Meet The Team: Chris Sparrow
Chris joined our ministry team this week as Youth & Worship Minister. He will take lead responsibility for music and worship in our services, as well as working with Doreen on the new Hoxton Youth Minster project.
We asked him some questions to get to know a bit about him…
1. What's your favourite food?
Thai food, Malaysian food (as my mum is Malaysian) or (sorry Graham) a good steak. For breakfast – eggs benedict.
2. What's your dream holiday?
Navigating the Norwegian fjords, reconnoitring the Redwoods of California or wandering the Welsh lowlands (unfortunately I have only made it as far as Wales)
3. Tell us about your favourite book(s)
Down and Out in Paris and London (Orwell), The Unbearable Lightness of Being(Kundera), or anything by Wodehouse is the respectable answer. However, the truth is I have a secret affinity for a bad Victorian romance novel called The Gadflyby a little-known Irish writer called E. L. Voynich. Another ignoble pleasure is reading cookbooks (eg French Provincial Cooking by Elizabeth David, or Roast Chicken by Simon Hopkinson) - reading about recipes, not cooking them of course. For ‘religious’ books I would say The Pursuit of God (Tozer) or Orthodoxy (Chesterton).
4. What difference has Jesus made in your life?
All the difference.
5. Marmite: love it or hate it?
Love Marmite but, confusingly, hate Vegemite.
6. Tell us something you think is unusual, funny or surprising about you - maybe a story or a weird habit.
My level of athleticism is poor though I do continue to see myself as an adventurer. Once I attempted a week’s solo cycling/camping trip through Cornwall and only made it to the first night. I bivouacked in a Cornish campsite but got too cold and wet, so ended up sleeping in the toilets which was not easy. The following morning, I shamefully retired myself and snuck onto a train with my bike and well-stocked but mostly unused panniers. Another time I attempted to climb Mt Snowdon but had a jacket potato and fell asleep in the café near the bottom before driving home. I also failed to make it to the Annapurna base camp when I went to Nepal (my sherpa guide advised me to give up and go home after 4 days of altitude sickness). Lastly, I did a 100-metre bungee jump once in Thailand that left me with a crippling fear of heights.
7. What makes you thankful?
My wife’s resourcefulness and ability to hear from God.
8. Who or what is precious to you?
My three daughters and my guitar.
9. What's your favourite song / band / album / genre of music?
Breaking into Heaven by The Stone Roses / Radiohead / The Secret Life of Plants by Stevie Wonder / Country or Choral.
10. Tell us your favourite passage of Scripture and why you it’s important to you.
Psalm 23 as it has been a constant and continual reminder of the nearness of God and his presence in my life.