Grace Keir: The 'young preacher of the year' on the prize that changed her life

In Spring 2023 16-year-old Grace Keir gave a talk on the subject ‘Why there is hope’.  So far so unremarkable, plenty of 16-year-olds talk on similar subjects up and down the UK every week. But this talk was recorded and sent off to the Premier Unbelievable Youth Preaching Prize (with Spring Harvest) and Grace won. 

Winning the competition and having the chance to hear feedback from the panel of judges changed the direction of Grace’s life. 

As we wait to hear who has won this year’s competition, we have reconnected with Grace and her parents to catch up with her story, to hear what she is up to now but to also talk about the role her parents played in her journey. How have Rachel and Fraser impacted Grace’s discovery of her skills and calling? 

Thanks for joining us today, Grace, Rachel and Fraser, let’s start with a bit of background to the Keirs, tell us a bit about yourselves. 

Fraser: Well, Rachel and I originally met in Scotland but after we got married and had Grace and her younger sister Naomi, I persuaded Rachel to move back here to her native Hertfordshire mainly because of the better weather and football! 

Rachel: It was good to return but it was also helpful as I could then be near my parents who lived just around the corner and needed care, though they passed away a few years ago now. 

Grace: I don’t really remember anything of Scotland. Apparently, I did have a bit of a Scottish accent but that soon went. Hertfordshire has been home for my whole life really. Our family has always been a place of prayer and Bible reading and I grew up always going to church but also always going to Spring Harvest. 

So, has Spring Harvest always been an annual family trip? 

Grace: Absolutely, it’s always been the highpoint of our year, our favourite week, we always have a countdown to Spring Harvest. I think it’s just really great to see so many different people come together and worshiping God. What I love about the youth stream in particular is that parents haven’t forced anyone to go so everybody wants to be there. We’ve all come from different backgrounds, but everyone’s coming together to worship God in the same way, and you see the different churches, different backgrounds and denominations – it is something really, really special and has made a massive difference in my own faith.

I saw the e-mail advertising the competition and thought about it for a couple of weeks but was eventually struck by a feeling that I was being called to enter it

Rachel: It’s worth saying that there have been times when Fraser and I have thought about going somewhere else just for a change, but the girls would never hear of it, so we kept coming even if it was sometimes just for them. 

So, Grace you’d been going to Spring Harvest for years but then this preaching competition comes up – for those that don’t know, what is it? 

Grace: 2023 was the first year of the competition. By then I had done a few kids talks and assemblies but nothing much more than that. I saw the e-mail advertising the competition and thought about it for a couple of weeks but was eventually struck by a feeling that I was being called to enter it. So, I wrote the preach, recorded it and sent it in right on the deadline!

I was told I had won by e-mail and then was invited to preach at Spring Harvest which was incredible. As the day approached, I was feeling nervous but then Amy Orr-Ewing went through my talk with me, which was so reassuring. She gave me some amazing tips. And then, actually, I felt so much peace when I went up to go and deliver it. I didn’t feel any nerves at all, which is entirely God and like it was just, it was amazing.

Don’t be afraid to make those tricky or risky decisions

Rachel and Fraser what was it like from your perspective? 

Rachel: Well, we can’t emphasise enough how little we had to do with it.  At the time I was waiting for major surgery on my neck which was a very serious issue. We didn’t know that she had written the preach and recorded it. It was only when she said she was about to send it off that Fraser gave it a cursory look over and we said fine just send it in. We were gob smacked when she said she had won. Because of my surgery we couldn’t even go to Spring Harvest that year, so Grace had to go with friends. We were devastated but it meant she had to do it all herself. I think that it’s just a God thing really; something stirred in Grace’s heart. She chose to follow it through and put herself out there. We were the parents, very much in the wings, who’ve always supported her and, you know, given her the opportunity and encouraged her to listen to God and to see that God is guiding her. But she entered the competition out of her own volition; it was her own choice and her own hard work, she researched it, wrote it and sent it in. 

And what has happened since Grace? 

Grace: The experience changed the direction of my life entirely. I was right in that phase of looking at universities, and I was about to apply for criminology, but I entirely abandoned the idea after Spring Harvest, I decided to take a gap year and to then change to study theology. The experience showed me that I wanted to explore full time Christian ministry so, I’ve changed direction completely and will be studying theology from this autumn.

Rachel and Fraser, you say it was a God thing, and it was Grace’s idea and work, but you will have inevitably played a part in all this. 

Fraser: We’ve always been keen to give them opportunities to engage with faith. Taking them to Spring Harvest as we’ve already said has been key, exposing them to a range of Christian ministries and opportunities. Also supporting them in going to summer youth camps where, like at Spring Harvest, they can gather with lots of other young people and be encouraged and inspired. And also, being a part of a church that teaches the Bible week in week out and where we have committed to go week in week out. We have drawn some read lines and choosing to not be involved with other Sunday morning activities was important for us as a family.

I think that encouragement from my parents to be independent was important and the supportive environment they’ve nurtured.

Rachel: It’s an interesting question. We honestly don’t think we did anything; Grace desired to do this one day, and Grace did it, and then we kind of found out about it afterwards. She was very much paddling her own canoe on this one. But thinking about it know, I guess we’ve also always tried to create a safe environment in the home where they can ask questions about faith and to develop their own faith and to be able to stand up for what they believe. We’ve tried to help them to become independently minded. 

Fraser: Yeah both our girls have grown up around a dinner table where we will talk about world events and bring it back to what the Bible has to say. 

Rachel: It is also probably true that the decision to move Grace to a small private Christian school for years 6-11 was key. Naomi stayed in state schooling all the way through and also has a very strong faith but Grace went to this Christian school and it was massively important for her. 

Grace how do you think your parents have helped you find your voice and discern your skills and gifts? 

Grace: Going to the Christian school was important for me, I absolutely loved it. It really gave me the opportunity to develop my own faith, to think for myself about why I believe what I believe. Also, I think that encouragement from my parents to be independent was important and the supportive environment they’ve nurtured.  Things have not always been easy for us, we had to care for our grandparents and I have also had my own really difficult health struggles, but they have always been supportive and encouraging. Being a part of a great church where the youth leaders have been faithful in praying for us and studying the Bible with us has been vital too. 

Grace last word to you, what advice would you give other young people who are considering their future and their place in the world? 

Grace: I would say that if you are feeling like there is something you want to pursue then do it because I never thought about preaching or ministry at it was not even on my radar when I was 15 but the competition I entered entirely changed my life. Also, don’t listen to the peer pressure of your friends around you or your school and the pressure to get great grades, because the thing that matters is your faith, who God wants you to be. Don’t be afraid to make those tricky or risky decisions, things might work out different to what you expect, but ultimately, God has got you and he will take you to where he wants you to be.