Charity begins at home

Roger Loosley | Features | Work in Progress

Date posted: 1 Mar 2015

Subject: Linden Sanders, Operations Director for Fegans. He is married with two children and lives in Crowborough, East Sussex.
Age range: 30–40 years.
Interests: Football, tennis, surfing, good wine – he is a Francophile.

RJL: How did you become a Christian?
Linden: I was brought up in a Christian family; I have one brother and one sister. When I was 11 years old I made my personal commitment to Christ at a Spring Harvest youth meeting following a very clear gospel presentation – suddenly it all made sense!

RJL: Please explain how you came to work in the charity sector.
Linden: During my gap year I was a volunteer with a church in France doing youth work, working with the homeless and in the church office. At Plymouth University I studied French and Sociology, after which I was a trainee youth worker for a year at Mutley Baptist Church, which is near Plymouth. I then moved to Birmingham and worked at a homeless centre. This opened my eyes to the needs of the homeless. I realised that I wanted to help people. I was approached to become the manager of the Karis Neighborhood Scheme in a deprived community in Birmingham. This provided a wide variety of help for local people. I was there for seven years before we decided to move south.

RJL: Why did you move to Birmingham from Plymouth?
Linden: While I was in Plymouth, I was in a Christian band. Most of the band moved to Birmingham and so to keep it going I joined them. The one member who didn’t join us was our drummer, so we had to replace him.

RJL: Was the recruitment of a new drummer signiﬁcant for you?
Linden: Yes; our new drummer was a girl who subsequently became my wife!

RJL: What does Fegans do?
Linden: Fegans is a Christian charity. Originally it ran children’s homes but, largely due to changes in government policy, our focus has moved to supporting families in the community, counselling at the Fegans Centre’s and schools, schools outreach (assemblies, classes, after school activities) and providing courses for parents and church leaders.

RJL: Do you have any regrets about your choice of career or do you enjoy your job?
Linden: No, I don’t have any regrets. I enjoy my work because I am helping people.

RJL: How does Fegans being a Christian charity affect you at work?
Linden: Most of the staff are Christians – of all ‘flavours’. The issues between staff members are much the same as in any organisation, but we have a very good team. We have regular prayer meetings and when the management team has to make policy decisions we pray together about them, which we have found to be a real blessing. Controlling our finances is one of our biggest challenges. What is the best use of our resources? Is it right to pay low wages so we have more money to spend on other areas of our work?

RJL: Are there any conﬂicts between your job and your home/church life?
Linden: Not really. Sometimes the line between work and service can be blurred: it is not just a job. In my previous roles, church on a Sunday had been an extension of my work, with people asking for advice after the service. Occasionally somebody would identify a person in need and try to transfer the problem to the organisation I worked for rather than helping themselves.

RJL: What would you say to those thinking of working for a charity like Fegans?
Linden: Start by doing some voluntary work to see what it is like. Many charities offer work experience. I recommend working for a charity: it is rewarding but has its headaches and challenges. There are lots of opportunities and varieties of role including in the ‘back office’. RJL: I know that you have only recently joined Fegans, but what are your ambitions? Linden: To implement our five-year strategy, which is very exciting! Beyond that, one day I would like to head up a big charity doing international relief.