August 2026

Legacy: A Weekend With My Daughter

I’ve been around Scripture Union for a long time. I first volunteered on an Adventure Camp more than 20 years ago, did my internship in 2005 and joined the staff team in 2008. Over those years I’ve seen first hand the impact of SU’s family ministry and have even helped lead Family Week myself.

Somehow, though, I had never been on one of our Father & Son or Father & Daughter weekends.

Last weekend I finally changed that when I went to Ovoca with my ten year old daughter Amy. Having somehow missed the opportunity with my two boys, I’m extra grateful for having twin girls, because I get to go back next year with Leah!

I came away thinking that these weekends are one of the hidden gems of what Scripture Union does.

There were 16 dads there with their daughters. On paper, the weekend was very simple: games, a bonfire, a scavenger hunt, climbing, walks, craft, good food and plenty of time just hanging out together. Nothing felt forced or overly intense. You could engage at whatever level felt natural. But underneath all of that was something really worthwhile: fathers deliberately setting aside a weekend simply to be with their daughters.

During our scavenger hunt, some of the challenges were ridiculous, swapping shoes, attempting cartwheels and taking crazy selfies. But mixed among them were questions like, Tell your daughter about a time you were scared. Tell your dad about a time you thought he was a great person. What would you like to do together after camp?

They were small invitations to talk, without making a big thing of it.

We also spent time in Scripture and prayer. Psalm 127 describes children as “a heritage from the Lord”. It was a good reminder of the privilege and responsibility we have as dads, not only to be present in our daughters’ lives, but to help them grow in their own faith and relationship with God.

There was space for the dads to talk honestly together too, about what we enjoy about fatherhood, what we find difficult, and how we try to nurture faith in our daughters. One of my favourite things about the weekend was seeing Simon, Scott and Fraser lead alongside their own older teenage daughters. The girls were very much part of the leadership team themselves, helping with activities, spending time with the younger girls and giving them older girls to look up to. It was lovely to see.

These weekends are now becoming Legacy Weekends, a new name that reflects what has always been at the heart of them: intentionally investing in our children and in the faith we hope to pass on to the next generation. Having experienced one, the name makes a lot of sense. Legacy can sound like something enormous, but much of it is probably built through fairly ordinary things. Making time, being around, listening, having a laugh, praying for our children and doing life together.

If you’re a dad reading this and have never done one, I’d really encourage you to consider it in 2027. You don’t need to arrive with all the answers or prepare yourself for an intensely emotional weekend. It’s actually very laid back. Come with your daughter, enjoy being together and give yourselves a weekend where you have the time and space to properly enjoy each other’s company.

I’ll certainly be back next year, or else Leah will kill me!

With gratitude,

Jonny Somerville