attend church each week, and I can’t say that there was any significant difference in my life, but fast forward to the age of 11 and I had my own encounter with the Lord as I joined a new school. My parents’ faith was now my own.
Your parents clearly had a significant impact on you, has that impacted how you parent your own children?
Very much so, my parents are in their 80s and I have 5 children of my own (the oldest of whom is 22) and their legacy continues down to the next generation. In our home, like my parents, we have given our all to our local church community and our children have also been active in ministry alongside us as we run events for children and young people – we hope that we have been living sermons for them as my parents were for me.
Our faith is not simply an activity that we attend on a Sunday, but it is the very heart of everything we do, no matter who is watching!
Maybe because I did not come to faith as late as my parents, my wife and I have been able to be more intentional in sharing our faith than my parents were. We have family devotion times and also celebrate some of the Jewish feasts.
My children’s knowledge of God is certainly greater than mine was at their age, but I suspect the biggest impact on their lives, like mine, has been their observance of us up close. They’ve have caught us reading the Bible for our own devotions, they have seen us turn to the Lord in challenging seasons and they have recognised that the Lord is our Lord.
Our faith is not simply an activity that we attend on a Sunday, but it is the very heart of everything we do, no matter who is watching! I am so thankful to my parents for all they have given me in life and am grateful to be able to pass on this spiritual legacy to my children.
