The bittersweet part of raising disciples means eventually sending them out to serve and develop further. For us, this often means somewhere outside of the diocese!
So much growth happens in the years after high school – characters are tested, perspectives are challenged, and all the investment sown in young people by their church communities starts reaping a harvest. Generations of young adults have left the diocese to explore God’s calling and have achieved truly wonderful things, but the tricky part is actually keeping in touch. They often fly off the radar, doing great things while we’re none the wiser. Let’s check in on a couple of them!
I chatted with Sam and Ollie Martin, two brothers who grew up in the diocese with a vicar for a father. Sam flew the nest to start study two years ago, and Ollie was farewelled at the end of last year. They're in Nelson over the summer, enjoying time at home with their family.
We talked about how their formative years in the diocese strengthened their faith, what they’re working towards now, and what they’ve been up to recently – including a Coldplay concert.
Ollie: I’m at Canterbury University studying Commerce and living in a flat with a bunch of Christian fellas. 90% of them are new friends. It’s a super low-key Christian community – we’ve kind of turned into a surfing flat.
We were at All Saints in Nelson for about nine years. I think we've both been heavily involved in the church – considering our dad was the pastor of All Saints. And it meant we were in more than just youth group, we were involved in a lot behind the scenes.
Sam: Yeah, this year's Spring Camp was the first time in six or seven years that I hadn't gone to a Spring Camp. It's been like a calendar event for me, year after year, and it felt weird seeing it happen and not being there.
I am living in Wellington, halfway through my degree in Film and Development Studies right now. I've sort of moved with the group of friends we had from church in Nelson.
I'm also just about to go on an exchange to Madrid for six months. A whole semester of study in Spain, which is pretty sick, but quite a change.
Ollie: For me, it's been amazing. Living with Christians and being connected with a church has just been a massive community. I'm real supported through a couple life groups. Friendship is really important in my life. I love it.
Sam: We've been so integrated in All Saints and in the greater diocese, and moving to Wellington meant suddenly having to put a lot more effort in. It’s been hard at times, but quite rewarding in the end.
It's been really comfortable to have some friendships that were nurtured in All Saints. And beyond that, in the wider Nelson dio – like Jesse Sherlock from Māpua, and I see the Greenwoods around at church and sometimes. I've been very blessed with some really core friendships that have stayed true in my life. It's just so nice to have those connections already when you're in a new city for the first time. Like Jesse, I knew him and I liked him, but we weren't in the same city. It's been so nice to live closer to the people who were a bit more spread out in the diocese. It gives a platform for more growth in our relationship.
Ollie: For the last two years I was in Nelson, I was in formational groups led by Spanky and Brad. That was really key for me. It was personal growth in my faith. And then I could bring what I learned about friendship, faith, and building relationships into a new setting. I just get so much life out of that.
Sam: Going into a space that isn't terribly receptive to traditional “evangelical” Christian sorts of things has been different. But the diocese has helped me find my outreach into the people I live with and the people I interact with and study in life that may not be Christian. It's sort of like Ollie said – it's like it's been able to show true selfless friendship to them and continue to pour out into those friendships, even when you might not be getting the same back.
In places like Spring Camp, there's a there's a real level of genuine joy for everyone in that space – and no one's trying to just convert you. Everyone is just there to have a lot of fun, and they're very communicative about where they stand, but they're not going to overstep that mark. And with the discipleship groups and huddles that I've been a part of, it’s the real, unfiltered relationships you have as you do life with them. It's really nice to meet people in all their spaces of life rather than just the good parts.
Ollie: Put simply, the dio has just made me like a rock in my faith. It's been really strong. It's just so useful going into different settings where you’re uncomfortable, you don't know what's going on and then being like, okay, I do have this amazing God who’s looking out for me – and you know it’s true. You know it well.
Sam: We went to see Coldplay in Auckland. It was a wild experience.
Ollie: I think there's something special about everyone pulling up in one spot for one thing. And all wanting the same thing, all here for the same reason.
Sam: I think it touched on a collective conscience these days of how we're all feeling about life in general. And it was really able to draw such a big net over so many people – without pushing anyone away with an “us versus them” sort of “we pray for this specific group but not that”. It was just “we pray”. It's not deliberately Christian or anything, so I reckon it would have resonated with a lot more people, but for similar reasons that we Christians pray.
We're all feeling a bit crazy right now, and Coldplay has done a great job in trying to let people feel heard. They brought out some Pasifika people to perform We Pray with them. Halfway through the song, Chris said, "Rewind, let's do this whole thing again!" There was a really tangible sense of people who don't often get heard being heard in that song. It was cool – and a bit weird because that's not often what happens, and it wasn't deliberately explicitly Christian. It shows a certain Christian ethic is still there in a lot of people's hearts but not explicitly.
Ollie: That's what Coldplay was all about, even with the opening artists. There were smaller artists that you never heard of from different parts of the world. They were not the generic artists you might see, they were just unique individuals, which I thought was cool. The entire thing was about love and being loving.
Sam: Yeah, I don't think it means that we should all start doing Coldplay shows to try get more Christians, but it shows hope.
Sam: Well, I'm literally going to the other side of the world. Like if you poke a needle through the earth, it will come out in Spain. It’s going to be a similar process to the last two years of me leaving the Nelson Diocese and starting life in Wellington, but a bit more radical – going to a completely different country where I barely know the language. So I’d appreciate prayer for that, and for continuing to be able to share the love that I've been given here.
Ollie: Prayer for nailing routine would be ideal. It's so easy to get distracted and not focus on what you care about, which seems counterintuitive. But focusing on matters is something I would like to incorporate more.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
The bittersweet part of raising disciples means eventually sending them out to serve and develop further. For us, this often means somewhere outside of the diocese!
So much growth happens in the years after high school – characters are tested, perspectives are challenged, and all the investment sown in young people by their church communities starts reaping a harvest. Generations of young adults have left the diocese to explore God’s calling and have achieved truly wonderful things, but the tricky part is actually keeping in touch. They often fly off the radar, doing great things while we’re none the wiser. Let’s check in on a couple of them!
I chatted with Sam and Ollie Martin, two brothers who grew up in the diocese with a vicar for a father. Sam flew the nest to start study two years ago, and Ollie was farewelled at the end of last year. They're in Nelson over the summer, enjoying time at home with their family.
We talked about how their formative years in the diocese strengthened their faith, what they’re working towards now, and what they’ve been up to recently – including a Coldplay concert.
Ollie: I’m at Canterbury University studying Commerce and living in a flat with a bunch of Christian fellas. 90% of them are new friends. It’s a super low-key Christian community – we’ve kind of turned into a surfing flat.
We were at All Saints in Nelson for about nine years. I think we've both been heavily involved in the church – considering our dad was the pastor of All Saints. And it meant we were in more than just youth group, we were involved in a lot behind the scenes.
Sam: Yeah, this year's Spring Camp was the first time in six or seven years that I hadn't gone to a Spring Camp. It's been like a calendar event for me, year after year, and it felt weird seeing it happen and not being there.
I am living in Wellington, halfway through my degree in Film and Development Studies right now. I've sort of moved with the group of friends we had from church in Nelson.
I'm also just about to go on an exchange to Madrid for six months. A whole semester of study in Spain, which is pretty sick, but quite a change.
Ollie: For me, it's been amazing. Living with Christians and being connected with a church has just been a massive community. I'm real supported through a couple life groups. Friendship is really important in my life. I love it.
Sam: We've been so integrated in All Saints and in the greater diocese, and moving to Wellington meant suddenly having to put a lot more effort in. It’s been hard at times, but quite rewarding in the end.
It's been really comfortable to have some friendships that were nurtured in All Saints. And beyond that, in the wider Nelson dio – like Jesse Sherlock from Māpua, and I see the Greenwoods around at church and sometimes. I've been very blessed with some really core friendships that have stayed true in my life. It's just so nice to have those connections already when you're in a new city for the first time. Like Jesse, I knew him and I liked him, but we weren't in the same city. It's been so nice to live closer to the people who were a bit more spread out in the diocese. It gives a platform for more growth in our relationship.
Ollie: For the last two years I was in Nelson, I was in formational groups led by Spanky and Brad. That was really key for me. It was personal growth in my faith. And then I could bring what I learned about friendship, faith, and building relationships into a new setting. I just get so much life out of that.
Sam: Going into a space that isn't terribly receptive to traditional “evangelical” Christian sorts of things has been different. But the diocese has helped me find my outreach into the people I live with and the people I interact with and study in life that may not be Christian. It's sort of like Ollie said – it's like it's been able to show true selfless friendship to them and continue to pour out into those friendships, even when you might not be getting the same back.
In places like Spring Camp, there's a there's a real level of genuine joy for everyone in that space – and no one's trying to just convert you. Everyone is just there to have a lot of fun, and they're very communicative about where they stand, but they're not going to overstep that mark. And with the discipleship groups and huddles that I've been a part of, it’s the real, unfiltered relationships you have as you do life with them. It's really nice to meet people in all their spaces of life rather than just the good parts.
Ollie: Put simply, the dio has just made me like a rock in my faith. It's been really strong. It's just so useful going into different settings where you’re uncomfortable, you don't know what's going on and then being like, okay, I do have this amazing God who’s looking out for me – and you know it’s true. You know it well.
Sam: We went to see Coldplay in Auckland. It was a wild experience.
Ollie: I think there's something special about everyone pulling up in one spot for one thing. And all wanting the same thing, all here for the same reason.
Sam: I think it touched on a collective conscience these days of how we're all feeling about life in general. And it was really able to draw such a big net over so many people – without pushing anyone away with an “us versus them” sort of “we pray for this specific group but not that”. It was just “we pray”. It's not deliberately Christian or anything, so I reckon it would have resonated with a lot more people, but for similar reasons that we Christians pray.
We're all feeling a bit crazy right now, and Coldplay has done a great job in trying to let people feel heard. They brought out some Pasifika people to perform We Pray with them. Halfway through the song, Chris said, "Rewind, let's do this whole thing again!" There was a really tangible sense of people who don't often get heard being heard in that song. It was cool – and a bit weird because that's not often what happens, and it wasn't deliberately explicitly Christian. It shows a certain Christian ethic is still there in a lot of people's hearts but not explicitly.
Ollie: That's what Coldplay was all about, even with the opening artists. There were smaller artists that you never heard of from different parts of the world. They were not the generic artists you might see, they were just unique individuals, which I thought was cool. The entire thing was about love and being loving.
Sam: Yeah, I don't think it means that we should all start doing Coldplay shows to try get more Christians, but it shows hope.
Sam: Well, I'm literally going to the other side of the world. Like if you poke a needle through the earth, it will come out in Spain. It’s going to be a similar process to the last two years of me leaving the Nelson Diocese and starting life in Wellington, but a bit more radical – going to a completely different country where I barely know the language. So I’d appreciate prayer for that, and for continuing to be able to share the love that I've been given here.
Ollie: Prayer for nailing routine would be ideal. It's so easy to get distracted and not focus on what you care about, which seems counterintuitive. But focusing on matters is something I would like to incorporate more.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
