The Apprentice Youth Worker - Simon Berry 
I was born in Oxford on the 25th December 1986; a fortuitous choice of day that provided me with a double ration of presents for many years. My parents were both practising Christians and determined that they would not try and teach the Christian message to me until I was old enough to understand it; a wise resolution that was thwarted by my elder brother coming to faith and deciding to make me his first evangelistic project. Fortunately God was gracious enough to use this, despite our respective youth, and I came to faith on the 21st June 1990 and have spent my life so far learning just what I let myself in for.
I grew up in a sleepy dormitory village to the west of the city named Long Hanborough, distinguished only by having David Cameron as its MP and the world’s most tedious bus museum for an attraction. Going to school in Oxford, I made few friends in the village. Being a thorough nerd, I didn't make many in town either, but eventually God was good enough to bring me into contact with a few other Christian boys who have remained close friends ever since. Along with them, my school years brought an enthusiasm for history, walking, poetry, fencing and martial arts, as well as a probably excessive familiarity with the works of Tolkien.
In 2006 I matriculated at Cambridge as an undergraduate in History, having failed to get in the first time I applied and spent the resulting gap year trying to teach myself Greek and pursuing various other projects. I spent three lively years there getting my B.A. and then, being a sucker for punishment, returned for an MPhil this year in medieval history, doing research on the Hundred Years’ War that basically consists of uncovering various ancient and imaginative means of killing Frenchmen. For some reason, I have never had permission to do any practical work on the subject, in spite of the abundant provision of tourists that Cambridge supplies.
More importantly, I found myself challenged to live the Christian life more seriously and intensely than before and increasingly to try and teach the faith to younger believers and to the many sceptics who are equally abundant. In doing so, I realised that this was both more important and more satisfying than the career in academia I had been thinking of, and began to seek for ways that I could be of service to God's church on completing my Master's. That search has brought me to Moulton, where I will be serving this second year as a Church Apprentice.
I look forward to meeting you all.
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