Maximising POtential
Maximising Your Potential Sunday
A
portion of the Scriptures that encapsulates our desire as a church to encourage individuals in maximising their potential is found in the book of 1st Peter and reads as follows: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others,
as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10 NIV). In July 2012, an entire Sunday service was dedicated to recognising the achievements of a number of young members of the church who had taken this injunction to heart and used their gifts to benefit society. She started writing when she was only 10 years old but her publishers had to wait for her to finish her A Levels before she could deliver her first manuscript, eventually becoming the youngest ever female signing of prestigious publishers Faber and Faber. He was raised in an environment that precluded opportunities and literally guaranteed that people did not amount to anything in life, which makes his achievements all the more remarkable. She was a mother on maternity leave, juggling a career as a business analyst with raising very young children and supporting the recovery of
24 | New Horizons: The Jesus House Annual Review 2012
completion notwithstanding various challenges and obstacles along the way. At 21 years old, Chibundu’s achievements are staggering. During the process of getting her debut novel published she also managed to secure a first-class honours degree in History from King’s College London and in the months since ‘The Spider King’s Daughter’s’ release, she racked up more successes when she became the youngest author to be shortlisted for the Dylan
a sick husband, yet employing a creative mind and demonstrating tenacity in a difficult and competitive market.
Thomas Prize for young writers and was also long-listed for the £10,000 Desmond Elliott Prize for debut novelists.
These are the stories of three ordinary people who have stepped out boldly in pursuit of their dreams. Chibundu Onuzo, the 21 year-old author of ‘The Spider King’s Daughter’ who has taken the literary world by storm; Samuel Kasunmu, a 25 year-old who has emerged as a young social entrepreneur and author who is respected in the UK business community as a leading business man with influence across sectors; and Abigail Obar, a 37 year-old inventor of the unique board game ‘Medal Haul’, who has been dubbed ‘mother of invention’. These three were presented to the congregation at Jesus House on Maximising Your Potential Sunday (15th July 2012) as examples of ordinary people who took an idea from conception through to
Growing up, Samuel Kasunmu saw first-hand the difficulties experienced by minority groups attempting to break into the labour market and whilst still at University he set up Elevation Networks which is a student-led social enterprise that helps make young people from under-represented groups more competitive in the labour market. Elevation Network has over 8000 members across the UK and has worked with a range of organisations including the BBC, Deloitte, Barclays Capital, IBM, the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, and has secured partnerships with the Olympics and Channel 4. Abigail’s dedication to her dream is noteworthy.