During Lent, the Diocese of London is focusing its Lent appeal on children and young people, and asking, ‘Who inspired you when you were younger to be the person you are today?’ For more information on the appeal, click here.
It’s an important question. As I explored in my post on Sticky Faith, the role of significant adults (not parents or primary carers) in children’s and young people’s lives is vital as faith forms. You and I are walking in faith in part due to the adults we knew when we were younger.
For many, these adults will have been Sunday School or Junior Church leaders, youth workers or ministers. Others will have adults in the congregation or local area who cared and looked out for them. As I was asking myself this question, I found I couldn’t remember much of my time in Sunday School or youth group. That’s not to say I wasn’t there, or that the leaders of these groups didn’t do a good job! However, as I reflected on it more, I realised it was the friends of my parents who had a big impact on my faith.
My parents had quite a big circle of friends from church when I was a child, and I saw them quite often. They were there at church, of course, but as most of them had children who were around my age, we spent a lot of time with them outside services and meetings too. It was a disappointing Sunday when no one was joining us for lunch, or coming back to our house after the evening service.
These friends were hilarious, mischievous, talkative and caring. They led on CPAS holidays together, they were part of a church community together, they even went on holidays together (those weekends away are some of the happiest childhood memories I have). They were my aunties and uncles (Peter Kay-type auntie and uncles, we were all from Bolton, after all).
I don’t think I realised it then, but they were a faith group together. They were committed to following Jesus and helping others do so too, and they modelled it to me, my brother and their own children. And perhaps most importantly, at a time when some could be dour and overly serious… they were fun.
So, my inspiration in faith when I was younger was my parents’ friendship group: Judith and Roy, Barbara and Geoff, Malcolm and Liz, Michael and Sarah, Margaret, Bob and Jean, and the others I have forgotten for the moment (I’m sure my mum will be emailing me as soon as she reads this, wondering why I didn’t mention this person or that one). To them, I say an enormous ‘thank you’.
Alex Taylor is children’s ministry trainer for the Diocese of London and as a child was a devoted fan of Little Chef restaurants.