A bit about you…
I'm Sam and I am the minister of Redeemer. Born in London, raised in Pembrokeshire, Wales, and having studied Violin performance in Cardiff and now settled in Edinburgh, I am very much a British mongrel. I have been married to Jen for the past 13 years, and I have three children, Toby who is 7, and twins, Jack and Sophie, who are 3. In my spare time I love to read, feeling guilty about not running enough, and getting overly excited about cricket!

How did you become a Christian?
I became a christian when a visiting speaker came to my small church when I was four. I realised for the first time that my parents couldn’t save me but I had to make that decision for myself. It wasn’t until many years later, at the age of 17, during a painful and serious illness, that I realised that life without God is incredibly fleeting, totally unforgiving and, ultimately, quite hopeless. In my search for meaning on my hospital bed I remembered what I’d been taught about Jesus as a child – the fact that he was God in human flesh, that he stepped into our world, and, more than ANYONE in history or literature or religion, chose to identify with me in suffering, revolt against suffering, and promise to do something about our suffering. It was then that I rededicated my life to the Lord Jesus as my Lord and Saviour.

What is your favourite bible verse?
Other than Philippians 2 mentioned above, I think 1 Timothy 1:15 is the most profoundly and richly packed sentence in Scripture as it explains every single part of the gospel – the good news – of Jesus and the Bible in only 24 words. It details what salvation is, who brings it and who needs it most. It reads:

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

What is salvation? The saving of sinners from their sin. Who does that for us? Jesus Christ by coming in to the world. Who needs it? Me. The reader. The worst of all sinners. And how important is this good news? One that is truly trustworthy, and deserves to be FULLY accepted by all.

What book or passage of the bible do you find most challenging?
I think perhaps the early chapters in Romans I find both the most helpful and the most challenging, namely, Romans 3:23 for ALL have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God.
This highlights the uncompromising truth that every single person in the world, whether they feel they are good or not, is sinful and is deeply imperfect in front of a perfect, holy and God and desperately needs his help to save them. NO-ONE is good without Jesus. And NO-ONE can enjoy salvation or heaven or eternity without coming to Jesus, saying sorry for their sins, and leaving everything to follow him.
It’s a hard thing to hear, it’s a hard thing to preach, but it is a beautiful thing to recognise which draws us to Jesus’s salvation help.

Will joined Redeemer in August 2023 as a Minister in Training having previous completed the Ministry Apprenticeship Programme at Chalmers Church, Edinburgh.

Bio coming soon...